Sam Brickman Raredon '07, Gary Li '08, and Marcus Lim '07

During the headmaster selection process, students and faculty were encouraged to submit emails to the Search Committee with their opinions concerning each candidate. However, few knew the impact their messages would have on the final decision, and many felt that their opinion was left out.

"It would have been better if we had a larger say in the selection process," stated Tommy O'Malley '07.

"The emails were used to help build a sense of how the community was reacting, and what it perceived to be the strengths and weaknesses of the different candidates. They were not treated as ballots," clarified History Chair Conrad Pitcher, one of the two faculty members on the eight-person Search Committee.

"Every single email response that was sent by not only faculty and students, but staff, alumni, and trustees, was read thoroughly by all eight members of the committee," Mr. Pitcher said.

"I thought the process was fair," said Angela Sun '07, due to the fact that all students and faculty were encouraged to voice their opinions directly to the Committee.

The email responses may not have accurately represented the student body's opinion, for the number of emails submitted was surprisingly small.

"There were far more responses in total from the faculty for all of the candidates combined-137 for faculty versus 57 students. Within that, for students in response to Dr. Curtis, 10 were positive, 8 were negative, and 2 demonstrated no clear position," stated Academy Registrar Lydia Hemphill the other faculty member of the Search Committee.

In addition, the Search Committee kept in mind that the student body's 45-minute exposure and the faculty's 90-minute exposure to each candidate was simply not sufficient to formulate opinions on which a decision could be based.

"The Search Committee spent far, far more time with these candidates and in a greater variety of situations [than the students]," Ms. Hemphill stated. "In the end, all eight individuals on the Search Committee came up with the same decision that Margarita Curtis was our choice for the new head of school."

Ms. Hemphill continued, "I hope that [Dr. Curtis] will be embraced by the campus community with respect and warmth in the coming months, to set atone of excitement for the coming years."

As published in the December 12, 2005 issue of the Deerfield Scroll, the monthly newspaper of Deerfield Academy.