VOL. LXXXIV, NO.9 DEERFIELD ACADEMY, DEERFIELD, MA 01342 February 24, 2010

As the winter term draws toa close, the campus has turnedits attention to poster boardslocated in the Trophy Room andGreer Store. They advertise thefloor plans of the new Greer andfitness center renovations.

Chief Financial OfficerJoseph Manory explained that asearly as the beginning of May theGreer Store will be shut downfor a “demolition.” In its place aNew York-style hot dog cartdecorated by Mr. Dickinson’s artclass will visit Albany Road tocater to student’s snack needs.

Mr. Manory said, “LouisCafé hours are expected to beextended further into the after-noon and evening.” Despitethese compensations, there is nodoubt the Greer Store will bemissed, and its return will be all-the-more exciting.

Deerfield Projects ManagerJeff Galli made clear just howexciting the renovation will be.Scheduled to reopen in earlyOctober, the new store will bemuch bigger than the existingone. While only 78 seats are cur-rently available, the newer storewill have 164. The room itselfwill be 4,230 sq. ft., including thenew men’s and women’s roomswithin. To effectively call ordernames in the bigger Greer, a PAsystem will be installed.

The kitchen will also be larg-er. Director of Food ServicesFlorrie Paige noted, “The servicewill speed up significantly, as theequipment and workspace willbe much more efficient.”

The new store has more tooffer beyond its efficiency andgreater size. According to Mr.Manory, the wood paneling onthe walls will be cherry, mimick-ing the “feel of the TrophyRoom.” The new furniture willbe similar to that of the KochCenter, and new menu itemssuch as pizza will be available.

According to the architect,the new Greer will include astage equipped with “multi-media A.V. and I.T. system.”“The plan is that a student bandcould come in anytime, plug in,and play,” Ms. Paige said.

New room provided byupcoming “demolition” willrelocate student mailboxes andintroduce a multi-use room.Outfitted with its own audio-video system much like the stage,the multi-use room will mostlikely house Academy boardmeetings and may be availablefor extra-curricular clubs.

The board originallyplanned the project two yearsago, but halted it due to the eco-nomic downturns. With newdonor interest and a drop in con-struction cost, the new plan“saved 25% of the original cost,”Mr. Manory said.

There are few opportunitiesfor Deerfield’s theater studentsto see the work of peers at otherschools. However, this April, theActing Tutorial Class will attendthe third annual InterschoolStudent One Act Festival.

A group of theater studentsat Phillips Academy Andoverstarted this day-long festival.Currently eight schools includingHotchkiss, Exeter, and St. Paul’sparticipate. In its first two years,the festival was held at Andover,

but this year it will be at Choatefor its convenient location.

The festival begins withworkshops on different elementsof drama and theater. In theevening, each school performs aten minute one-act play led by astudent director.

The focus on studentinvolvement is what attractsDirector of Acting John Reeseto the festival. “Letting it bemore or less student run makes itmuch more fun.” He also thinksthat the lack of competition inthe festival “fosters a nice spirit.”

Camille Coppola ’10 will beleading a workshop on a conceptshe learned at an acting programthis past summer.

Despite her nervousness,Coppola said, “I’m really excited.I have wanted to teach this ideasince I learned it.”

In planning this year’sschedule, Mr. Reese was adamantabout attending the festival. (Inthe past two years, it was impos-sible to attend due to otherevents.) He feels it is importantfor the artists to interact withother schools just as athletes do.

Poet, anthologist, and lec-turer Naomi Shihab Nye willvisit campus for three daysbeginning April 7. A close friendof Katie Flato P’10, ’12, Ms. Nyehas Palestinian heritage thatshines through in her work.Much of her work, such as 19Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of theMiddle East, speaks of the MiddleEast and the issues facing theregion.

During her three-day visit,Ms. Nye will meet with theEnglish Department and stu-dents. “We’re trying to make it anexperience that reaches out toboth the English classes and his-tory classes,” said Hannah Flato’10. Ms. Nye can speak not onlyabout what it takes to become asuccessful writer, but also aboutcenturies-old struggles.

Arabic Teacher SamarMoushabeck is also optimisticabout the poet’s visit. “I want tobroaden the horizons of my stu-dents so they can know what’sout there,” said Ms.Moushabeck.

Ms. Nye is a Lannan Fellow,a Guggenheim Fellow, and aWitter Bynner Fellow. Her chil-dren’s books have won manyawards including an ArabAmerican Book Award. She wasrecently elected as a chancellor tothe Academy of American Poets.

“Because she has spent a lotof time back in Palestine, she hasbecome an ardent advocate forthe Palestinian people,” saidEnglish Teacher John Palmer.Ms. Nye strives to break downArab and Muslim stereotypesthat degrade the proud people.

Ms. Nye currently lives inSan Antonio, Texas, where shecame to know Mrs. Flato, themother of Hannah and MalouFlato ’12.

Mrs. Flato finds eventspeakers for the San AntonioLibrary Foundation, so it wasnatural for her to suggest aspeaker for Deerfield. Ms. Nye isoften in the New England areato give lectures at various col-leges. Mrs. Flato and Hannahbegan to speak to Ms. Nye overa year ago about coming to theAcademy, and the momentumquickly began to build.

Philip Greer, chairman ofthe board of trustees said,“David Koch is a living exampleof Mr. Boyden’s aspiration.” Intribute to Mr. Koch’s selflessnessand dedication to Deerfieldideals, the board recently votedto name him the first and onlyLifetime Trustee.

This unprecedented honorgives Mr. Koch all the rights ofan active trustee, including vot-ing, and he may come to as manymeetings as he wants for the restof his life.

“There may well be no oneelse ever accorded this honor,”said Mr. Greer.

Since first arriving onDeerfield campus in 1954 as astudent, Mr. Koch has served theAcademy in many capacities—but especially as a trustee andgenerous donor. In the past

twenty years, he has significantlyhelped to fund the constructionof the natatorium and KochMath and Science Center.

“Mr. Koch has shownthrough his actions and hiswords that he is worthy of hisDeerfield heritage,” said Ms.Curtis.

In 1995, Mr. Koch was amajor donor for the natatorium,which houses an eight-lane pool,a Jacuzzi, a lap-pool, and threediving boards under soaring ceil-ings. Not only is it home toDeerfield swimming and divingteams, but it also serves as a facil-

ity for the Franklin County com-munity and swimming SpecialOlympics team.

The Koch Center, to whichMr. Koch made a major contri-bution in 2007, has been called“the science and math Mecca ofthe boarding school world” byBoard members.

“I would like to be knownin the future as someone who isnot just a wealthy, successfulbusinessman,” he said, “butsomeone who really cared aboutthe well-being of others—didhis darndest to be charitable andhelp others.”

By LUCY COBBS

Editor-in-chief

By FREDDY ROCKWOOD

Staff Writer

David KochNamed

LifetimeTrustee

Poet Naomi Shihab Nye to Visit Campus in April

Reinventing the Greer Store

Alex Berner

A student band performs at the KFC, the winter Koch Friday Night Concert.

Student Actors to Learn from Peers at Theater FestBy SARAH WOOLF

Staff Writer

By THEO LIPSKYStaff Writer

David Koch shares a light moment with Ms. Curtis at the dedica-tion of the Koch Center.

Jim Gipe, Pivot Media

What’s so appealing

about the

GTL lifestyle?

Page 4

Missy Walker wins

“gold key” in

writing contest

Page 5

Girls start their

own golf team

Page 6

2 The Deerfield Scroll OPINION / EDITORIAL February 24, 2010

VOL. LXXXIV, NO. 9 February 24, 2010

Editor-in-Chief

LUCY COBBS

Front PageCAMILLE COPPOLA

Opinion/EditorialJOHANNA FLATO

Arts & EntertainmentTAO TAO HOLMES

FeaturesAMANDA MINOFF

SportsCYRUS WITTIG

Online EditorCAMILLE VILLA

Layout EditorELLEN SHIN

Assistant Layout EditorSARAH KIM

Photo EditorSTEPHANIE OLIVAS

Photo AssociateELEANOR PARKER

Online AssociateJAKE BARNWELL

Business ManagerCASEY BUTLER

Editorial AssociatesEMMETT KNOWLTON

YU-JIN NAMGRACE MURPHY

ELISABETH STRAYER

AdvisorsSUZANNE HANNAY & JOHN PALMER

STAFF REPORTERS: Nastassia Adkins, Mary Banalagay, Delaney Berman, Casey Butler,Audrey Cho, Jacqueline Colt, Daryl Cooley, Kayla Corcoran, Danielle Dalton, Ashik Desai,Malou Flato, Albert Ford, Anna Gonzales, Lizzy Gregory, Miles Griffis, Philip Heller, SonjaHolmberg, Shaye Horn, Ritchey Howe, Claire Hutchins, Andy Kang, Jade Kasoff, StefaniKuo, Francis Lauw, Eunice Lee, Theo Lipsky, Daniel Litke, Dylan McDermott, MattMcKelvey, Marly Morgus, Courtney Murray, Hadley Newton, Sarah Oh, Zoe Perot, FreddyRockwood, Nina Shevzov-Zebrun, Andrew Slade, Eliot Taft, Julia Trehu, Libby Whitton,Christopher Wong, Sarah Woolf, Elizabeth Yancey, Michael Yang

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS: Alex Berner, Megan Cai, Arleen Chien, Jennifer Coulombe,Sarah Cox, Clair Fair, Will Fox, Daniel Han, Chesney Henry, Veronica Houk, NinaKempner, Susanna Kvam, Louisa Schieffelin

The Deerfield Scroll, established in 1925, is the official student newspaper of DeerfieldAcademy. The Scroll encourages informed discussion of pertinent issues that concern theAcademy and the world. Signed letters to the editor that express legitimate opinions arewelcomed. We hold the right to edit for brevity. The Scroll, published nine times yearly, isentered as third class bulk rate at the U.S. Post Office at Deerfield, Mass. 01342.Advertising rates provided upon request.

Opinion articles without names represent consensus views of the editorial staff.Opinion articles with contributors’ names represent the views of the respective writers.

Letter to the Editor

Letter From the EditorAt the risk of sounding slightly cliché, the past year and nine editions of the Scroll Volume 84 have

flown by. I’d like to first thank all the 2009-2010 editors; your hard work produced high-quality pages andyour levity during layout kept me sane. Also, none of this would have been possible without our advisors,Ms. Hannay and Mr. Palmer, who guided us, motivated us, and brought us donuts when we were hungry.Thank you to everyone on and off campus who supported us: readers, Dr. Curtis, and administration.

Reflecting on the quality of Volume 84, I like to think that we accomplished many of our goals. Wereported with clarity on a number of weighty issues—gender dynamics, over enrollment, the on-campusInternational Debate, the settlement of the Koch Center lawsuit, our rivalry with Choate, and the fire inthe Dining Hall. In addition, we provided a forum for discussion, receiving and publishing many lettersfrom students, teachers, and alumni.

We also introduced a couple of exciting initiatives, including Scroll Online. Thanks to Online EditorsCamille Villa ’10 and Jake Barnwell ’12 for spearheading the project. Scroll.deerfield.edu, our websitelaunched in May, has had 16,000 visits and allowed us to begin a video-journalism program and publisha greater volume of and more timely articles. With commenting available online, we’ve received morefeedback from a larger audience. Also, we started a regular book review column and blog by KaylaCorcoran ’10, and we feature Amanda Bennett ’10’s almost daily-updated blog about her experience inSpain School Year Abroad. Throughout the year we strove to report on a balance of topics with accura-cy and fairness and to accept all constructive criticism with grace.

Finally, to end this letter, I’d like to congratulate and wish the best to Elisabeth Strayer ’11, the neweditor-in-chief, and her staff. Good night and good luck.

-Lucy Cobbs, editor-in-chief

Neither of my parents arediehard football fans, yet everyNovember they both follow onegame with passion. The game:the annual showdown betweentheir alma mater and their tradi-tional rival. This rivalry has lastedover a century, with both schoolsproducing thousands ofupstanding citizens during thattime. Rivalries are hardly a recentinvention of Deerfield andChoate.

I would like to take amoment to consider the spiritbehind the rivalry. I was shockedwhen I read the comparisonbetween our Choate Day tradi-tions and harassment practicesof the Ku Klux Klan. I find itdisturbing that someone per-ceives me and my peers as capa-ble of such egregious acts ofhatred as seen in the South dur-ing the height of the violencecarried out by the Klan.

I have now taken part inChoate week for three years, Ihave sat in the darkened dininghall listening to the legend abouta brave warrior’s defeat of a wildboar centuries ago, I have stoodbasking in the warmth of theoverwhelming school spiritwatching the burning of the C,and I have been filled with prideas the familiar words of thecheering song ring out over thefields at the end of the Choategames. While each time I have

been honored to be a part ofthese traditions, I have neveronce felt the need to carry outviolent action against a Choatie.This rivalry is not as much abouthating Choate as it is about lov-ing Deerfield.

As students of history, wehave all studied the dangers ofthe “other” mentality as seen inimperialistic conquests, the holo-caust, and acts of terrorism andracism within our own country.However in each of these exam-ples, there lies a stark contrast tothe Deerfield-Choate Rivalry.

This rivalry is hardly a one-way street. For our caveman t-shirt, Choate made a t-shirt fea-turing an easy button. A rivalrycan exist only between equals. Ifwe truly believed Choaties to beinferior human beings we would-n’t compete with them.Competition requires a worthyopponent. In acknowledgingChoate as our rival, we acknowl-edge them as being one of ourpeer schools.

One of the things that firstdrew me to Deerfield was thecharacter of the students here.When you meet Deerfield boysor girls, they will look you in theeye and shake your hand. This isa phenomenon not seen in mostof the adolescent world. It is alsoa demonstration of respect for acommon humanity. We as stu-dents at Deerfield pride our-selves in being respectful individ-uals. On the athletic field wecontinue to hold ourselves tothis standard.

Before I came to Deerfield,I attended a large public high

school outside of Boston. Whenmy old school played their rival,the police from both towns werein attendance and every year hadto break up several fist fightsbetween fans.

At Deerfield we do notresort to such violence. Even themost hot-headed of athletes isencouraged by our coaches andpeers to conduct his or herself inan honorable manner. In mythree years here I have neverseen a level of athletic competi-tion that I could consider“extreme.” Deerfield has someof the strongest sportsmanship Ihave ever encountered in an ath-letic career that has now spanned15 years.

Frankly, I would argue thatsuch extreme violent competi-tion would not only be seen asunacceptable by Deerfield stu-dents, but would be against thevery nature of the character ofthis school. Mr. Boyden believedthe value of sports lay in themolding of character. We striveeveryday to shape ourselves intoyoung adults worthy of thevision set forth by Mr. Boyden.

I would encourage theauthor of the letter to please takean afternoon to talk with stu-dents at Deerfield, to get toknow the people they believewould don a white hood and takepart in a lynching. If you areseeking grounds for comparison,please look at collegiate or otherprep-school rivalries before mak-ing the jump to genocide andhistorical extremes.

Nori Welles-Gertz ’10

Re: “Re: ‘Why We’d Rather Be

Here Than Choate,’” Letter to

the Editor, January 27, 2010

Would it be brash to suggestthat a pragmatic leader in theDeerfield community ought notto attend the “LeadershipTraining” sessions?

Perhaps not. For starters,why is it necessary to formalizeso-called “leadership positions”?If Deerfield is such a prestigiousinstitution, each and every one ofits students, from freshman tosenior, should be a capableleader. It is uncalled for to specif-ically deem certain roles on cam-pus “leadership” roles when stu-dents are all encouraged to bewell-rounded, Renaissance menand women—the future leadersof the world.

The appointed “leaders” ofthe school should have the skillsof time management and priori-

tizing. By handling the demandsof Deerfield, they have alreadydisplayed adeptness in theseareas, and as competent youngpeople, have already acquired so-called leadership skills.

Many if not all of the mostsuccessful Deerfield leaderschose to skip the secondLeadership Training meeting.After attending the first, in whicha mandatory group reflection onhandmade flow charts met withcynicism and silence, they choseto forgo another meeting afterconsidering the best use of theirtime.

Deerfield needs to trust andbelieve in its leaders—they are allcapable of handling what theyhave taken on. If not, they’llcatch on fast.

Leading Sans Leadership Meeting

Current Electives Miss OutAs juniors and seniors

looked over this year’s springelectives, many were disappoint-ed to find no science offerings.Where, for instance, haveSkywatching and Forensicsgone?

Aside from these traditionalstand-bys we would like to seecourses with more relevance tostudents. Many have expressedinterest in seeing more practicalor hands-on courses such ashome economics or wood shop.

How about a course focusedon keeping abreast of currentevents? Middlesex, for example,offers a course in which students

must read the paper daily andwrite letters to the editor whilepursuing a research topic.

It seems especially impor-tant that seniors on the cusp of,if not already, exercising theirvoting rights, be well-informedabout the issues of the day. Inthe past, we have complainedabout students’ ignorance whenit comes to current events, whydoesn’t the school try a proactiveapproach as Middlesex does?

Offering this to seniorsmight be a first step towards aclass offered towards the entirestudent body, encouraging over-all political awareness.

Almost every week studentshear the familiar words, “Lastnight, the DC met to discuss thecase…” While some of the stu-dents whom the DCs judged ulti-mately left with Letters ofReprimand and other similarlylight punishments, the fact thatwe as a school have gone fromBoyden’s casual conversationsover infractions to treating everyinfraction as a disciplinary case isalarming.

Deerfield was initially andremains to this day a “second-chance” school, a school thatencourages character growthafter mistakes, rather than treat-ing them as errors of character.Deerfield looked not to punishstudents, but rather to leave stu-dents with improved character atthe end.

As a student who learnedfrom Ms. Creagh’s understandingbut firm tone my sophomoreyear, I am concerned with thechange in approach. Dragging

students in front of theDisciplinary Committee forminor offenses is humiliatingand not effective. Far moreeffective is the previous Boyden-esque model, in which theAdministration would leave theDC for only the most seriousoffenses, dealing with the restthrough dialogue and instructiverepercussions such as letters ofreprimand.

Particularly worrying is therecent case in which the DC’sruling of a two-day suspensionfor a unique alcohol offensewas overturned by theAdministration, and subsequent-ly withheld from the studentbody. The case was a classicexample of Deerfield characterbuilding. Two students werecaught purchasing alcohol off-campus and rather than attempt-ing to shirk their responsibilitiesand attempt to hide the incidentfrom the school, they volun-teered the information afterreturning to school.

In an acknowledgement oftheir honesty, the DC’s delibera-tions concluded that the circum-

stances warranted a slightlyshorter suspension. However,this ruling was quickly over-turned by the Administration inwhat appears to be an attempt tosend a message. The messagethat was sent was not the intend-ed one; rather, it sent a messagethat conflicted with what manystudents thought that Deerfieldstood for.

Deerfield is meant to teachstudents through their mistakes,not to punish them to send amessage to others. What trulymakes Deerfield unique is itsability to allow students to growand learn from their mistakes,academic, behavioral, or other.What we do not wish to movetowards are the stricter policiesof our rival schools.

Our policies are a sign ofstrength in our student body anda show of confidence in its char-acter, not a sign of weakness ortolerance of bad behavior. Ourreactions to future infractionsshould reflect that Deerfieldspirit and seek to develop thecharacter of our students ratherthan vindictively punish them.

By PAUL PASCUICCO

Contributing Writer

The D C Thr eat

The Deerfield Scroll OPINION / EDITORIAL February 24, 2010 3

TheDeerfield Scroll would like to thank the members of the Grounds

Crew for all of their hard work this winter. We understand that you

make it possible for us to continue walking easily from class to class,

dorm to Dining Hall, gym to dorm. Thank you!

State of the UnionState of the School

President Barack Obama’sState of The Union Address, apolitical swamp, reinforced thelack of success with today’spolarizing party system.

Yet who is to blame for theinefficiency of today’s politics?Is it the Republicans, who sys-tematically deny any chance of ahealth care reform in America?The Democrats who insist onleaving the issue of immigrationalone?

The answer does not rest ina political party, as the Americanpeople might assume it would.Instead, the issue is us. AsAmericans, we pledge allegianceto our political party, not ourcountry. We insist on labelingourselves as Republican,Democrat, and even the indeci-sive Independent. Instead, weshould take a more democraticapproach to our politics.

We need to prioritize thecountry’s needs and vote accord-ingly. We cannot simply vote forthe Republican governor simplybecause we agree with a few ofthe Republican platforms.Instead, we need to create a bet-ter party system, with theextremes on either side and thegeneral public somewhere inbetween. We need to eliminatethe party names and the agendasthat follow them. Why should apolitician who supportsstrengthening the immigrationpolicy then be forced to be pro-choice?

A disheartening sign fromboth parties was the lack of sup-port for Obama during hisaddress. For example, whenObama praised the tax cuts for95% of Americans, theDemocrats jumped from theirseats with a thundering applausewhile the Republicans sat stone-faced on their side. On the other

hand, Obama viciously attackedGeorge W. Bush and made himresponsible for all the hardshipsof Obama’s first year in office.How can our political system beeffective with such polarizationbetween our leaders?

While here at Deerfield,many of us cannot voice ouropinions through a poll vote, wecan still practice the same princi-ples with our own StudentCouncil.

With the Student BodyPresident election coming up inthe spring, we are sure to hear ofall the successes that each candi-date had while at Deerfield, yetunfortunately, we are sure to seea popularity vote of some sort inwhich students simply vote fortheir friend or someone theyimagine would be a good leaderbecause of his or her publicspeaking abilities.

Everyone needs to considertheir vote—to think more aboutthe platform of the campaignrather than the person standingbehind it. If we do that, we aresure to have an excellentPresident of Deerfield next yearwith a cohesive student govern-ment and numerous opportuni-ties for student input.

America needs the samekind of system—needs to avoidthe external party connotationsand simply focus on the motivesof the candidates.

Inevitably, the next time youare asked about your party affili-ation you will be enticed to sim-ply state, “I am a Conservative,”but instead you should say, “WellI do not belong to a specificparty. I support the idea of creat-ing more strict immigration laws,yet at the same time I am pro-choice.”

Essentially, we need to breakout of the shackles of the politi-cal party names that constrictour beliefs as well as the efficien-cy of our government.

By BRAD TINGLEY

Contributing Writer

Congratulations to Junior Declamation WinnersMia Fowler

Emmett Knowlton

Ellie Parker

We wish to extend our deepest sympathy to

ROSE CAOUETTEand to her family

on the death of her husband

ROBERT F. CAOUETTE, SR.

Scott Brown’s upset victoryover Martha Coakley in therecent Massachusetts specialelection came as a surprise tomany who believed that the BayState would forever vote forDemocratic senators. The seatwas previously held by the lateTed Kennedy, who served assenator from 1962 until his deathon August 25 of last year.

Beyond Democratic candi-date Martha Coakley’s lacklusterand perhaps overconfident cam-paign, the Massachusetts race issymbolic for the nationwidepopular apprehension about theproposed health insurancereforms being debated inCongress. Voters from across thestate voiced their concerns “thatthe health care bill is being ram-rodded through.” One of thesesame voters noted that his votefor Brown was “also a statementabout what I don’t want.” Agrowing majority of Americansare opposed to health carereform because they feel theydon’t have enough informationabout the changes the proposedbill would entail.

The implications of Brown’sSenate victory are disturbing forthe nation as a whole. Exactlyone year after Barack Obamawas inaugurated with a mandateto strive for bipartisan coopera-tion, the senate has becomemore partisan than ever. Everyvote on recent major bills hasbeen split along party lines. Nowthat Democrats have lost theSenate supermajority andRepublicans have a 41st vote inScott Brown, it is almost certainthat Republicans will filibusterany attempts at passing healthinsurance reform.

Senate Republicans havedecided that their role in the gov-ernment will be to veto any pro-gressive legislation that is pro-

posed. Given their currentminority, this also means that noRepublican projects will bepassed either. It seems as thoughthe power to prevent legislationfrom being passed has surpassedthe need for effective reforms.

This stalemate is especiallydangerous because it comes at atime when reforms are neededmost. The current health carereform bill was found to reducethe ballooning budget deficit infuture years. As New York Timescolumnist Paul Krugman writes,“Given the state of Americanpolitics, the way the Senateworks is no longer consistentwith a functioning government.”

What can be done to put theSenate back into a position toserve the people and not theirown political goals? The fili-buster, which by Senate rulesallows any bill to be blocked,allows senators to put their ownpersonal or partisan goals beforethose of the country and eventheir constituency. It is a tech-nique that has been used byDemocrats and Republicans foryears, more often by the party inminority.

One option the Democratshave is to try to change the sen-ate rules in order to ban the fili-buster. This change, deemed the“nuclear option,” would provedifficult to effect given that 67votes would be needed (there arecurrently only 59 democrats),and because the filibuster wouldstill be fair game during the con-sideration of its elimination.

Were they to succeed inchanging the rules, Democratscould move forward withoutrepublican obstruction, and tryto pass some form ofhealth insurance reform.Hypothetically, this tactic couldsolve two systemic conflicts thathave plagued the Governmentfor decades (major health carereform has been attempted twicewithout success). But Democrats

are weary about eliminating thefilibuster because, comeNovember, it may be the mostvaluable tool they have.

The unpopularity of thecurrent health insurance reformhas slated Democrats to losesenate seats in November andthe disparity between politicalagenda and public opinion hasput health insurance reform injeopardy. Last week, PresidentObama announced that hewould hold a bipartisan healthcare summit on health care to betelevised this month. “I want tocome back and have a largemeeting, Republicans andDemocrats, to go through sys-tematically all the best ideas thatare out there and move it for-ward.”

sources:http://thecaucus.blogs.nyti

mes.com/2010/01/19/blog-ging-the-mass-senate-race/

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/images/nytint/docs/new-york-times-cbs-news-poll-health-care-overhaul/origi-nal.pdf

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/images/nytint/docs/new-york-times-cbs-news-poll/original.pdf

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-presi-dent-state-union-address

http://www.cbo.gov/ftp-docs/107xx/doc10769/CLASS_Additional_Information_Miller_letter.pdf

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/opinion/08krug-man.html

Beth, Richard S.,“Entrenchment” of Senate Procedureand the “Nuclear Option” forChange: Possible Proceedings andTheir Implications. March 28, 2005.http://rules.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=SenateFloorProcedures

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/us/politics/08webobama.html?

By NICK WHITTREDGE

Contributing Writer

One Senate, One Seat

The Deerfield Scroll apologizes for the omission of SonjaHolmberg’s byline of the article, “Soft Shadows, Hot Wax”

in the January 27, 2010 issue.

The dry summer dust on the road is soft on mybare feet, and the glaring sunlight gives every-thing an aura of over-exposure. When I finally

reach the shade of the trees, my face aches from nearly an hour of subconscious squint-ing. I leave the roadside and walk a short way into the woods to a stream that runstowards the river at the bottom of the mountain. In one of the deeper pools I walk outknee deep into the cold water, digging my toes into the mud and watching the water-striders shoot across the surface and crowd under the opposite bank. I am intenselyaware of the cold, living-and-mineral water and the pushing current. I am going toenjoy this day with no company but the water striders.

When was the last time you were alone? When was the last time you spent most ofa weekend, or even a day or a couple hours, entirely by yourself, without a companion,a computer, or a phone by your side? Did you do so voluntarily, for your own pleasure?In this day of “bathroom buddies” and stream of consciousness text-messaging, myguess is it was a long time ago.

A group of students sit at a table during walk-through. A girl stands up: “Come upto get salad with me” she asks her friend next to her, pulling her out of her seat. Poorgirl. She can’t walk twenty feet to the salad bar by herself. Earlier that day, another girlfrom down the hall had knocked on her door: “Are you wearing boots today? I’m notsure whether to wear boots or flats—will you wear boots with me? I just don’t want tobe the only one.”

Here you have it: the future leaders of America. They can’t even decide what towear without help and the assurance that someone else will wear the same thing withthem. Some of them can’t sit alone at a table. What are they afraid of? They are giving

up their ability to think and act independently, and as much lip service as ‘independence’gets in the educational world, here at Deerfield we often have an incentive to dependon others. Isn’t it often easier to discuss homework as a group, or to have a difficultconcept spoon-fed to you by a teacher rather than to figure it out by yourself ? Studygroups and extra help have their place, but many students find that when test-daycomes and they have only themselves to depend on, they are unprepared to succeedalone. What will happen, then, when they have to face the real world? How is someonewho can’t walk to the salad bar without company going to manage going to a supermar-ket?

This isn’t just Deerfield’s problem; everywhere I have gone in America, people myage and younger exhibit a degree of dependency, a constant need for companionship,contact with friends, assistance, and social approval. So the question is: Are these thesort of people to whom America is passing? Those who have never learned how tomanage when they have to trust and depend on themselves?

The truth is, this isn’t just a question of going on a long walks on the weekends.Developing the self-confidence and sense of self-worth necessary to be a good com-panion to oneself is a way towards something more important: learning how to surviveindependently. We will all have times in our lives when there is no one to help us, noone who understands, or no one who cares. In those times, we are all we can dependon. In preparation for those days, let us learn to trust in the one who is, after all, clos-est to us, and let us learn our own powers and limits; they are higher than you mightthink. In order to do so, we must enter situations that make us uncomfortable. So sitalone at lunch, wear a sweater that your friend thinks is tacky, and skip the history studygroup tonight. Can’t handle it? Maybe you can convince your friend to do it too…

When Was the Last Time You Were Alone?By KELSEY JANIK

Contributing Writer

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ­­­­­February 24, 2010 4 The Deerfield Scroll

Awards Galore atArtspace Student Exhibit

Eight Deerfield art studentswere selected to show theirpieces in the annual Teen ArtExhibit, hosted by ArtspaceCommunity Arts Center inGreenfield.

Representing Deerfield thisyear were Harley Brown ’10,Eloise McEniry ’10, Jen Mulrow’10, Nastassia Adkins ’11,Hannah Dancer ’11, LizzyGregory ’11, Sonja Holmberg’11, and Porter Simmons ’12.

Local professional artistsjudged the works in each catego-ry: drawing, painting, photogra-phy, prints, assemblage/mixedmedia, and sculpture, and Best inShow.

Deerfield artists took tophonors at the gallery’s awardsceremony on January 29. In thedrawing category, Mulrow tookfirst place with her self-portraitin charcoal pencil, andHolmberg’s Vessels took third.

The photographers alsodominated in their section, withSimmons’ Bicycle Vine andAdkins’ Mortality taking first andsecond place, respectively.Gregory was awarded first prizein the Mixed Media category forher collage entitled Hannah.

Deerfield Fine Arts teachersDavid Dickinson and TimTrelease had the challenge ofchoosing eight works to enter thecompetition. Mr Treleaseexplained that they “tried tospread out the type of artwork,”submitting an equal number ofpieces for each category. Theychose early on and Mr. Treleasesaid, “If the show were to takeplace now, we would have manymore works to choose from.”

Mr. Trelease said the selec-tion process was difficult, asthere was a vast array of qualitypieces from which to choose.“We picked works by exceptionalartists, but there are so manymore exceptional artists atDeerfield that could have won

awards. It’s remarkable howmany talented and dedicated stu-dents there are in the arts atDeerfield.”

After much deliberation,they decided to submit four pho-tographs taken by Adkins,Brown, McEniry, and Simmons,thus dividing the submissionsequally among photographs andrendered pieces. The photo-graphs by Adkins and Dancerhave limited color palettes, whilethose by Brown and Simmonsfeature bold, vivid colors.

The four pieces of non-photographic art are varied intheir subject matter, medium,and execution. Half of theworks are portraits, while theother half are still-life pieces.Like the photography submis-sions, two of the four are in fullcolor, while the other two consistof subdued palettes.

While ceremony attendeesand visitors were impressed byall of Deerfield’s submissions,Mulrow’s piece Self Portrait drew

a particularly noticeable amountof attention, earning her the Bestin Show award.

“It’s really nice for studentsto get recognition,” Mr. Treleasesaid, “and it’s really nice to raise

awareness in the community thatquality work is being produced.”

Although the exhibitionended February 12, pictures ofthe works from the show are onthe online gallery on DAnet.

Field Trip to Broadway!

While the rest of the schoolwent on with its regular Sundayschedule, twenty students fromEnglish teacher SuzanneHannay’s senior classes voyagedto New York City and back.

The purpose of the trip onJanuary 31, was to see theBroadway play A View from theBridge. “The play is about bluecollar workers in the Red Hooksection of 1950s Brooklyn,”explained Ms. Hannay.

Ms. Hannay had alreadybeen planning to read the ArthurMiller play in her senior Englishclass when she saw an announce-ment for it in The GreenfieldRecorder.

“It was really cool to see theplay,” said Grace Burns ’10, amember of Ms. Hannay’s sev-enth period class. “We had actedthe scenes out in class, but it wasreally exciting to see the play onBroadway.”

Fellow classmate HaleyPatoski ’10 agreed, “I was a lot

more interested in the play afterseeing it in New York.”

This isn’t the first time Ms.Hannay has taken her class to seea Broadway play. “Last year,” saidMs. Hannay, “we read and sawAll My Sons with John Lithgowand Katie Holmes.” Studentshad the privilege of meeting andtalking with star John Lithgow.

This production also includ-ed Hollywood stars Liv Schrieberand Scarlett Johanssen. “Theydid an amazing job portrayingcomplicated characters. Therewas intense emotion betweenthem,” Kevin Smith ’10 said.

Ms. Hannay created herEnglish course “Literature of the1950s” in 2004 after discovering“a huge similarity between the1950s—with fear of commu-nism, McCarthyism, and atomicbomb—and the 2000s post 9/11 with fear of weapons of massdestruction, Islamic terrorists,and any voice that questionedAmerican righteousness,” shedescribed.

Ms. Hannay’s interest in the1950s spawned the class which

has gained the nickname“50/50.” The syllabus includesnovels, plays and movies fromthe fifties and the courseexplores the defining qualities ofthe decade and how it comparesto present day America.

If this visit was so success-ful, why don’t more classes go onfield trips? While Ms. Hannaywishes that more classes atDeerfield went on trips, sheexplained that “they’re nevergoing to happen unless we startschool a week earlier.”

Both Burns and Patoskiagreed that finding the time forone of these excursions is diffi-cult. “The trip was really fun,”said Burns, “but it was hard tolose my whole Sunday.”

It is certainly tempting tostick to the comfortable Sundayschedule. And perhaps NewYork City is too far to travel on abusy weekend day, but as Ms.Hannay pointed out, “Few of usever make it into Boston,Stockbridge, or even the Smithor Amherst College ArtGalleries. That’s a shame.”

Christopher Benfey, profes-sor at Mt. Holyoke College, hasreceived widespread praise forhis book A Summer ofHummingbirds. In this scholarlywork that revolves around multi-ple 19th-century figures, Benfeycombines an analysis of litera-ture, art, and cultural history.

Through vignettes woventogether like a thick bird’s nest,the author depicts the lives ofcelebrated American writers,poets, and artists during andafter the Civil War. The bookdescribes how Emily Dickinson,Mark Twain, Harriet BeecherStowe, and Martin JohnsonHeade, among others, curiously

intersect in the ever-changingAmerican society.

These renowned personali-ties search for love and inspira-tion in a post-Civil War nation,which has “left behind a staticview of existence, a trust inarrangements and hierarchies,and ultimately find meaning in aworld of instability and evanes-cence.” As the nation reshapeditself following the horrors ofwar, so too did Benfey’s subjectssearch for spiritual rebirth intheir own idiosyncratic ways.

The hummingbird, with itsconstant motion and resonatingeffect in nature, serves as thesymbolic nexus that ties togetherthe various characters and theirshifting realities.

Beecher, renowned speakerand brother of Harriet BeecherStowe, was naturally fascinatedby movement and resonance.Inspired by Darwin’s theory,Beecher began to view nature’sperennial qualities as vital con-cepts in their own lives. Hewrote, “Creation, Darwinargued, was ongoing. Life in itsdiversity was not fixed for alltime but in flux.”

Benfey notes the intersect-ing themes and paths of his sub-jects. Mark Twain prepares hisAdventures of Huckleberry Finn bytraveling the country’s riverboatsystem and by exploring the jun-

gles of Central America. MartinJohnson Heade, too, soughtinspiration for his paintings inthe tropical countries south ofthe United States. His fascina-tion with hummingbirds flour-ished in this region, and Headereturned to the United States topaint them.

In the summer of 1882, the“Summer of Hummingbirds,”Heade traveled to WesternMassachusetts with Dickinsonand Beecher. During this time,Emily Dickinson wrote her sig-nature poem, a riddle about ahummingbird, which epitomizesthe attitude of all Benfey’s writ-ers and artists, on the ephemeralstate of society and life. ThusBenfey, through Dickinson’s cli-mactic poem, defined the hum-mingbird as the ever-changingsymbol of his subjects’ lives.

Benfey describes not only asymbol, but also the transforma-tion of a country, its artists, andthe metaphors that revolvearound the art itself. Benfey’sdepiction of the reshaping ofAmerica’s perspective on society,art and even God traces back tothe movement of a humming-bird. “Human life, all life, is aroute of evanescence.”

Mr. Benfey will be talking toEnglish III students on Thursday,February 24th.

In the past few years, realityshows have shown up all overtelevision, flooding networkslike Bravo and MTV. Recentlyadded to the reality mix is TheJersey Shore, a show featuringoverly-bronzed Italian-Americanmen and their scantily cladfemale counterparts, which hasreached an even higher level ofmass appeal than its competi-tors.

But what exactly drawsadults and teens alike to thisshow, or any reality show for thatmatter? Why are we so fascinat-ed with this “GTL” (Gym,Tanning, and Laundry) lifestyle,even going as far as dedicatinghigh school dances to the show?

The simplest explanation isthat The Shore is incredibly enter-taining. “It is the greatest showever created—just the rightcombo of ridiculous behaviorand steroids,” science teacherRich Calhoun exclaimed.

“It’s just so entertaining,and the characters are hysteri-cal!” Julie Wardwell ’12 echoed.Mr. Calhoun later compared it toa car wreck, saying, “You knowyou shouldn’t look, but you justcan’t help yourself ! You can’ttear your eyes away.”

Another possible explana-tion is that it is intriguing to seea world so unlike our own. “It’sfunny to imagine that peopleactually live like that! It makesme wonder why I don’t,”Victoria Serra ’12 joked.

English teacher MichaelSchloat agreed: “It’s like going tothe zoo, like watching a differentspecies in its natural habitat. Thepeople are just so self-absorbed,it’s ridiculous; they lead an utter-ly different lifestyle.”

In addition to its entertain-ment value, Shelbi Kilcollins ’12uses the show to boost her self-confidence. “It makes me feelbetter about myself,” she said.

Whether The Shore providesa guilty pleasure or a self-esteembooster, it has sucked in massaudiences who revel in theshow’s absurdity.

Amnesty International’s“Jamnesty,” DBSC’s “OpenMic,” and Albany Road’s coffee-houses give students and facultya chance to showcase their tal-ents and raise awareness onglobal issues.

Giving life to student-runactivities can be a difficult task.“It’s hard because you also haveto prepare for the worst,” saidPresident of the DBSC AkilahFfriend ’10. “You really don’tknow what happens until the dayof.”

So, how does one arrangethese performances?

“First, it starts with theemail,” explained Editor-In-Chief of Albany Road HannahFlato ’10. “You need to email thepeople that you think would beinterested in performing. Next,you contact the people in chargeof the building you need for theperformance space, and of anytechnology you might need,” shecontinued. Ffriend added,“Then, you advertise the eventthrough numerous announce-ments. It takes constant planningand constant communication.”

Choosing the performers isa little different for each student-run activity. Students auditionedfor Jamnesty with “perfor-mances ranging from the a cap-pella groups to lip syncing,” saidPresident of AmnestyInternational KG Kaelin ’11.Jamnesty is a student-organizedHaiti-relief project, a perform-ance to initiate a response to thecrisis in Haiti.

“With coffeehouses, it alldepends,” said Flato. “If it istheme-based, we try to look forspecific selections that fit thebest with that theme. If not, westill elicit readers and performerswe would like to see perform. Ifsomeone shows up unexpectedlyand wants to perform, we wel-come that as well.”

For the Open Mic, “Wechoose students based on pastperformances, what they do inthe community, and how promi-nent of a community memberthey are” explained Ffriend.

Kaelin said, “We hope that,as well as providing the studentbody with a wonderful evening,we will engage and inform oncurrent issues.

By DELANEY BERMAN

Staff Writer

By ELIOT TAFT

Staff Writer

By LIZZ BANALAGAY

Staff Writer

Self Portrait, by Jen Mulrow ’10, earned her Best in Show at the

Artspace Teen Art Exhibit this past February.

By LIZZY GREGORY

Staff Writer

By DARYL COOLEY

Staff Writer

THE

SITUATION

Whatdoes ittake?

A Summer ofHummingbirds

A Local Author onLiterature, Art, and

History

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­The Deerfield Scroll ­­­­­February 24, 2010 5FEATURES

Missy Walker ’10 has beenacknowledged for her excellence in cre-ative writing by the NationalScholastic Art and Writing Awards.The organization recognizes the cre-ative writings of teens ranging fromgrades 8-12 from schools across thecountry.What pieces of writing didyou choose to submit?MW: I submitted my seniorwriting portfolio which is a col-lection of four creative pieces.The portfolio first went to thepreliminary round where it wona Gold Key which qualified it tobe sent to national judging. Rightnow it is being judged along withother pieces and portfolios fromaround the country.How were you introduced tothis program?MW: In eighth grade I wasencouraged by a teacher whowas familiar with the program tosubmit a collection of poetryand a personal memoir. I decid-ed to take the opportunity andended up receiving a Gold Keyfor both my poems and personalmemoir at the regional level.What appealed to you mostabout the program?MW: Really interesting artistsand authors have won awardsfrom the program, so there are alot of remarkable alums. A fewof these notable authors andartists that particularly stand outto me are Truman Capote, AndyWarhol, and Sylvia Plath.

Which English class are youtaking this year?MW: I am taking Mr. Coffin’sCreative Writing class. It’s a real-ly awesome class that fits myinterests perfectly. Mr. Coffinkeeps us writing a lot. Instead ofgiving us outlined essays towrite, he lets us choose our own.We peer edit our classmates’work and get to see many differ-ent approaches to writing. It isdefinitely one of the best classesI’ve taken.Do you see yourself pursuinganything involving writing inthe future?MW: I’ve always loved to writeso I definitely see myself major-ing in English, most likely with aconcentration in creative writing,once I’m in college. When I’molder it would be great to dosomething with creative writing,but right now I am not sure whatthat might be.How does it feel to have thissense of recognition from soprestigious of a program?MW: Of course I like the goodfeedback, but for now I am justhappy to be at a school and in aclass that gives me the opportu-nity to do creative writing, some-thing I genuinely love and havefun doing.

Walker’sWords Win

AwardBy LIBBY WHITTON

Staff Writer

Dr. Elizabeth Buck, VisitingLecturer at the University ofNorth Carolina at Chapel Hilland parent of Emory ’11 andKelley Buck ’13, delivered thisyear’s Jaffe Lecture, “PicturingParis.”

The lecture, delivered onSunday, considered “the creationof Paris as a site of fantasy: asthe city of love, the city of deca-dence, the city of light, the cityof revolution and liberty, and thecity of mass culture, of fashionand food.”

Dr. Buck was first approachedby fine arts teacher DavidDickinson who planned this lec-ture and was extremely excited tolearn more about Parisian cul-

ture.“This will give the community

an opportunity to learn moreabout Paris from an expert. Thisopportunity does not comearound very often, and I am veryexcited to experience it witheveryone,” he said before the lec-ture.

What started out as a smalltalk became a lecture open to allstudents about the wonders ofParis in the 19th century. Thepresentation gave students thechance to understand the pre-conceptions and legends of Parisand also gave the opportunity forstudents to figure out for them-selves whether or not certain leg-ends are true.

“Paris is not actually this anti-quated place that is living in thepast,” said Dr. Buck, “It is sub-

ject to change as it is a moderncity with modern problems.These changes can definitely beseen in the impressionist paint-ings of the 19th century.”

The lecture Dr. Buck deliv-ered was a condensed version ofthe course she teaches at UNC.She spoke about the changes thattook place in Paris during the19th century and how theyaffected the city.

“It’s fun to look at paintingsthat are familiar to you whilefinding many aspects and detailsthat you may not have noticedbefore,” said Dr. Buck.

“Picturing Paris” explores theeffect of major events in the19th century, such as the FrenchCivil War, on the artists of thetime. Dr. Buck explained, “Manyartists were affected by the

changes made to the city in themid-19th century such as theFranco-Prussian war of 1870and the civil war that followed.”

At Deerfield, Dr. Buck’s lec-ture also helped students under-stand how the French poeple livein comparison to Americans.“The French are very differentsocially than us, and it reallyshows in their artwork,” said Dr.Buck.

Mr. Dickinson expressed hisexcitement, saying, “This wasjust a wonderful opportunity tolearn about a city that stillremains a hub of interesting artand culture.”

Dr. Buck’s lecture was sup-ported by the Jaffe Lectureseries, which helps to fund pre-sentations specifically for theFine Arts Department.

In 2007, a group of seniorswho were concerned about thehigh number of disciplinarycases created the Honor CodeBook. They created the Code tofurther emphasize the sense ofhonor and integrity for whichDeerfield stands for. So, threeyears later, has this vision beenrealized?

“Student council decided tomake the honor code more visi-ble on campus. The whole ideawas to raise awareness,”explained Student Council mem-ber Nori Welles-Gertz ’10.

In past years, the Honor Codebook was available for membersof the community to sign. A stu-dent’s signature would mean thathe or she respected Deerfield’stradition of honor and integrity.

However, Student Councilnoticed that many were still

unclear on why they were sign-ing.

“The honor code is not justsomething to sign; it is commit-ting to a way of life,” addedHonor Code CommitteeMember Muheb Esmat ’12.

“The importance of the HonorCode is not the words, but ratherthe discussions that surround theissue,” said Welles-Gertz.

In hopes of generating suchdiscussions, the Honor Codecommittee and Student Councilare working on starting a pro-gram in which sophomores willtake an Honor Code class. Theclass would be taught by studentsand discuss honor at Deerfieldby looking at examples of pastDisciplinary Cases and dis-cussing the honor and ethicsinvolved.

“Our hope is that we will havea tangible definition for thehonor code,” said Welles-Gertz.

Dancing to his own Drum: Sidiki Conde

Guinean dancer, singer, anddrummer Sidiki Conde, who lostthe use of his legs at the age of14 from polio, enthralled stu-dents and guests on Sunday atthe second Academy Event per-formance of the winter.

“Music and dance became histranscendence and his vocation,”says the website for Mr. Conde’sdance troupe, which also per-formed at DA in February 2007.

Dean of Students Jan Flaskacalled Mr. Conde’s life an “amaz-ing story.” In Guinean tradition,disabled people are consideredshameful and unlucky, so inorder to protect the rest of the

village and the families, they areexiled from their homes.

Following his paralysis, Mr.Conde was sent deep into theforest to his grandfather’s village.Undaunted by the coming-of-ageceremony in which youngGuinean males must dance intomanhood, Mr. Conde joined inthe ceremony by recreating thetraditional steps using his handsinstead of his feet, knowing thathis future in the community wasat stake. Through singing anddancing, Mr. Conde reconnectedwith his culture.

Mr. Flaska first saw Mr. Condeperform five years ago at alacrosse camp that focused oncharacter and motivation. Mr.

Flaska found Mr. Conde’s lifestory and performance soimpressive that he asked him tocome to Deerfield. His first per-formance was well-received bythe student body, even withoutthe added bonus at the end ofhis performance of announcinga Head of School Day.

Four-year seniors, who sawConde as freshmen, reflected

fondly upon his performances.Caroline Schurz ’10 summed upMr. Conde’s visits: “I was mes-merized in my seat.”

Former Academy Events, suchas humanitarian Paul Farmer andmodern-day Indiana Jones WadeDavis’s speeches, have beenmuch calmer and quieter thanMr. Conde’s “electrifying” per-formance.

“This performance is a lotof sound and moving around,”Mr. Flaska said.

The Academy Event commit-tee coordinates all the perform-ances, presenting a compellingblend of culture and science andlending a new sense of perspec-tive to students.

By COURTNEY MURRAYStaff Writer

Honor and Victory to Thee WeWill Ever Yield

By DANIELLE DALTONStaff Writer

By ANNA GONZALESStaff Writer

G u e s t L e c t u r e r D r . E l i z a b e t h B u c k d i s c u s s e s Pa r i s

a s m y t h i c l a n d m a r k a n d m o d e r n m e t r o p o l i s

City of Light, City of Love

Grace Murphy

Images of Paris (left to right): Gustave Caillebotte, “Le pont de l’Europe”; “Hotel de Ville (1871)”; Gabriel Loppe, “Eiffel Tower.”

The Honor Code— “More than just a book”

Steph Olivas

“I was mesmerized in

my seat.”

-Caroline Schurz ’10

6 The Deerfield Scroll SPORTS February 24, 2010

Twins Hoping to Tee Off

On my way to the weight roomeach day I see the same group of kidsentering the Kravis room. They wearthe classic greens and greys and a lookof extreme determination.

About an hour later, I see thesame students, wearing shirts staineddark with sweat and showing obvioussigns of mental and physical fatigue.These are the wrestlers of DeerfieldAcademy. I am done with my workoutat this point; they might not even behalf way done.

“Practice is two hours of war,”said Chase Weidner ’10, when askedwhat the atmosphere is like behind theclosed doors of the Kravis. Weidnerwas sporting multiple bruises acrosshis face and a cauliflower ear. The wayhe moved across his room gave awayhis exhaustion, but that is what it takesto have an 18-0 regular. He dealt with

his pain because he had no otherchoice as a wrestler.

A tri-varsity athlete, Weidner ismore than familiar with the physicaldemands of a sport, but as he stated,nothing is quite like wrestling. “Soccerdoesn’t even compare. Wrestling isconstant resistance,” said Weidner.

Wrestling does not carry the pop-ularity of Deerfield hockey, lacrosse,or football. As Alexis Wagener ’10 putit, “Most people don’t know the rules,or understand the sport of wrestling.It’s hard to be a fan of something thatyou don’t understand.”

Weidner filled me in on a few ofthese little-known rules. “If you wantto grab someone’s fingers, you cannotgrab less than four, but you can grabthe thumb individually. You must befully shaven, and the whites of yourfingernails cannot be showing.”

Luke Mario ’12 sees wrestling inhis future saying, “I’ve always wantedto wrestle in college.” Mario wonClass A’s as a freshman and was sec-ond place in New England’s at the 103pound weight class. This year Marioended the regular season with a 17-1record, and won Class A’s at the 119

weight class. Mario comes from animpressive wrestling pedigree: hisfather, Carter Mario, was a wrestlingCaptain and All-American at NorthCarolina. Mr. Mario also helped bringin two outside coaches for the season.

Vincent Ramirez and Mike Pinza,captains of North Carolina andWilliams respectively, have brought anew level of intensity to wrestlingpractices this year. “They help witheverything; our technique hasimproved, they brought new trainingmethods, and just an overall intensityto the program,” said Mario. Theresults have shown in the record aswell, as they went from ninth in classA’s in 2009, to fifth this year.

Both Weidner and Wagener hadgreat things to say as well. “Across theboard there has been a dramaticincrease in ability,” said Wagener ofthe new techniques.

“They are young guys who canrelate to the stresses of an intense aca-demic environment. They don’t justtell us what to do, they show us,”Weidner added, referring to the factthat the coaches spar often withDeerfield wrestlers.

Mario feels the pressure ofwrestling on a day-to-day basis, saying“practices break you down mentallyand physically.” Since Wagener andWeidner will not be wrestling in col-lege, I began to wonder why they con-tinue subjecting their minds and bod-ies to such pain every day.

“That question is always floatingaround,” Weidner commented, crack-ing a smile in the process. “We getcrushed, banged up, bruised every day.I know that when I look back onwrestling, it will be worthwhile. Thereis no feeling like winning a wrestlingmatch,” Weidner finished with his sec-ond smile of the conversation.

Even Wagener, who has beenwrestling competitively for six yearsand finished with a 14-4 regular sea-son record at the 145 weight class,sometimes questions why he puts onthe headgear every day.

“Sometimes I don’t know why Ido it. Practice, matches, cuttingweight, it’s all I think about during theseason,” said Wagener. However, hefinished by saying, “I want to be ableto look back and be proud.”

Wagener said, “There have beenpractices where the coach has told methe goal for today is to break yourpartner.”

Skiers Successful at NE’s

Kevin Roy ’12 from Quebec,Canada, has become a hockey sensa-tion. Upon arriving at DA, Roy quick-ly established a large cult following.“Roy’s Renegades,” his unofficial fanclub, wear his name on their own jer-seys to the varsity hockey games. I hadthe opportunity to sit down and talkwith this young star about what life atthe top is like.

When did you start playing,and why did you decide on hockey?

I was about three years old, andall the cool kids were doing it.

How do you feel when youhear the girls cheering for you?

Real good, I feel good. How is hockey different here

than in Canada? Mackasey says it’s better back

home. How do you style your “flow”?Well, I saw my friend John Rose

and noticed his flow wasn’t that sick.So I had to beat his. My hair is mod-eled after Lovejoy and Doyle’s.

Who is your favorite teacher?Ms. Hannay. She got mad at me

once, though, for missing a meeting. What happens in your free

time?I don’t have any, I’m always at the

gym.

What’s been the biggestchange since coming toDeerfield?

Going to class.What’s your favorite thing

about hockey?I like to compete and try to make

my team better. What do you see yourself

doing in ten years? Hopefully working at Penzoil

with my good friend Alan Klebanskyj. What object describes you?A right triangle. For reasons I

cannot explain.Your favorite DA slang word?Money. Props to my proctor Peter

Sullivan for that.If you had one superpower

what would it be? To speak good English. Are you a morning person? 27 AP’s would say no… Alex

Gonye wakes me up now…Do you have any signature

moves on the ice? My backward sauce. It’s sweeter

than Alex Ward’s. If you could change anything

about Deerfield, what would it be? Coed dorms. What’s the one piece of advice

you would give to your fans? Nothing, Deerfield fans are the

greatest. Do you have any closing

remarks?Yeah, George Wheatley is better

at hockey than Jimmy Bitter.

On Wednesday, February 10, thevarsity ski team had the honor of co-hosting the NEPSAC Alpine SkiingChampionships with the NorthfieldMount Hermon School at BerkshireEast, a small mountain 30 minuteswest of Greenfield. The race began at9:30, with the top five boys from eachteam skiing giant slalom, and the topfive girls from each team skiingslalom.

Jack Stobierski ’12 led theDeerfield boys’ team, coming in thirdbehind skiers from NMH and Gould,a ski academy in Maine. Alex Osgood’13 was the next Deerfield skier com-ing in 19th overall, an impressive featconsidering there were 72 boys com-peting. Osgood was closely followedby Keo Brown ’11, who finished 21stafter recovering from a fall in his sec-ond run. Also skiing for Deerfieldwere Bryant Seaman ’11, who finished33rd and Captain Alexander Heller’10, who rounded off the boys with a43rd place finish.

The girls’ team skied slalom inthe morning, and Beth Lawless ’12

was Deerfield’s top finisher coming in6th place out of the 48 girls competing.

Next in line was Marly Morgus’12 finishing 13th. Deerfield’s onlyother top 20 finisher was CaptainHayley Lawless ’10 who came in 18th.Also skiing for the girls were AnnieEldred ’11 who finished 26th, andCharlotte McLaughry ’11 who fin-ished 31st.

After an hour-long lunch break,both teams suited up for their secondand final event of the day. For boys itwas slalom, and for girls it was giantslalom.

Despite competing against ski-intensive academies that center theircurriculums around the sport,Stobierski still shredded his way to thewin in the slalom with the only com-bined time under a minute and 1.41seconds, separating him from the sec-ond place skier from Gould Academy.

Brown also managed a top tenfinish, coming in seventh and nosingout the next skier from Kimball UnionAcademy by .07 of a second. Seamanrounded out the top twenty, followedby Oliver Hopkinson ’12 with a 24thplace finish, and Heller with a 30thplace finish.

The girls, also trying to conquer adifficult field, put it all on the line inthe GS course. Beth Lawless led thegirls with her second sixth place finishof the day. Morgus was the nextDeerfield finisher with a 16th place,and Hayley Lawless followed suit withher 22nd place finish. Rachael Gibson’11 came in 29th and McLaughry was35th.

With 15 boys’ teams competingand 10 girls’ teams, the day was anoverall success. Thanks to strong fin-ishes by Stobierski and Osgood in theGS and Stobieirski and Brown in theslalom, the boys were able to rip theirway into third place overall. The girlshad the Lawless sisters and Morgus tothank for laying down four solid runsand pulling the girls’ team into 4thplace.

Both teams were generally satis-fied with their results on their homecourse. Of the girls’ fourth place fin-ish, Beth Lawless said, “It was nice tomaintain the consistency from lastyear, especially because we were con-cerned about losing a couple of sen-iors.”

As McLaughry said, “We beastedat the B-East!”

Catching Up WithKevin Roy

Last year, it was a big surprise toscience teacher Rich Calhoun and hiswife, math teacher Kate Calhoun, thatDeerfield did not have a girls’ golfteam, but had two co-ed teamsinstead. They learned about this fromGrace Murphy ’11, who lived on theirhall and was trying out for the team.Upon hearing about this, theCalhouns offered to support Graceand her twin sister Caitlin Murphy ’11in starting a girls’ team for the firsttime in Deerfield history.

Last year, Grace and Caitlin bothplayed on the co-ed JV golf team, but,like many female golfers, did not scorelow enough to beat out the guys. As aresult, they were only able to practicewith the team and could not competein matches. Being unable to compete

against girls’ teams at other schools iswhy starting this team is so importantto the Murphy twins.

Grace told the Calhouns abouther idea and said, “Mr. Calhoun real-ly encouraged Mr. Davis, the athleticdirector, to create a girls’ team. Also,Mrs. Calhoun is on the AthleticCommittee, so she pushed for the ideaat their meetings. Without their sup-port none of this could have beenpossible.” Now, with signups occur-ring, they hope to get a good group ofgirls to fill the roster.

The girls’ portion of the team willpractice and play at the same course asthe boys’ team, Crumpin-Fox Club,which is just over twenty minutesfrom our campus. They will play nineholes during practice four days a week,and on the other day they will play amatch against a girls’ team from anopposing school. The schools thatalready have girls’ golf teams are Taft,

Andover, Choate Rosemary Hall,Lawrenceville, Hotchkiss, LoomisChaffee, Williston, and Miss Porter’s.“If all these schools can have girls’golf teams,” Grace wondered, “whycan’t Deerfield?”

The current golf coaches areNicholas Alberston (varsity) andJeffrey Armes (jv). “Mr. Armes will bemore involved in the girls’ teambecause we are going to be considereda jv team,” said Grace. Girls withexceptional skill, such as Izzy Marley’11, can still be considered for varsity.

Grace and Caitlin showed theirinterest to Mr. Davis by writing a letterto him this summer. Their letterstressed the importance of genderequality and equal opportunities forgirls, and even calculated the addition-al costs of the team. Grace and Caitlinbelieve that the team will be “a greatway to get more girls involved in golfat Deerfield.”

Alexis Wagener ’10 goes on the attack against a St. Paul’s wrestler.

Henry MichaelsUSA

Christina LundNorway

Jimi ParkSouth Korea

Shelbi KilcollinsCanada

Men’s Ice Hockey

Canada

Bobsled

Jamaica

Curling

USA

Speed Skating Relay

USA

Men’s Ice Hockey

Canada

Bobsled

Norway

Curling

USA

Speed Skating Relay

China

Men’s Ice Hockey

USA

Bobsled

Jamaica

Curling

Australia

Speed Skating Relay

South Korea

Men’s Ice Hockey

Canada

Bobsled

Canada

Curling

Canada

Speed Skating Relay

Canada

By CYRUS WITTIG

Sports Editor

By CLAIRE HUTCHINS

Staff Writer

By PHILIP HELLER

Staff Writer

By MARLY MORGUS

Staff Writer

Who Will Win

Olympic Gold?

Your Goal For Today:

To Break Your PartnerA Closer Look at Deerfield Wrestling

Julie Cullen

“We get crushed,

banged up,

bruised every day”

—Chase Weidner ’10