By Avery Carpenter '07, Anna Dohrman '07, and Kate Hallett '07

It's that time of year-the warm, sunny afternoons are just beginning. Yet, they are marked by an increasing fear of leave-takings, of the departing senior class and the sometimes overlooked departing faculty, who have individually shaped the experience of many students during their high school career.

David Brewster, Lydia Fash, Christy Garcia, Tom and Karinne Heise, Odianosen Iyamabo, Joshua Maiocco, and Sabine Mauri, and Peter Nilsson will be leaving us at the end of this year. Their plans are very different, but they all agree on something: they will miss Deerfield.

Mrs. Mauri has taught French and German here for twelve years. During her time here, she has lived as a hall resident (in Rosenwald-Shumway this year as well as John Louis in the past) and worked with the yearbook. Next year, she will teach at The Academy at Charlemont, a small day school, grades 7- 12, twenty miles west on the Mohawk Trail. Charlemont is a private school like Deerfield; however, it is much smaller, with only 100 students and approximately 18 students per grade.

The main reason for Mrs. Mauri's departure is that the German program has been cut from the language department. For many years, the number of students has been declining each year.

Mrs. Mauri is excited to teach at Charlemont, but also very sad to leave a place which is "not a learning environment for just students; we are all challenged, and I have grown because of it. I am most excited to take the knowledge I have gained here to another place. That is the most valuable gift the school has given me."

Mr. Maiocco has had an equally positive experience. He has taught video and computer science, and worked with ITS for three years. Next year. Mr. Maiocco is going to teach computer science and video at Vermont Academy, a boarding and day school with about 350 students. Vermont Academy is closer to Mr. Maiocco's home in Vermont, so he will be able to spend more time with his wife, Jennifer Silver, and two children: Layla, 2 and Jackson, 4.

As well as working with technology, Mr. Maiocco is also an accomplished musician. He has collaborated with several faculty members, including English teacher Peter Nilsson and classics teacher John Burke. Mr. Maiocco is sad to leave Deerfield, and the experiences he most cherishes are those of making movies and doing projects with students, such as helping Woody Travers '05 and Xander Manshel '05 with their film this year.

Mr. Iyamabo, or Mr. I to those who know him best, teaches biology and environmental science and will also be leaving us. He has been here for six years and has lived in Louis Marx dormitory. Parting is difficult for Mr. Iyamabo as he said, "I have loved every second of Deerfield, from the very first day to what will soon be the last." He said, "I love the kids, my colleagues, teaching, and coaching."

Mr. Ivamabo coaches girls' thirds soccer and varsity softball. He likes to see kids learning and makes his classroom a dynamic environment filled with laughter. In the immediate future, he is going to teach and live in Canada with his wife for a change of scenery and new opportunities, though he would love to come back and teach here someday. Mr. Iyamabo also hopes to teach at The King's School in Jordan, where Headmaster Eric Widmer will be headmaster. He enjoys teaching and adores this school so much that he always wants it to be a part of his life. "Deerfield has been my life for the past 6 years, and I have always been very impressed with the school," Mr. Iyamabo said.

Although they are not leaving permanently, English teacher Karinne Heise and history teacher Tom Heise will also be absent next year. They will be taking a sabbatical to Eugene. Oregon. The Heises have been looking forward to a sabbatical for some time now. Both of them will take classes at the University of Oregon, and Mr. Heise hopes to update his senior elective Modern Times. He has also expressed interest in using some of the time to develop a new senior spring elective that he could alternate with his course The History of Technology. While in Oregon, the Heises plan to take advantage of their surroundings and will spend time hiking and white water rafting. Mrs. Heise. who hopes to take classes in creative writing, added that they "will return reenergized and reinvigorated," One thing all the teachers agreed on is that Deerfield is a special place. "Deerfield days are days of glory: memory lives in every one. Let no other name be spoken till the even-hour is done...And I'm not done yet," quipped Mr. I.

Nilsson leaves to pursue music career

By Peter Amato '07 and Andrew Stahl '06

"Uno, due. Tre, Quattro, cinque, sei..." English teacher Peter Nilsson's voice resonates with energy as he goes through his daily ritual of taking attendance in Italian. Once the class has been accounted for, Mr. Nilsson jumps onto the table top to pass back the students' most recent papers. It is because of this unique energy and passion that Mr. Nilsson stands out in a staff of exceptional teachers.

Sadly for many students and colleagues, Mr. Nilsson will be departing at the end of this school year to pursue a music career in New York City. Although Mr. Nilsson, who was a double major in English and music at Middlebury College, has long had an interest in music, this aspect of his life has recently taken a more vital and passionate place.

The initiating moment for this new turn in Mr. Nilsson's life occurred last spring. Having played around all year with various beats, raps, and melodies, Mr. Nilsson and his proctors, Jerome Brathwaite '04, Greg Dagget '04, and Frank Asaro '04 decided to take their musical collaborations more seriously. The resulting work was an album entitled The Barton II Project.

During the project, Mr. Nilsson also began to write songs much more frequently and has been writing steadily since then. This combination of increased song production and writing led Mr. Nilsson to the realization that he needed to pursue music.

In his final year at Deerfield, Mr. Nilsson has taken every opportunity possible to continue working with music. In addition to assisting the Mellow-Ds and Rhapso-Ds with arrangements, he collaborated with Ansley Rubenstein '06, Bentley Rubinstein '05, and Kyle Yager '05 on their recent tap dance piece.

While Mr. Nilsson has an exciting future ahead of him, his departure will certainly be felt here. Paul Alvarez '06, a Mellow-D and former resident of Barton II, said of Mr. Nilsson, "What I'll miss most about him is his incredible openness with people. He's willing to work with anyone, regardless of who they are or what they want to do."

Mr. Nilsson is also somewhat sad at the prospect of leaving and noted, "The best thing about working at Deerfield is that the students here are so talented." Look for Pete Nilsson's return next year at the annual Grift concert.

Dean Murray to be a Headmaster

By Peter Amato '07 and Andrew Stahl '06

Identifiable around campus by the "W" formed by the hands of his water polo players or by the sound of a dog barking, Stephen Murray, dean of students concludes his time at Deerfield at the end of this year. Next year, Mr. Murray will he headmaster of the University School, a kindergarten-through-twelfth-grade, all-boys' day school in Shaker Heights and Huntington, Ohio.

Mr. Murray came here sixteen years ago, while he was finishing his masters in French. The first thing that struck him was how much the school had changed. Mr. Murray knew of Deerfield as an all-boys' school. When he arrived for his interview in 1990, the school had returned to coeducational.

Mr. Murray saw boarding school life and the town's peaceful rural setting as the perfect location for his young family, his wife Sarah and their one-month-old son Sam. In 1991 he took on the positions of full-time French teacher, junior varsity water polo and swimming coach, and faculty resident on Johnson I. Three years later, in addition to teaching French, he assumed the position of associate dean of students and dean of the sophomore and junior classes. He also became the boys' varsity water polo coach in 1993. Finally in 2000, ten years after his arrival to the academy, Mr. Murray became dean of students. Mr. Murray commented, "In my current position, I'm aware that I'm not a perfect administrator in terms of paper work and organization. But if I am remembered as having been a strong advocate for students and as active in compassion-giving when they find themselves in difficulty, then I will have accomplished [at Deerfield] what I had hoped to accomplish."

Over the past year, Mr. Murray has visited his new school eight times. The University School, which is located just outside Cleveland, is rural enough to be peaceful like Deerfield, hut close to an exciting and dynamic city. One thing Mr. Murray looks forward to is the idea of creating relationships, not only with students, but with their families as well. "One thing that struck me was the closeness in community [at the University School] and loyalty on the part of the students," Mr. Murray said. "And I'm hoping and expecting I can find there many of the things I've loved about Deerfield."

As Mr. Murray reminisces on his time here, a large portion of his life, he commented on just how inclined and open to change we are. Most notably he says, "In the fifteen years I've been here, it's always been a school of high energy, exuberance, high academic performance, and spirit. Over time I think we have evolved a more humane and supportive culture among students and faculty."

Mr. Murray reflected, "It will be very difficult to leave because I am deeply attached to Deerfield and it's not about physical surroundings. Every year I've been here I've found terrific friendships and significant relationships with students that have made the job deeply meaningful and satisfying. I just hope in my future career, I'll be lucky enough to find institutions where that sort of thing is valued."

John Taylor returns to campus as new academic dean in December

By Blair Brandt '06

John Taylor will be returning to Deerfield next fall as the academic dean. The position is currently held by Stephen Murray. Mr. Taylor is in his fifth year as the head of St. Andrew's Scots School in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was a Spanish teacher at Hotchkiss before coming to Deerfield in 1989. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he was appointed academic dean in 2000 before moving to Buenos Aires in 2002.

Mr. Taylor sent his application to the search committee before it established a deadline for the opening of the academic dean position. Headmaster Eric Widmer made the final decision in February and selected Mr. Taylor.

Since the school year in Argentina starts in February and finishes in December, Mr. Taylor will be arriving halfway through the Deerfield academic year.

In Mr. Taylor's absence, Nils Ahbel, currently the head of the math department, will serve as the interim academic dean. Mr. Ahbel was selected by Mr. Widmer and will start on July 1.

Mr. Taylor will be alert upon his arrival "to develop a good understanding of what the key academic issues are in the school." Once he and the Curriculum Committee have set priorities, they will design specific plans of action.

For Mr. Taylor, academic challenges are timeless. One question he has proposed is. "How do we offer a curriculum that will engage, challenge, and capture the imagination of Deerfield students?" To address these challenges, Mr. Taylor vows to engage constantly in reviewing the curriculum and "challenging ourselves to continuously improve it."

Mr. Taylor has particularly expressed excitement in returning to the Deerfield community as a whole, not just to the position of academic dean. He is excited to return to a "much more beautiful and stable environment."

Before he leaves Argentina, Mr. Taylor hopes to provide the school with a "sense of stability." The Board of Governors, meanwhile, is in search of his replacement.

Filippone moves on, Bradley moves up

By Tara Larson '07

After four years as dean of students, senior class dean, and history teacher, Larry Filippone will be leaving. Mr. Filippone has accepted a position at The Lawrenceville School, in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, as a history and interdisciplinary studies teacher and a housemaster.

Mr. Filippone's decision to leave was the result of many factors. Being a dean can be a tough job; he also said, "Perhaps this year's endless winter had something to do with my decision, and I've also decided to return home to my family and my friends." More significantly for Mr. Filippone, his first love is teaching, and he feels that "a departure from administration for a full-time leaching post is a promotion."

Wendy Bradley-Terwilliger current dean of the junior class and student activities coordinator, will succeed Mr. Filippone for the 2005-2006 school year as acting dean of students. With the arrival of the new headmaster, yet to be determined, in fall 2006, the situation will be reevaluated.

Mr. Filippone credits Ms. Bradley as a driving force behind the development of student life. "Over the years, drug use has fallen, class attendance statistics have improved, accountability point levels have fallen, college placement has improved, the school has become more selective, and morale is currently at an all-time high."

Ms. Bradley was Mr. Filippone's first choice to succeed him. He said, "I see her appointment as a continuation of our work without any period of transition."

Ms. Bradley expressed her excitement at having been chosen to fill Mr. Filippone's position. Her mission will be to carry on his legacy and continue "to improve student life and the strength of the community."

Mr. Widmer said of his departure that, "it will be a great assignment for Larry, to which we will send him off with our congratulations, our thanks, and our best wishes."

As published in the May 25, 2005 issue of the Deerfield Scroll, the monthly newspaper of Deerfield Academy.