Board Editorial: Board Member Goodbyes

The Scroll, for many of those involved, is more than just a club. It is a seemingly limitless dedication towards the singular goal of producing a coherent, interesting, and thoughtful issue. It is the textbook definition of a labor of love. Board members spend their time collaborating with staff writers to strengthen their articles, laying out issues on ancient computers in the Kendall basement, conducting interviews, and close reading every article in every issue to make sure no wayward commas make their way into the final print. Below are the reflections of all the editors who have given their time, their labor, and most importantly, their love to the Scroll over the course of their Deerfield careers.

ANNA GUERRINI

Editor-In-Chief

Over the past four years I have spent untold hours in the Scroll room, many in wonderful company, a few particularly stressful ones alone trying to finalize PDFs before sending them off to print. I have spent golden spring afternoons with a red pen in hand, watching afternoons turn into evenings into nights from the high windows of the Kendall basement. I have poured far too much sweat and too many tears into this newspaper, cared too much for this extracurricular that means so little to so many. I care because it matters. I care because all the monotony creates a final product that someone will read, that at least one person will care about, even if that only person is the freshman staff writer who got her first article published on the front page. As I say goodbye to the Scroll, I say goodbye to much more than a source of heinous late-night quotes and free Thai Blue Ginger. I say goodbye to a newspaper, a student newspaper, yes, but a newspaper nonetheless. Democracies don’t die in darkness, they die in silence. Now is the time to find your voice, and to learn how to make it loud without making it so loud you begin to speak over others. Thank you, Scroll, for teaching me that. Thank you to everyone who came before me. Thank you to those who will continue the legacy I’ve had a small part in creating. And to John Liu, I could not be more honored to pass my title onto you. I look forward to finding out what your sign off will be. Stay loud.

BILLY TANG

Co-Managing Editor

Surprisingly, the greatest human fear is not the fear of death, but rather the fear of publicly expressing ourselves whether in speech or writing. To commit to a stance in public is to make a record of your beliefs, something that people can go back and examine in scrutinizing detail as they try and pick apart every single little leap in logic and premise misuse in your freshman year op-ed. Even if there is no opinion, to be the conveyer of information and act as its authority requires a special kind of bravery—and self-accountability to report the truth and only the whole truth. To me, that’s what the Scroll has been: a forum of truth-seeking that invites the most creative and intellectual minds of our community to come together and create a product that expresses those innermost thoughts. For me, the Scroll was the place that taught me how to be brave and commit to my opinions, to learn how to handle disagreement and the fierce conversations that come with expressing your beliefs. Because that’s the purpose of a school newspaper—to be a forum where students can come to train their skills in discourse and communication, to overcome discomfort and gain the ability to handle nuance. For the future leadership in the Scroll, I ask you to be brave. I ask you to be willing to embrace the vulnerability of being in the public eye, to feel grateful for criticism and excited for conversation. The only way to assert the right to speak is to speak, because while no single article is guaranteed to change your worldview, any one of them can.

YOONSA LEE

Co-Managing Editor

It took Mr. Romick at least three attempts on separate days to convince my reluctant sophomore self to write for the Scroll. He did not succeed alone, however—it also helped a great deal that my friends happened to be in the process of applying for the position of an associate editor. Together, they pushed me to write my first article: one of the most terrifying decisions of my life. Although I originally joined the Scroll to improve my writing, my greatest takeaways do not surround how to better structure my writing or how to add more flair. I have grown to be a better colleague, leader, and person. I suppose this is what Ms. Delwiche has alluded to in my advisor reports for the past four years. The Scroll has taught me to forge and reforge bonds with people on campus I wouldn’t have met otherwise. I have learned that work and fun can coexist while I harmonize to the energetic melodies of Chappell Roan songs, gulp down forkfuls of pad thai, or engage in the most chaotic yet intellectual conversations with my coworkers and friends. As the Scroll reaches its centennial volume, I urge you all to continue upholding these values. Write the article you’re afraid to write because you’re scared. Show up, even on the days where life twists you in unexpected directions. Learn from each other—you all have so much to contribute. And never forget to have faith: your writing matters. Your time with the Scroll matters. Every article has the potential to strike a chord with someone else on campus. To the 100th Board, good luck! I can’t wait to see your visions come to life.

ALICE WU

Features Editor

Three years ago at 10:37 PM, I got a text from an unknown number: “Hey Alice, this is Jerry from the Scroll. Can you write about Mr. Abreu’s art exhibition this Sunday?” Not only was this my first Scroll article, but he also gave me only one day to write it. But I said yes.

Panicked, I texted, “What exactly do I write about?” He replied, “Can you call for a sec”—and then called me until midnight, coaching through every detail of the article while I spiraled into a first-article freakout. My final text that night? “AHHH IM ACTUALLY SO SCARED.” “Haha you got this. I’ll help you along the way,” he replied. And that he did. From the “I don’t know what to do”s to “I’m really confused!”s, Jerry truly helped me with it all. The next day, my first ever Scroll article was published!... and almost entirely rewritten by editors. Classic Scroll. Crushed and convinced I’d peaked as a one-time Staff Writer, I kept writing anyway. Fast forward nine articles, and somehow, I became the Jerry I once feared—a Page Editor. Yes, the interviews, revisions, and late-night spirals—they made me a better writer. But most importantly, they helped me find a passion for writing. To my writers, watching you grow has been the most rewarding part of all. I’m beyond proud of all the stories you’ve told, and I’m glad to have been your Jerry. To my Board and Associates, thank you for all your great work and amity these past years. Our times together will always be something I cherish and look back on. And to freshman Alice who once feared Page Editors (or just Jerry)—guess what? You Scroll so hard you become one!

CHLOE XUE

Opinion and Editorial Editor

There is a poem that I like by Maggie Smith, titled “Good Bones.” She writes:“This place could be beautiful, right? You could make this place beautiful.” The lingering uncertainty. The line break—a beat—just before “right?” The self-assured faith. The speaker of the poem reminds me of every Op-Ed writer, piously insistent on the betterment of our community and world, and yet, at times, inevitably dipping into disillusionment. Op-Ed, keep writing the hard things. You are a mirror, a snapshot, but most importantly a catalyst. You could make this place beautiful. In this way, I am so grateful for the Scroll—thank you for showing me that change can begin at the tips of our fingers and tongues, with our words. Keep your hearts open to the conversations that your writing will birth. Lend your time to discourse that challenges you.

Thank you to the people with whom I have shared the Scroll room for four years. Never underestimate the power of mentorship. Lead with love. Johns, take us to the stars.

THEO SCHULHOF

Arts Editor

The Deerfield Scroll. I remember being a newly admitted student surfing the Scroll website, eager to gain a deeper understanding of the community I would soon join. “Interviewing A Boogie,” “Rating the Dorms, Best to Worst,” or “60 seconds with Mr. Kelly,” gave me an instant lens into the happenings, ideas, conflicts, and joy waiting to be discovered at Deerfield.

A lens into DA, that’s the Deerfield Scroll at its best. Picking up a new issue, and seeing a mirror of the latest campus trend, controversy, or news, knowing this snapshot of our community is memorialized into the archives of time. To future generations of the Scroll, don’t get bogged down in arguments and controversy that have very little application to Deerfield campus. The Deerfield Scroll is not a proper forum for highly charged global issues or personal vendettas. The Scroll bears Deerfield’s namesake; it represents DA. Because the Scroll and its articles exist because of and under the administration, the Scroll can never function as a normal newspaper. That is okay; it makes the Scroll special. Focus on creating a newspaper that reflects Deerfield, in all aspects, so that thousands of future and current students can read the magic of Deerfield, cover to cover. That is what the Scroll does best. Thank you to The Deerfield Scroll for teaching me how to become an objective observer and competent writer. It’s been a ton of fun.

AVERY ZAKOWICH

News Editor

Dear Reader,I hate sap. I also am aware that the Scroll is currently about as popular as me: not. Thus, instead of some sappy goodbye, I am going to write about why I have hated the Scroll (note to self: stop saying thus, it makes you sound like a dork)! First, the Scroll single-handedly fueled my DoorDash addiction. Seriously, all of those nights of group DoorDash orders from Thai Blue Ginger, Kobe, and Namaste got me hooked on DoorDashing on the weekends with my friends. Also, with all of the table laughing and my friends Billy Tang, John Woo, John Liu, and more chirping, I did more yapping than writing and was Castell unproductive and permanently tomato-faced from cracking up for two hours (saved a lot of money on blush though). I also was forced to do what my socially awkward and introverted self hates most: talking to new people. I learned how to conduct interviews, ask good questions, and connect with all sorts of people, which really ruined my introvertedness and made me start knowing and talking to like everyone on campus. I also was turned into someone who loves to write and do journalism, which really messed up my parents' plans of me being an engineer. So, to sum up this list, the Scroll has provided me with some of my best memories, friends, DoorDash, pushed me to be a better and more confident student, and connected me with countless students and faculty at Deerfield. Wait, that doesn’t sound so bad after all. Do I actually love the Scroll? Eh maybe just a little, but don’t start telling people that or students will start to join! This is Avery Zakowich signing off - thanks, Scroll.

MCKENZIE GOLTERMANN

Sports Editor

The Scroll. I am going to be honest. This place never really seemed like my scene and yet here I am, officially signing off as the Sports editor of the Scroll. For the past three years, the Sports Editor has been a dynamic and fun senior girl. Caroline Weller and Emi Takegami paved the path for a new chill, entertaining, and female-empowering sports page. If you have written for me in the past, you may have found the articles not necessarily groundbreaking or trying to solve world peace, but rather a space that genuinely reflects Deerfield students’ athletic experiences. From balancing each male and female “Athlete of the Issue” to writers reflecting student opinions about transgender inclusion in women’s sports, my page really has done it all. I have learned a lot from each level of the Scroll’s competitive hierarchy. When I joined as a Staff Writer my sophomore year, I became obsessed with the idea of editing articles and being named an Associate. I worked hard, attending each Thursday night meeting with focus. I interviewed dining hall staff, random upperclassmen in the library, and even workers in the physical plant, all to write what I deemed as an entertaining article. I continued this work ethic last year and realized that the step up from Staff Writer to Associate was no small task. Future Associates, I can assure you that this will be your worst year yet. During my junior year, I probably clocked in five hours per week in that dusty, old, Scroll room. So, when I applied for a board position, I felt relief when I received the Sports Page, even if it was my third choice. Thank you Scroll for making me a superior writer, compassionate and curious person, and finally, a great time manager. Good luck Evelyn Kunde, the next dynamic and fun Sports Page editor, the time goes by before you know it.

KAYLEEN TANG

Graphics Editor

I had always wanted to join the Scroll, but freshman year-me found the Scroll - like many other things at the time - intimidating. It also didn’t help that I wasn’t exactly an English buff.

It wasn’t until the end of my freshman year that I finally conquered this minuscule fear and applied to be a graphics artist for the Scroll. Since then, I have produced over 35 different graphics for the Scroll, and I have grown immensely as an artist and person during this time. I am grateful that the Scroll provides space for artists like me to contribute creatively, and I am proud to be part of such an amazing board of people. Thank you to the Scroll for the wonderful experience!

NICO PFEIFLER

Buzz Editor

It may appear a waste to some to dedicate four years of your life to the least serious section of the Scroll. To that I say, those people have never experienced the true treasure that is Buzz. Every writer’s meeting trying to eke out funny anecdotes from the banal November weeks. Late nights in layout munching on Thai Blue Ginger and listening to Anna’s country music. Frenzied emails coaxing writers to put down even a couple of sentences in their Google docs. Maybe it wasn’t the most serious journalism on campus, but Buzz taught me not only how to create a compelling story out of seemingly everyday occurrences but also to collaborate with, manage, and mentor students on their writing journeys.

And as I love to state, Buzz is the most read section (we all saw the reaction to the cow-turf article written by my successor, John Comite). Yet as a two-year page editor, I have also seen the Scroll as a whole transform and evolve. For journalists all across the US, these last few years have been tumultuous, and what to publish and even the goal of newspapers themselves has been up for debate. Nevertheless, with its hundredth year completed and its next generation already manning the printing presses, I have no doubt that the Scroll will brave the storms that will inevitably assail its course. Good luck to the class of ’26, I know our paper is in good hands.