Housing survey open to Deerfield residents
DEERFIELD — Until March 16, Deerfield residents have the chance to make their voices heard on the future of housing in town through a 15-minute survey.
The survey is part of a collaboration between three Conway School of Landscape Design students and town employees to find avenues for easing housing development in Deerfield based on the town’s ecology, land diversity and resident input. In April, the students will provide recommendations to the town in a report.
Residents can pick up a hard copy of the survey at Deerfield Town Hall in Planning and Economic Development Coordinator Alexandria Galloway’s office or fill it out online at tinyurl.com/35thpx68.
“Participation will help us better understand residents’ housing needs and guide future planning efforts,” the announcement on the town website reads.
Deerfield Academy earns $125K grant to expand ‘the Framework’
DEERFIELD — Deerfield Academy was awarded a $125,000 grant in January from the Advisory Board of the Edward E. Ford Foundation to expand what is colloquially known as “the Framework,” a publication by Head of School John Austin outlining guiding principles for speech, inquiry and academic freedom at independent schools.
The grant marks the second award for this publication from the Edward E. Ford Foundation since the first in 2023.
“The purpose of the Framework is not to mandate a uniform approach to these complex issues — our schools are much too diverse for that — but to encourage conversation within school communities, offer a vehicle for institutional reflection and assessment, and provide an opportunity for shared understanding and consensus among various school constituencies and stakeholders,” reads the Deerfield Academy website.
Austin was the lead author and researcher on “Thriving in a World of Pluralistic Contention: A Framework for Schools.” Since its publication in May 2024, it has informed faculty learning and policy, and promoted constructive dialogue on school campuses, according to an announcement from Deerfield Academy.
“Curriculum structured around disagreement and divergent perspectives remain a civic, intellectual and developmental necessity for young people … fostering in them the time-tested values of respect for complexity, intellectual humility and open-mindedness,” Austin said in the announcement. “This grant will allow us to bring together leading educators and continue this essential work.”
Valley Neighbors awarded $10K grant
WHATELY — Valley Neighbors, a nonprofit that provides services and programs to Whately, Deerfield and Sunderland residents over 60 years old, has announced that it received a $10,000 state grant through LifePath to “strengthen community-based, neighbor-to-neighbor supports for older adults.”
With the funding, Valley Neighbors hopes to recruit more volunteers, especially those who are willing to drive their older neighbors to “essential errands” like medical appointments and shopping, according to Debra Carney, who serves on the Valley Neighbors board of directors. Besides rides, Valley Neighbors volunteers also check in with older residents over the phone and in person, and help with household tasks and technology.
Deerfield residents named to colleges’ dean’s lists
Deerfield residents Ella Hynds, a junior at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, and Elijah Phelps, a freshman at Saint Michael’s College in Vermont, each earned spots on their respective colleges’ dean’s lists for the fall semester.
At Dickinson College, Hynds, formerly a Deerfield Academy student, studies Spanish, Portuguese, biochemistry and molecular biology.
Phelps, a Frontier Regional School graduate, studies digital media and communications at Saint Michael’s College.