The Derryfield School

Middle School Students Delve Into Crime

11/18/2022

One of the most popular middle school Exploration courses is Crime Scene Investigation (CSI), team-taught by Dean of Students and Director of Security & Crisis Management Gillian Roberts and Director of Athletics Chris Hettler. Exploration courses are designed to immerse students and faculty in experiences and pursuits that inspire new interests, broaden skills, and sharpen awareness of the community outside of the classroom. Rooted in academic and real world skills, the courses encourage students and faculty to take risks, be playful, and venture into new territory.

Commemorating Veterans Day

11/9/2022

Debra McLoud Named to National Board

11/9/2022

Debra McLoud, Executive Director of Breakthrough Manchester, was elected to serve on the Board of Trustees of Breakthrough Collaborative. Breakthrough Manchester, which has been hosted by Derryfield for over 30 years, is one of the oldest and largest programs of the 24 regional affiliates that make up the Breakthrough Collaborative.

Studying How Museums Work

11/9/2022

While it is fairly common for history students to go on a field trip to a museum that covers a time period they are studying in class, Ryan Tanner-Read’s Advanced Topics (AT) class recently visited Manchester’s Millyard Museum with the sole objective of studying how the museum presents its subject.

Super Saturday Kicks off Breakthrough School Year Program

11/6/2022

5 Derryfield Seniors Recognized by National Merit Scholarship Program

10/25/2022

The Derryfield School announced today that 5 students have been recognized by the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program for their scholastic talents. Seniors Jaisen Soundar, Jack Schroeder, and Zachary Rabold are presently semifinalists and Artem Yurovskiy and Benjamin Roy were named Commended students.

Annual Award in Honor of Holocaust Survivor

10/25/2022

Each year The Derryfield School chooses a member of the senior class to receive the Simeon Kass Award, in honor of Simeon Kass, who survived the Holocaust as a young boy. The 2022 recipient, announced on October 25 during the school’s weekly Community Meeting, is Cea Armstrong.

Service Linked to Learning

10/19/2022

The freshman class traveled on October 12 to Camp Allen in Bedford, NH for a day of service and learning. Camp Allen is an overnight and day summer camp established in 1931 that provides opportunities for friendship, growth, and fun for children and adults with developmental and/or physical and mental disabilities in an outdoor environment....

Grade Nine Coding Class Awakens Creativity

10/12/2022

Whether it's via creating a simulation of Mad Libs or Magic Eight Ball, or a metric converter, Derryfield ninth graders are learning the basics of the coding behind the apps they use every day.

Derryfield Breaks Ground on the Commons

10/11/2022

On October 3 The Derryfield School put shovels into the ground on a new dining commons. Thanks in part to a generous donation of $2,500,000, the largest single gift in the School’s 58-year history, the entire Derryfield community will now be able to gather as one, in a building that will tie the campus together as originally envisioned during the master facilities planning process....

Lyceum Gallery Opening on October 7

9/21/2022

The Lyceum Gallery at Derryfield is collaborating with Kelley Stelling Contemporary to present a group exhibition entitled, How Do I Find You. The participating artists are Rachelle Beaudoin, Zachery DeWitt, and Claudia Rippee. The show will run through October 21.

Caroline Thirkill Attends New Teacher Retreat

9/15/2022

Caroline Thirkill, Upper School world language instructor, attended the NH New Teachers Retreat held in July at Keene State College. The New Teachers Retreat is an organization dedicated to the development and retention of young talent in the teaching profession.

Barsi Chosen Art Educator of the Year

9/7/2022

The Awards Committee of the New Hampshire Art Educators’ Association (NHAEA) has selected Becky Barsi, co-chair of the art department, as the Art Educator of the year 2022-2023.

Student Leadership Summit Caps Summer

9/7/2022

Over 75 aspiring and returning student leaders, in grades 7-12, came to campus during the traditional “pre-season” week of August 15-19, to gain a deeper understanding of leadership opportunities and challenges at Derryfield.

Derryfield Welcomes New & Returning Faculty

8/31/2022

Derryfield is pleased to welcome seven new, or returning, members of the faculty and staff.

Derryfield Installs New Head of School

8/30/2022

Andrew Chappell was installed as the ninth Head of School on August 23, in an event attended by nearly 90 members of the school and greater community.

Derryfield School Celebrates Its Graduates

6/8/2022

The Derryfield School celebrated fifty-two graduates in an outdoor ceremony on Saturday, June 4. The joyful occasion marked the fifty-fifth commencement for the independent, co-educational institution, whose mission is to “inspire bright, motivated young people to be their best and provide them with the skills and experiences needed to be valued, dynamic, confident, and purposeful members of any community.”

Spring 2022 Athletics Recap

6/3/2022

Fantastic spring weather in New England helped each of our spring sports to unprecedented success highlighted by a state championship for our crew program. Boys' lacrosse and girls' tennis made another championship title run finishing runners-up, while our boys' tennis team made the final four. Our baseball team went 15-1 in the regular season and made a deep playoff run as well. The track and equestrian programs also saw success, with several members of each team qualifying for states in various different disciplines.

Science & Innovation Center Named for Dr. Carter

5/27/2022

In honor of Dr. Mary Halpin Carter’s service to the community during her nine years as Head of the Derryfield School, the Board of Trustees announced on May 26 the dedication of the Carter Center for Science & Innovation.

Students Pitch Project Proposal

5/25/2022

Dr. Andrew Meyers and Dr. Taylor Moon had a problem they wished to solve: What sort of meaningful project could two of their grade eleven AT biology students, Kennedy Amorim and Ashley Hardner, pursue while the seniors in the class were occupied with their independent study projects? The answer came in the form of a one-month learning program called BioTrek, sponsored by BioFabUSA.

Derryfield Spring Celebrations

5/11/2022

Head of School Dr. Mary Halpin Carter welcomed visitors, students, faculty, and staff to the first in-person Grandfriends Day celebration since the fall of 2019. The assembly, which included the Founders’ Scholar Address, as well as musical performances by the choir and the band, was followed by an open house, where students guided their visitors around the campus, introducing them to their teachers, and showing off class projects and favorite haunts....

Juniors Share Love of Art

5/5/2022

Combining their love of the arts with community service, ten members of the junior class welcomed ten 3rd-5th graders from the Boys and Girls Club of Manchester to Derryfield on April 28 for an afternoon packed with creative projects....

Musical Ensembles Win Big in Westfield

5/2/2022

The musicians of Derryfield were up before the sun on Saturday morning, April 30, in order to leave school at 6:00 a.m. to attend a competition in Westfield MA. 93 students attended the trip, which included the Middle School Chorus, the Upper School Concert Choir, and a combined middle school and upper school instrumental ensemble. They returned home at the end of the day with three trophies.

Green Club Leads Earth Day Celebration

4/27/2022

This year, the Derryfield Green Club decided one day wasn’t enough–and extended the celebration of Mother Earth to a full week. Working in collaboration with the Spirit Club, the list of events included costumes, competitions, and challenges, all in the name of “greening up” Derryfield....

Derryfield Senior Chosen for Technology Program

4/22/2022

Derryfield senior Abigail Van Dyke was recognized on April 19 by the BAE Corporation of Merrimack, NH for her participation in their Women in Technology (WiT) program. Each year, up to 24 local female high school juniors and seniors are chosen to participate in the twelve-week course.