Catie Straut

Deerfield Academy is planning on welcoming King Abdullah of Jordan to address the senior class at commencement. The King, a close personal friend of Headmaster Eric Widmer. is a member of the Class of 1980. He also spoke at the commencement for the Class of 2000.

Mr. Widmer met with Ashley Laporte. the chairman of the student council, and Connor Hines. the president of the senior class, on October 28. to discuss the candidates. The two main candidates up to that point were the King of Jordan and Steve Carell. an actor whose most recent work has been roles in films such as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and The 40 Year Old Virgin. He has also recently made an appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Mr. Carell is the uncle of Connor Hines '06 and Maggie Hines '08.

At the meeting, it was decided that the King of Jordan would give the commencement address. Although there will still be a meeting with the senior class to confirm this decision, Mr. Widmer, Laporte, and Hines remain confident that the seniors will support this decision.

Mr. Carell may be asked to speak at the Commencement Luncheon on the Saturday before the ceremony, in which case the luncheon will be open to the whole student body instead of solely the seniors and their families.

While the overall interest in the group remains high, some of the senior members dropped out, and some chose not to return because of the time commitment. However, another reason for the decrease in members was simply scheduling conflicts.

According to Mr. Widmer, the King of Jordan is the second-most heavily-guarded man in the world next to George W. Bush, and the heavy security seems to be the only drawback with regards to his presence at graduation.

As published in the November 9, 2005 issue of the Deerfield Scroll, the monthly newspaper of Deerfield Academy.