 | What is The Derryfield Advantage? It's Aiming High to achieve your best in a culture of high expectations and encouragement. Margo Pierson loves her Derryfield classes. In science, she enjoys doing "cool experiments," such as designing little cardboard cars that are propelled (actually repelled in a kind of "magnetic levitation") down a four-foot track. A math enthusiast and avid reader, Margo likes how her English class has opened her mind to science fiction, a genre she hadn't tried before. What's her favorite class? "Probably Civics because it's the hardest and it pushes me the most." Whereas math has a lot of definitive answers, she points out, Civics involves making connections, pondering open-ended questions, and writing challenging essays. Says Margo, "When I get to high school, it will be good to know how to handle things like that. "Margo knows that challenges beyond the classroom - playing a lead role in the musical, trying softball for the first time, and joining the event-planning Assembly Committee - have also been important. "Derryfield has taught me to be a littlemore outgoing, less shy," she notes. "The school's really a community. Everyone is themselves - you can't not be yourself." |
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| It's achieving Balance in exploring inspiring academic, artistic, and athletic opportunities. |
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| It's emphasizing the Character of a school that actively cultivates respect, integrity, compassion, and service. |
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It's a diverse Community defined and sustained by close relationships and social interdependence.Community events like Country Fair, Winter Carnival, and seasonal pep rallies keep school spirit high.
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It's embracing the role of Family in the life of our day school, celebrating collaboration between home and school.The Fall 2010 issue of Derryfield Today examined the value of being an independent day school, with several members of the community writing about how important it was to be able to have a strong education while still having dinner as a family. Read below for more...
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| It's celebrating Individuality through the discovery of new passions and a love for learning, self-knowledge, critical inquiry, and reflection. |
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Want to learn more? Consider taking our campus tour so you can see for yourself what it feels like to be a part of the Derryfield community, or read through our Curriculum Guide. We also invite you to meet faculty, staff and students at our Open Houses in November, January, and May. In the interim, please don't hesitate to contact me or another member of our admission staff if you would like additional information.
We hope to see you on our campus in the near future! Allison PriceDirector of Admission and Financial Aid
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| Kemal A senior who plays varsity soccer, basketball, and tennis, Kemal participates in Breakthrough Manchester, a program through which Derryfield students teach and mentor disadvantaged middle school students. He enjoys community service, and found a visit to the Easter Seals home for the elderly to be particularly meaningful. He says, "It was a great trip and it was very rewarding giving back to the community." |
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| Carla A freshman, Carla is a three-season varsity athlete and a member of the Medical Club, which invites medical professionals to the school to talk about careers in medicine and enables students to do job shadowing. Though she is a huge fan of the cafeteria's tater tots, Carla says the very best thing about Derryfield is: "The trust and respect between students and teachers." |
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| Griffin A tenor saxophone-playing seventh grader, Griffin thinks the best thing about Derryfield is "challenging academics and teachers who want you to succeed." One of his favorite academic activities this year was a hike up Mt. Kearsage, where students could see in real life the biodiversity they were studying in science class. |
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| Noelani A sixth grader from Manchester, Noelani is enthusiastic about most of the activities at opportunities at Derryfield, but especially drama and singing. She's a member of the Set Design Club and says the best thing about Derryfield is: "I can express myself." |
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| Mark Blaisdell, Head of Middle School "Middle schoolers are, for the most part, social creatures. They learn through relationships - with their peers and with their teachers. They have to feel connected, and that's a real advantage that we have at Derryfield." |
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| Brent Powell, Head of Upper School "I think Derryfield challenges all of our students while it supports them. It develops excellence in our kids while still encouraging them to maintain balanced lives. And I think it tries to develop individual potential, while still building a caring and supportive community. These things are sometimes construed as oppositional, but at Derryfield they are integrated." |
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| Mary Carter, Dean of Faculty and Academic Programs "At Derryfield we have a group of people - the kids and the adults - who are all interested in excellence and also in creativity, and I find that very inspiring." |
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| Craig Sellers, Head of School "The first meaningful word in our new mission statement is inspire. And I think parents want that for their kids. As much as anything, they want their kids to feel uplifted by wonderful people who are role models." |
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| |  Allison PriceDirector of Admission and Financial Aid Ext. 6201 Allison joined The Derryfield School in 2007, after receiving her Masters in Education degree from the School Leadership Program at Harvard University. She previously worked in the Admission and Financial Aid Office at Princeton Day School (NJ) and served as a volunteer for The Steppingstone Foundation (MA).
Professional interests include educational access issues, developing parent-school-community partnerships, and non-profit financial management. Allison enjoys her many roles at Derryfield, from advisor to data guru to interior designer of display cases. Last year brought a new role: international traveler representing Derryfield in China!
A competitive figure skater in high school, Allison served as an athlete representative on the United States Figure Skating Association State Games Committee for five years. When not in her office, Allison can usually be found at Fenway Park, dancing on the DS stage, or sitting in an airport waiting for her next travel adventure to begin.
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 Kathleen Rutty-FeyAssociate Director of Admission Ext. 6204 A Derryfield alumna of the class of 1987, Kathleen happily rejoined her alma mater in 1996 as the Development Assistant before becoming the Director of the Annual Fund, Assistant Director of Admission, and finally, Director of Admission for five years.
Now as Associate Director of Admission, Kathleen finds time for everything else, including serving as a ninth and tenth grade advisor, coordinating a long-standing Derryfield tradition, Country Fair, and helping to manage Derryfield's social media presence.
She claims that the best thing about being employed at her alma mater is the privilege of working alongside inspiring colleagues, who were once her admired and influential teachers.
Mother to Miles '17 and Parker, Kathleen also stays active in her own town's PTA, loves to play wiffleball in the backyard, and is obsessed with bluebirds. Bucket list accomplishments include three marathons, the Mount Washington Road Race, and skydiving!
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 Claire FauthAdmission Office Coordinator Ext. 6203 Claire joined Derryfield in 2007, coming from a background that includes college admission office work, restaurant management, property and casualty insurance, and most recently twelve years at American Cancer Society working in administration, special event management and community organization. She remains an active volunteer with Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, especially the Derryfield team.
You'll find her responding to all inquiries about The Derryfield School, greeting visitors and facilitating student day visits, and coordinating department events (the ice cream socials being her favorite). She has a strong affinity for the Creative Arts department as a quilter, jewelry designer, and former member of various vocal groups. Her most amazing experience came this past March, chaperoning the Habitat for Humanity trip to West Virginia for twenty three students.
Claire and her husband of twenty-eight years, Craig, live nearby and when not at home tending their gardens and working on home improvement projects, are on the road. Their favorite destinations are Illinois and Wisconsin to see their two children and three grandchildren, and the Maine coast.
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