To the Grand Class of 1969:
Since Graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2020 would have been today under the Great Tent, I wanted to share with you how the groundskeeping crew honored the Class of 2020 in their absence: https://www.instagram.com/p/CAfnZw3AmED/
News of the Academy
Because all of you have received emails from the Academy announcing changes to the 2020 Academic calendar and the postponement of this year's Reunions until next June, I have limited my summary to what you may not already know.
Within weeks of transitioning the Spring Term online, the Academy offered rebates of $2,700 to boarding students and $1,100 to day students which amounts were based on the average cost of meals per day and the cost of maintaining and cleaning the dormitories. I have no insight as to when the campus will re-open or how the Academy will deal with international students from nearly 50 countries, although it has refunded deposits and postponed the deadline for the first tuition payment to July 1 by which time it will have made a decision. The Academy packed up and shipped students' belongings earlier this month so that the Physical Plant staff would be able to keep to its annual maintenance schedule beginning in early June in the hope that the campus will re-open in September.
Despite having to reschedule revisit days as virtual events, 64% of admitted students accepted their offers, up from 59% last year. For applicants hoping to matriculate in 2021, Zoom and Skype interviews have taken the place of on campus interviews. COVID-19 updates and information from the Academy are available through this link.
Despite having to reschedule revisit days as virtual events, 64% of admitted students accepted their offers, up from 59% last year. For applicants hoping to matriculate in 2021, Zoom and Skype interviews have taken the place of on campus interviews. COVID-19 updates and information from the Academy are available through this link.
In case you are curious how the Academy reacted to the Spanish Flu in 1918, The Scroll contained this interesting historical note in the final edition of the year, "While the influenza ravaged Greenfield, Turner’s Falls, and even South Deerfield, Deerfield itself remained largely unaffected. 'Deerfield has not been hit by the epidemic as far, only one very mild case being reported there, and the closing rules do not affect that part of the town,' stated a later article in The Greenfield Recorder from January 1919. However, Deerfield Academy did temporarily suspend class, extending the winter break by at least a week. 'Deerfield Academy was to have reopened yesterday, and the board of health was willing, it said, provided that South Deerfield and Sunderland people did not attend,' the article further stated. 'This would have meant a greatly reduced attendance so Principal Frank Boyden decided to wait another week to see how conditions develop.' While it is unclear when Mr. Boyden resumed classes, archival Commencement programs show that Deerfield held graduation ceremonies in 1918, 1919, and 1920."
News of the Class
Over 40 of us convened via Zoom in April for an informative Q&A session with Dick Prokesch on COVID-19 and a virtual cocktail hour. As circumstances dictate, I hope to organize a follow-up session with Dick who has been serving on the frontline.
In other news,
within a week of the closure of the Boston public schools, Neil Jacobs transitioned his after school program 3Point so that it was hosting 14 live one hour sessions each week on Zoom and posting videos and other materials on BAND where students could leave written comments and chat. Teachers, classroom coordinators, basketball coaches and dance instructors were able to engage with students virtually while continuing to promote critical thinking, communication, social-emotional learning and the values promoted by 3Point.
Rusty Young has been busy rescheduling concerts and booking concerts for next season, recognizing that no one knows when people will feel comfortable attending live events again. Dave Suitor told me that Camp Timanous - which his family has been associated with since 1936 - concluded that it could not safely re-open this summer. You can read about it here and see a clip of Dave.
On a lighter note, Robert Clough is enjoying life in the Keys at the expense of the local tarpon as you can see from the action shot on the left. The local fish will soon get a breather as Robert is planning to head to Maine next week where he will be teaching, helping and mentoring in surgery a few days each week when he isn't fishing.
Stay healthy and be thankful that nearly 70 of us were able to connect again on campus a year ago.
DWS
