In a string of announcements, clubs inform the dining hall when and where they will meet after sit-down, but then the microphone is passed down the line again as students realize the south bubble is triple booked, and the president of one club has to attend another club’s meeting at the same time.

In her convocation address, Dr. Curtis encouraged us all to take a moment to absorb the serenity of the Deerfield campus during autumn, take a moment for ourselves.

How are we supposed to hike to The Rock with that physics project or English paper looming over our heads? We should learn how to better cope with stress, right? We have counselors for support, so every day we can all take an hour to go tell her about what we aren’t doing while we are talking to them.

Students are overbooked. The end goal of high school for most students is college, so they are taking on heavy course loads, and they aren’t going to tell their teachers that their homework exceeds 45 minutes. No student wants to be the first to admit they are overwhelmed, and many are so accustomed to demanding commitments and classes that they believe stress is inevitable.

Faculty members are stressed as well, and, so far, Dr. Curtis’ speech about making time to relax and reflect seems like an impossible goal.
Whether it means saving students and faculty 20 minutes of changing into class dress for sit-down dinner three times a week, or enforcing the 45 minutes of homework rule, the school needs to take steps to lighten the load.