When it comes to environmental awareness, it is students who are taking initiatives. The role of environmental proctor is shaping up to be a competitive leadership position, and student-led organizations such as the Environmental Club and the Environmental Stewardship Advisory Committee are doing what they can to promote small lifestyle changes within our community.

However, where is a grand, school-wide initiative that we can all unite behind? Where does the interest of alumni, the Board of Trustees, and the administration lie? From Admissions’ thoughtless printing of huge single-sided packets, to the waste of energy in academy buildings that could be lessened by simply turning down the temperature by two degrees, the Powers-That-Be of Deerfield Academy aren’t setting a very good example.

Deerfield Academy often finds itself torn between its devotion to tradition and the need for change. We try to cast a favorable light upon the fact that often we are among the last of our peer boarding schools to embrace a new trend (coeducation, etc.), claiming that a conservative approach gives us time to make a safe decision that analyzes the risks of others.

We may call this method “safe,” but it also means that we are being timid and, sometimes, indifferent. If this Academy wants to produce leaders of our generation, where are the lessons in initiative and risk?