Jessica Myers '01

Congregating this past summer under the June sun, eighty-five delegates from across the world met at Deerfield for the fourth annual Global Connections Seminar. This year's congress focused around an issue that Headmaster Eric Widmer chose because of its "terribly important and timely" significance. The theme of environmentalism and education drove the conference through discussions, papers, and speeches.

One of the results of the conference was the publication just last week of Owned by the Land: Global Education and the Environment, a compilation done by Mr. Widmer and Janet Rogers, former Deerfield English teacher and conference coordinator.

"You haven't fully experienced a Deerfield winter until you've sled down Eaglebrook hill on a dining hall tray", Mutzy Probyn '01 and Liz Tocci '01 explain to me with huge grins on their faces reminiscing of past winters. Living in a valley as we do we have every reason to take full advantage of the giant hills and mountains that surround us when the winter months provide their white blanket of soft sleddable snow.

The book provides a "remarkable account of what's going on in contemporary education around us," commented Mrs. Rogers. The publication is expected to be sent to all of the delegates, parents, trustees and some alumni at the end of March.

Jeannie Egan, an Aboriginal delegate from Australia, spoke with the aid of a translator and her address gave Mr. Widmer and Mrs. Rogers the title of the book. She emphasized that we do not own the land, rather we are owned by it. The same delegate also provided the artwork for the cover piece, which is designed by architecture teacher Robert Moorhead. Mrs. Rogers hopes that the publication of this material will "help other educators with the development of their programs."

Co-chaired by Bicentennial Visiting Scholar Malcolm McKenzie and Assistant Head of School and Director of College Advising Martha Lyman, the conference aimed at sharing different perspectives and introduced ideas in a variety of manners. For example, numerous Deerfield alums were invited to share in the experience, such as Gilbert Grosvenor '49, chairman of the National Geographic Society, and Alan Cattier '82, professor of English and Environmental Studies at Emory University. Area institutions such as Historic Deerfield and the Mountain School of Milton Academy offered related tours.

Many common threads connected the diverse group of schools. Despite a "wide variety of actions and efforts, many people address local concerns first to help students address issues" commented Mrs. Rogers. This approach seemed popular with many of the schools.

Many common threads connected the diverse group of schools. Despite a "wide variety of actions and efforts, many people address local concerns first to help students address issues" commented Mrs. Rogers. This approach seemed popular with many of the schools.

The organization that sponsors these seminars is Global Connections, a worldwide consortium of secondary schools. The 2001 conference is scheduled in Nairobi, Kenya, with a focus on leadership.