News Archive

Sixth grade students have been hard at work for an entire year creating their proposals for the World Showcase at Disney’s EPCOT. At the third annual Derryfield event, the entire middle school, as well as teachers and parents, came together to view the eight final presentations. Samantha Glidden, middle school history teacher, introduced the project to the audience.

Jodie’s Leen’s 7th grade English class completed their poetry unit with a whimsical display of their work, including poems hanging from mobiles and clotheslines, spinning on record players, and encased in boxes of faux chocolate. The challenge given to the students by Ms. Leen was to create a “museum of poetry” that included five of their poems, as well as their poet statement.

The Derryfield School welcomed paralympic athlete and NH native Noelle Lambert on May 15. Her presentation was sponsored by the E. Charles Sanborn Visiting Fellow Fund.  Lambert was born in Londonderry and attended Londonderry High School before matriculating at UMass Lowell. She earned America East All-Rookie team honors as a freshman lacrosse player. During the following summer she was in a horrific moped accident, which resulted in the amputation of her left leg above the knee. Lambert shared her inspirational story of not only returning to the lacrosse field, but eventually becoming a para-athlete in two sports.

Every year the Derryfield School honors faculty and staff who have been at the school for 10 years or more. Derryfield is very fortunate to have eight dedicated men and women who believe in the mission of the school and who have given so fully of themselves to this community. Peter Brandt, Lindley Shutz, and Lynne Wagner have all been at the school for 15 years. Annie Branch, Alice Handwerk and Gill Roberts have been at Derryfield for 20 years. Karen Robichaud, who is about to retire, has dedicated 25 years to the school, and Mimi Coombes has been at Derryfield for 30 years.

On May 1, Hamid Wahedy spoke to the Derryfield school community about how he and his family managed to escape from Afghanistan in August of 2021.  Mr. Wahedy grew up in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, and worked closely with US forces in the country from 2015 to 2021.  As the Taliban seized control of his country, Mr. Wahedy, along with his wife and two young children, narrowly escaped capture, left all their possessions behind, and traveled 260 miles to reach Kabul Airport. They were eventually extracted from the crowd of thousands surrounding the airport, thanks to the help of a US Army veteran who spent 21 hours on the phone with Wahedy, talking him through every step of the dangerous journey.  Mr. Wahedy’s presentation was made possible by the E. Charles Sanborn Visiting Fellow Fund.

Dr. Taylor Moon, a member of the Upper School science department since 2018, received the Maitland P. Simmons Memorial Award for New Teachers at a special evening celebration during the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Atlanta, Georgia on March 24.

The New Hampshire Special Olympics Winter Games was an inspiring event in which I was a participant over February break. A large group of Derryfield upper school students and faculty took the hour and a half bus ride from Derryfield to Waterville Valley Ski Resort to volunteer at the first Special Olympics Winter Games since 2020. 

Combining math with community service, fifteen 6th graders purchased, prepared and served lunch at the Slusser Center in Hopkinton, NH on February 15. Forty seniors greatly enjoyed the menu of pulled pork sliders, cornbread and roasted vegetables. The strawberry shortcake dessert cups were the sweet conclusion of the delicious meal.

Anders Morley, author of This Land of Snow, an account of his Nordic ski trek across northern Canada in winter, spoke of his experience at the February 13 Community Meeting. Morley is a native of New Hampshire, and attended Derryfield for one of his middle school years. His book is described as, “A seasonal meditation on wilderness, solitude, and how access to wild places can help us find our way back to our most authentic selves.”

On February 7, the entire Derryfield 7th grade embarked on the annual winter field trip to Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, NH. Led by middle school science teacher Karen Robichaud, the intrepid adventurers each reported back on their experience in the wilderness. Here is their story, told through many voices.

Ipeksu Yucel, a sophomore at Derryfield, is a first generation American who was born and raised in the US, but her entire family lives in Turkey. During Community Meeting on February 13, Yucel offered her perspective of the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey the previous week.  “This topic is very personal and very important to me, given the events of the past week, yet being so far from family and friends. I think it is important to raise awareness, and also to encourage humanitarian efforts.”

Junior Kazu Loreman was one of five Derryfield students whose work received a Gold Key designation in the annual Scholastic Art Awards, our country’s most competitive juried art competition for students in grades 7-12. Loreman fashioned a sculpture of a polar bear, and describes his work,

“We were asked to create a piece about a current political topic that we cared about, and I chose the extinction of the polar bear. To me, it is devastating that such a beloved creature will die out because of human interference. I wanted my piece to be impactful, for the viewer to understand what it means with little analysis.”

Model UN (MUN) is a simulation where students take on the role of a delegate representing a country in the United Nations. The goal is to negotiate with other countries, and to propose solutions to a global problem. Delegates prepare by researching information about their country, and their country’s position on the topic. Adelino Vellis '28 writes about his experience with Derryfield middle school Model UN.

Each year, Derryfield students submit work to the Scholastic Art Awards, our country’s most competitive juried art competition for students in grades 7-12. This year, there were a total of 1,972 individual pieces and 81 portfolios of student artists from all over the state. Derryfield submitted 120 pieces and 42.5% received recognition. Five Derryfield students were selected as Gold Key winners, the highest honor. Suprina Kabadkar won two Gold Key awards, in the categories of Digital Art and Art Portfolio.

Joel Christian Gill, an author, cartoonist and historian, was the keynote speaker at the January 17 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day observance at The Derryfield School. This program was made possible by the E. Charles Sanborn Visiting Fellow Fund. Thanks to proceeds from this fund, distinguished lecturers, scholars, and writers visit the Derryfield campus for classroom visits, faculty workshops, and public forums. 

At the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Coalition event held on January 16 at Manchester Memorial High School, Sarah Naje ‘23 was presented with the Vanessa Johnson Youth Award, in honor of her advocacy efforts. The extensive program also featured panel discussions, music, and a reading from Dr. King’s work.