All around us at Deerfield we see those challenging words: "Be Worthy of Your Heritage." Yet, how often do we take time out to think about their meaning? In general terms, the word heritage means anything acquired from a predecessor. At Deerfield we think of heritage as something handed down by decades of former students and faculty and school personnel who have established something of quality--of class--of style.

Is it possible to walk into the Dining Hall lobby, then into the dining room itself, without being aware that we are in a building of distinction? Is it possible to walk into the Main School Building without being conscious that this building has quality, inherent merit, and elegance? Can anyone walk into the classroom building without noticing the same things?

One afternoon when the Main School Building was under construction, I walked in with Headmaster Frank L. Boyden. Looking at the lobby, I asked him, "Isn't it extravagant to put pillars and expensive paneling here?" He replied, "Now we are proud of this building and a century from now, people walking in will be proud, too. Doesn't that make it worthwhile?" He was so right.

How wonderful we feel when hundreds of alumni and friends return to campus for an alumni reunion, bicentennial celebration, or the dedication of a building, often the gift of an alumnus, and appreciate the care that has gone into every aspect of the academy.

Many years ago the school was observing Memorial Day on the village common, along with students from Bement and Eaglebrook. A stranger drove up, parked, and watched our simple but sincere Memorial Day program honoring the service people who had given so much to America. Then she drove away. Several weeks later the Headmaster received a letter from that woman, who, for the first time in her life had happened upon one of our regular services. She said she was so impressed that she wanted to do something for the school--and she asked him if he would accept a dormitory where students lived. We named that building for its donor, Mrs. McAlister.

What pride she had in Deerfield's heritage!

This then is our heritage. Take just a minute to think about it. Look around you. Think of how proud you are to show this campus to your families and friends. And may you have that pride all the days of your life. Indeed, it is a priceless inheritance and a worthy heritage.

Leafless trees have reduced the valley to a lilac and ashen hue. It is early April, under two months until the graduation of the Class of 2002, a year and two months until my own graduation. The stifling thought of what Deerfield represents to me is enough to make my stomach flip like flapjacks on a griddle. What in the world does it mean to "Be Worthy of Your Heritage" and what is the source for the fierce Deerfield pride that so many exemplify?

Ah, the Rock has the majestic capability of putting life into perspective.

Up here I can only laugh at myself as I sit, lost in the patterned senselessness of adolescent confusion. To "Be Worthy of Your Heritage" strikes me as though I am selling myself short. I feel like my life's accomplishments will be given to Deerfield rather than attributed to my own doing; as a result, my undertakings feel depreciated and trivial.

Right now, I am struck by the confinement of rigid ideals, of rules, and of the general restriction of a boarding school. Deerfield's 'in loco parentis' may have been welcomed as an underclassman, but now I am eager to free myself from such constraints. I feel certain that I have to leave Deerfield in order to fully appreciate what it means "To Be Worthy of Your Heritage." For the moment, my life is saturated by Deerfield's ideals, but as an alumna, I think that I will have the ability to choose what Deerfield values I want to uphold.

Despite my confusion about what it means to "Be Worthy of Your Heritage," I am filled with an undeniable sense of belonging here. The school has left an indelible impression and I feel comfortable calling this place home. But, I think that it is important to acknowledge to ourselves that there is not one Deerfield experience; regardless, we are united by a common thread to this place and this valley. And for that I am admittedly grateful.