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Campus News
List of 25 news stories.
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Innovation Breakfast Fosters Networking
Throughout the morning of Wednesday, February 20, the Gateway conference room was alive with the buzz and chatter of innovation. A cohort of inventive students gathered with members of the Derryfield community, as well as local professionals and businesspeople, to share ideas in the spirit of entrepreneurship. Dean of Innovation Dr. Masoni envisioned the inaugural Innovation Breakfast as an opportunity for STEM-X students to make valuable connections with adults working in their fields of interest, and it more than lived up to his expectations....Read More -
Library Genrefication is a 21st Century Necessity
Throughout the school day, the Milne Library is the central hub of student life, shared by upperclassmen and middle school students alike. At any given time, students can be found calling into an online Malone course in one of the conference rooms, collaborating at the table pods, or lounging on the Hogwarts-themed cushions. Ms. Jipson, our beloved librarian of 40 years, consistently works to keep the space dynamic and diversified, which entails staying on top of trends at the intersection of media and technology....Read More -
Roberts '99 Recognized by Union Leader
Congratulations to Derryfield alumna, Latin teacher, and Director of Security and Crisis Management, Gill Roberts '99, who was chosen for the Union Leader's 2019 Class of 40 Under Forty. The Union Leader’s 40 Under Forty program recognizes some of the state’s brightest young achievers who have a record of professional and volunteer accomplishments in New Hampshire. Those selected were honored at a reception at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord on March 13. Gill was interviewed by the Union Leader about her career and community involvement...Read More -
Raff '05 Earns 40 Under 40 Honors
Congratulations to Derryfield alumnus Alan Raff '04, who was chosen for the Union Leader's 2019 Class of 40 Under Forty. The Union Leader’s 40 Under Forty program recognizes some of the state’s brightest young achievers who have a record of professional and volunteer accomplishments in New Hampshire. Those selected were honored at a reception at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord on March 13. Alan was interviewed by the Union Leader about his experiences and aspitations...Read More -
February Construction Update
Construction is progressing, and in each issue of Cougar Tracks we’ll update you on our progress and share what is coming up next. These will be high level updates; anything that is urgent or will impact students will be shared in Nuts & Bolts (like parking arrangements).Read More -
Winter Sports Post-Season Update
As we move into the end of the winter sports season, many of Derryfield's student athletes are performing on New Hampshire's highest stage for high school sports. Here are recaps of state meet performances for swimming, alpine skiing, and gymnastics, as well as info about the upcoming championships for nordic skiing, ice hockey, and basketball....Read More -
Making Room for New Programs and New Choices
One of the more innovative parts of our schedule involves the new “8th carrier.” First, let me explain that terminology. We will move from seven blocks to eight blocks with half of them meeting each day, so that each academic block meets every other day. Seven of the new eight carriers will be scheduled as per normal, with each chosen academic course assigned to one of those seven carriers. The additional eighth carrier will be scheduled a bit differently. That one carrier will include multiple experiences....Read More -
Xploration Courses Bring Choice to Middle School
It has been exciting to share the structure and features of our upcoming new schedule with students and parents this past month. As a member of the scheduling committee, I welcomed the opportunity to address a number of issues that exist in our current schedule. Some of these issues included the general “pace” of the day, the need for conflict-free regular extra help time, the irregular teaching blocks, and the amount of time demanded for homework each night. The structural changes we made to move to fewer but longer teaching blocks on an every other day rotation will address each of these issues. Another issue that emerged, however, required us thinking about more than structure. That issue is choice - a component of education that is receiving valuable attention in 21st century education....Read More -
Derryfield Celebrates the Year of the Pig
In the days leading up to Tuesday, February 5, you may have noticed red paper banners bearing messages written in Chinese characters pop up at the library entrance and outside of classrooms. Hand-crafted by members of Derryfield’s cohort of international students, each message heralded the Chinese New Year, marking the transition from the Year of the Dog to the Year of the Pig....Read More -
Making Time for What we Value
This month, we shared the new schedule in seven sessions with students and parents. The response has been overwhelmingly one of excitement. The new schedule makes time for what we value: relationships, community, exploration, and excellent teaching and learning. As we worked with our schedule consultants and the DS community, we focused on a number of priorities....Read More -
Visual Arts Champions
Creative Arts Department Co-Chair Becky Barsi has long described the Scholastic Art Award program as the championships of visual art; this year Derryfield had plenty of champions. Since 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have recognized the vision, ingenuity, and talent of our nation’s youth, and provided opportunities for creative teens to be celebrated. It is consitered our country's most competitive juried art competition for students in grades 7-12....Read More -
Love and College Admission
It is mid-February and love is undeniably in the air—as well as the walls, floors, and ceilings of my local supermarket. Remember the simpler days, when a valentine was a note one got from a crush at school? It was that experience of a letter in the mailbox that made one’s heart leap—with the knowledge that the person one loves feels the same. Something similar takes place in college admission. While students and families often think in terms of “because I did such and such, I deserve to get in,” the reality is more like a person who returns your valentine. "I like you and you like me, so let’s make a match....”Read More -
FIRST Tech Challenge Recap
Under the guidance of coaches Mr. Young and Dr. Masoni, the Derryfield Upper and Middle School robotics teams tested their mettle at the FIRST Tech Challenge state championship on Saturday, February 2nd at SNHU. NH resident and Segway inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to encourage the spirit of innovation and interest in STEM fields among students across the nation....Read More -
The Addams Family: Familiar Family, New Faces
The magnificently macabre, spectacularly eccentric Addams Family, headed by mustachioed patriarch Gomez, has been a staple of American popular culture for nearly sixty years, but Derryfield’s upcoming production of The Addams Family: A New Musical featuring the clan is decidedly fresh-faced....Read More -
Dear Admission Dean: What Parents Can Learn From Their College Applicant
Everyone has heard that “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” What fatherhood has taught me, however, is that “the tree doesn’t grow far from the apple.” In other words, the lessons I have learned from my two children—as they sow the seeds of untainted virtues—force me to grow in important ways, beyond what years of schooling and life are able to teach. Patience, humility, wonder, playfulness, and optimism are just a few of the many values that I “harvest” from my children....Read More -
A Letter to College Applicants
It is easy for college applicants and their parents to get caught up in the fear, frustration, and frenzy of the admission experience. Those of us who counsel families through this journey have the benefit of having watched hundreds and thousands of students and their parents as they fumble, fixate and flourish. This breadth of experience, and what we have come to know, can be valuable to current families....Read More -
Welcoming Inaugural ASSIST Scholars
Over the past several years, Derryfield has placed a growing emphasis on expanding our small but vibrant community of international students. Thanks to the efforts of Associate Head of School Susan Grodman and Director of Enrollment Kathleen Rutty-Fey, the School has fostered a strong partnership with New Oasis International Education, which has brought a number of students from several cities across China to live with local host families during the school year and engage with all facets of life at an American high school....Read More -
More Ways to Improve College Admission in 2019
College admission is an imperfect system. It is designed by humans and as such is highly subjective and flawed, while also being complicated by many competing interests. That being said, there are always ways to improve our work and perhaps 2019 is the year that the many constituents in college admission (colleges, high schools, students and parents) will stop pointing fingers and start making changes....Read More -
Six Terms to Stop Using in College Admissions
Read MoreIt is January again, which means hordes of fresh faces in the gym and long lines for the equipment. While I am happy for their resolve to get fit and eat right, in a month's time I know that the queue to the treadmill will be gone. The crowds will have thinned once again and many of the good intentions to embrace healthy lifestyles will have waned.... -
A New Year In College Admission
My family had a New Year’s tradition that was different than most, one that often led to tears and retribution between me and my brothers. At breakfast on January 1st every year, we gathered around pancakes, and instead of crafting our own New Year’s resolutions, the group would decide what each family member should commit to change or improve in the coming year. Having a spotlight on our shortcomings was no picnic, as you can imagine, but in retrospect, it was a valuable exercise....Read More -
Competing at the Next Level
While establishing a strong foundation for lifelong fitness habits is a core objective of the Derryfield athletic program, coaches are always thrilled to work with talented and committed athletes who aim to compete in their sport at the highest level. Often, this involves committing to a university program as part of the admission process. So far this year, Derryfield has five seniors who have signed letters of intent with university programs.Read More -
The Spirit of the Holidays
I have written in the past about how the holidays can be a paradoxical time for many middle schoolers. Many find themselves somewhere between the “magic” of the season and the concept of sacrifice and the joys of gift giving that is the hallmark of seasonal religious traditions from Christmas to Hannukah to Kwanzaa to Ramadan to Yule. Teens and tweens can be a bit self-centered around the holidays....Read More -
How to Deal With a Deferral or Denial of Admission to College: Change Priorities
Grinning with his characteristically sly smile, Chuck Sanborn, the former director of college counseling at The Derryfield School, corrected my inquiry about his retirement, saying, “I didn’t retire, I just changed my priorities.” He went on to explain that he adapted this phrase while driving in England and encountering road construction. Instead of a neon detour sign, he was confronted with a sign saying “Changed Priorities Ahead” and instantly he knew that this would be his motto. To Sanborn, the idea of retiring or withdrawing felt passive or even defeatist. He was not stepping away from life, but rather stepping towards new priorities....Read More -
A Relative's Holiday Guide to College Admission
As cars fill the driveway and extended family members arrive at the door, the shrewd high school seniors are already plotting their escape. You see, they know what is in store when small talk is unleashed. The holidays are in full swing, and so is the college admission season. In an unfortunate coincidence of timing, family and friends are gathering for celebrations this week at a time when emotions are high for college-bound high school students....Read More -
Global Issues Students Take the Challenge
What happens when you apply technology and entrepreneurship to pressing worldwide problems? The eleven seniors in Ms. DiTullio’s fall elective “Global Issues: Sustainable Development” considered this very question as they launched their studies with an introduction to the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, going on to consider the flaws in the foreign aid system and whether or not the world has made progress since 1990....Read More
The Derryfield School
Located in Manchester, NH, The Derryfield School is a private day school for grades 6-12. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.