Seniors Reflect on Derryfield
The class of 2017 during their retreat back in August 2016. Photographed by Annie Branch
For students at Derryfield, school is their home away from home. As the senior class prepares to graduate, we sat down to see what their futures hold and to reflect on their past years at Derryfield, from their most embarrassing moments to the things that make Derryfield stand out.
We interviewed three senior girls: Tyler Crews ’17, Cecelia Templeton ’17, and Sophie Tarpey ’17. The three have chosen very different paths for their futures - Crews is planning to major in Women and Gender Studies combined with religious studies at NYU; Templeton is thinking of majoring in Neuroscience and possibly minoring in Psychology; and Tarpey is preparing to join the military, with West Point as her top college choice.
We asked Tarpey what she thinks will be in store for her over the next ten years, and how she thinks her path for the future would be different if she had not attended Derryfield. Tarpey responds, “In ten years I know I’ll be in the army, and I know I would not have even thought of it if I had not come to Derryfield.” She went on to discuss how Mr. Barnard, Derryfield’s Director of College Counseling and Outreach, had given her the idea. She had told him of her interest in joining the FBI, and he mentioned that a lot of people go through the military beforehand. Tarpey has a long list of things she’ll remember about Derryfield after leaving, she told us. A couple of things/people she mentioned were her “second mother, Ms. Perkins,” friends, and Mr. Holland. But most of all, she says, she will remember “my life at Derryfield, [and] how grateful I am for Derryfield.”
All of these seniors expressed their gratitude and love for Derryfield. Templeton expressed her thankfulness for the valuable lessons Derryfield has taught her when asked what she learned from her most difficult experience at Derryfield: “The times when homework gets really overwhelming...it wasn’t bad. It was a lot of work...because of that, I learned how to work through the stress,” she says.
Crews advised underclassmen and middle schoolers to do just that. “Learn how to do your homework,” she says, “and make effective use of the time you have.”
All in all, seniors this year have expressed their thankfulness for Derryfield as a whole - showing their gratitude for its caring environment, as well as the wide range of lessons that Derryfield has taught them.
Thank you, Derryfield!
Grace Valashinas and Olivia Kim are both currently members of the class of 2022. They are frequent contributors to Lamplighter.
If you are interested in becoming a staff writer, contributor, or guest writer for Lamplighter please reach out to either our Editor-in-Chief Anja Stadelmann '17 or our Management editor Richard Tarpey '17. Their contact information can be found in our 'Meet The Staff' section of our website.