| Deerfield Academy | |
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Be Worthy of Your Heritage
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| Location | |
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| Deerfield, MA, U.S. | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, boarding |
| Religious affiliation | none |
| Established | 1797 |
| Head of School | Margarita O'Byrne Curtis |
| Faculty | 110 |
| Enrollment | 600 total 520 boarding 80 day |
| Average class size | 12 students |
| Student:teacher ratio | 5:1 |
| Campus | Rural, 280 acres 127 buildings |
| Colour(s) | Green & White |
| Athletics | 20 Interscholastic Sports |
| Mascot | Big Green |
| Average SAT scores | 1880 - 2200 |
| Website | www.deerfield.edu |
Deerfield Academy is a private, coeducational boarding school located in Deerfield, Massachusetts. It is a four-year college-preparatory school with approximately 600 students and about 100 faculty, all of whom live on or near campus.
Deerfield is a member of the The Ten Schools Admissions Organization, as well as the G20 Schools group.
In 2007, Deerfield's endowment was valued at $415 million, or roughly $680,000 per student. Tuition is $37,756 for boarding students and $27,642 for day students.[1] Over 2100 applicants applied in 2008-2009; this is the most applications ever received in the history of the Academy. The subsequent admissions percentage, 16%, and matriculation yield of nearly 80%, makes Deerfield the most selective boarding school of its immediate rivals, Phillips Academy Andover, Phillips Exeter Academy, Loomis Chaffee and The Hotchkiss School.
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History
Deerfield was never affiliated with a religion, but attendance at Congregationalist Church services was required of boarding students until the 1970s and school meetings included the singing of Christian hymns.[citation needed] Deerfield Academy was founded in 1797 when Massachusetts Governor Samuel Adams granted a charter to found a school in the town of Deerfield.[2] The academy quickly established itself as one of the finest schools in the new republic, drawing boys from prominent families across New England. The school produced influential men that occupied many congressional and gubernatorial seats in New England. By the end of the 19th century, the shifting trends in industrialization had left rural Deerfield behind. The economic hardhsips of the times impoverished local farmers and drove them away to the wealthy cities. The board of trustees was considering closing the Academy, as there only remained nine students. These were the school's darkest times. With little support from local farmers and a dire economic situation, the 100-year old school was on the brink of collapse.
In the early twentieth century, Deerfield's fortunes rose with the appointment of Frank Boyden as Headmaster. He quickly re-organized the school and provided it with a sound financial basis. He recruited students actively from local farms and towns, promising the parents that their boys would be successful. Boyden had great confidence in the value of athletics as a component of education. He often played on the varsity squads when there was a lack of players. He attracted and trained many teachers that would become masters and keep long loyalties to the academy. The prestige enjoyed by the school today is a direct result of the foundations he laid over seven decades, including training scores of men as teachers and headmasters in their own right. His success would not have been possible without the support and assistance of his wife, Helen Childs Boyden. After 66 years of service, Frank Boyden retired in 1968. Boyden's long career and legacy at Deerfield are reviewed in The Headmaster, (1966) by Deerfield alumnus John McPhee.[3][4]
In 1989, the Academy reestablished co-education, which Boyden had discontinued in 1943.[5]
Eric Widmer '57 served as headmaster from 1994 to 2006. He stepped down in June 2006 and soon after assumed the position of Founding Headmaster at King's Academy in Madaba, Jordan, a school inspired in part by HM King Abdullah II 1980's Deerfield years.[3][6][7] It opened in the fall of 2007.
The current Head of School, Dr. Margarita O'Byrne Curtis, previously Dean of Studies at Phillips Academy, is the first female to hold the position.[8]
The new Koch Center for Math, Science, and Technology, named after David H. Koch opened in 2007, and is LEED certified. [9]
Traditions
A favorite tradition of Deerfield students' occurs on the Sunday of commencement at the end of the year; the night when the graduating senior class has left campus. On this Sunday, the Deerfield students gather on the lower fields and celebrate the school, as well as the coming year. This bonfire is also the place of the debut of the new Captain Deerfield.
Another tradition, also a favorite of the students', are the events the night before "Choate Day"; the final day of the fall athletics season when arch rivals Deerfield and Choate play each other in every sport, at every level. In the Main Auditorium, the Deerfield Cheerleaders put on various skits mocking the other schools that Deerfield plays. Also included are speeches by Mr. Morsman, the spirit of Deerfield, Captain Deerfield, and the Head Cheerleader. After the events in the Main Auditorium are finished, the students rush down to the lower fields, where they are awaited by a bonfire, at the top of which rests a burning "C" (Choate). Captain Deerfield, the cheer leaders, and the Varsity Sports teams captains rile up the students with many Deerfield chants.
The Deerfield student body enjoys the traditions that add to the overall quality of life at Deerfield.
Co-curricular activities
Students are required to participate in a co-curricular activity each semester. Some options include competitive or intramural sports, community service, dance, school play, yearbook, and many more. In addition, many students are involved in at least one of the more than 50 student-run clubs or organizations.[10]
Sports
Deerfield athletic teams compete with boarding schools and other private schools throughout New England, including Phillips Andover, Phillips Exeter Academy, Choate Rosemary Hall, Loomis Chaffee, Tabor Academy, Taft School, Williston Northampton School, Hotchkiss School, Avon Old Farms, Northfield Mount Hermon, and Hopkins School.
Traditionally, the Academy's athletic rival is Choate Rosemary Hall. The Fall athletics season culminates with Choate Day, which features matches with Choate at every level of every fall sport.
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Fall Sports |
Winter Sports |
Spring Sports |
In recent years, Deerfield Academy's lacrosse program has experienced tremendous success and is a perennial contender for the New England title along with rival Salisbury School. In 2009, Salisbury defeated Deerfield 6-7, resulting in a shared New England Championship title. The School's men's Water Polo, Swimming and Golf are also exceptionally strong. As of 2008, Deerfield holds the New England Prep School Championship title for Men's Swimming, Men's Water Polo and Golf, a co-educational program.
See also
References
- ^ "Deerfield Academy". 2007. http://www.boardingschoolreview.com/school_ov/school_id/4. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
- ^ "School History". http://www.deerfield.edu/admissions/index.cfm?page_ID=16. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
- ^ a b "School History". http://www.deerfield.edu/admissions/index.cfm?page_ID=16. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
- ^ "The Headmaster". http://www.johnmcphee.com/headmaster.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
- ^ "Deerfield Journal; 'Deerfield Boy' Is Wary Of Life After Girls". 1988. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE1D81F3FF932A35751C0A96E948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
- ^ "Great Expectations". 2006. http://livingwell-magazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=61&Itemid=40. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
- ^ "U.S.-style boarding school planting roots in Jordan". 2006. http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/01/news/prep.php. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
- ^ "Deerfield Appoints Andover Dean as First Woman Head". 2006. http://thenews.choate.edu/2006/01/27/News/Deerfield_Appoints_Andover.php. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
- ^ LEED Buildings in NE
- ^ "Deerfield at a Glance". http://www.deerfield.edu/admissions/index.cfm?page_ID=262. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
- Cooke, Brian P. Frank Boyden of Deerfield: The Vision and Politics of an Educational Idealist. Lanham, Md.: Madison Books (1994)
- Cookson, Peter W. Preparing For Power: America's Elite Boarding Schools (1985) (ISBN 0-465-06268-7)
- McLachlan, James. American Boarding Schools A Historical Study (1970)
- McPhee, John. The Headmaster: Frank L. Boyden (1966) ISBN 0-374-51496-8
- Moorhead, Andrea D. and Moorhead, Robert K. Deerfield, 1797-1997: A Pictorial History of the Academy (1997) (ISBN 0-9632800-1-5)
External links
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