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Spiritual
Life

Spiritual Life at Deerfield Academy is a shared endeavor by many. Spirituality is defined as the holistic and systematic development of a contemplative and attentive life, steeped in appropriate disciplines and self-implicating discernment.  

Deerfield Academy embraces the right of every child, of every young adult, of every person, to pursue a life of meaning in the context of a community of learners. Nationally, the Collaborative for Spirituality in Education (CSE), housed at Teachers College, Columbia University, has recognized Deerfield Academy as one of the 21 highly successful schools of having a culture that is spiritually supportive for the moral and spiritual formation of our students. In partnership with the CSE, we promote dispositions of awareness, belonging, and connectedness in the self and toward the other.  
 
We place great importance on the the spiritual lives of Deerfield Academy students and we give room for their spirituality to grow.
 
Students and adults in the Deerfield Academy community contribute their time and wisdom to support a litany of curiosities and faith pursuits. The Dean of Spiritual and Ethical Life serves Deerfield Academy to support the holistic spiritual formation of students.
 
Our tapestry is rich in color, with a variety of contributing weavers, on one loom, which is represented in the mission we carry forward and deliver to Deerfield Academy students and to families: Connectedness. Reflection. Balance. Creative Minds. Strong Moral Character. Self-Understanding. The classic Greek Delphic maxim: Gnothi Seauton: “Know Thyself.” We stand beside our students in their pursuit of a life of meaning.
 
Please contact the Dean of Spiritual and Ethical Life at your convenience and for any reason.
 
Jan R. Flaska, M.Ed, M.Div. D.Min
Dean of Spiritual and Ethical Life

Religious Observances Calender


Deerfield Academy 2024 – 25 School Year

Cultural/Religious Observances

Fall Term
Sept 15-16: Mawlid al-Nabi (Islam)
Oct 2-4: Rosh Hashanah (Judaism)
Oct 3-12: Navaratri (Hindu)
Oct 11-12: Yom Kippur (Judaism)
Oct 16-23: Sukkot (Judaism)
Oct 23-25: Shemini Atzeret (Judaism)
Oct 24-25: Simchat Torah (Judaism)
Nov 1: Diwali (Hindu)

Winter Term
Dec 8: Bodhi Day (Buddhism)
Jan 7: Christmas (Orthodox Christian)
Jan 12-13: Tu B’shevat (Judaism)
Feb 5: Ash Wednesday (Christian)
Feb 26: Maha Shivaratri (Hindu)
Feb 26-27: Lailat al Miraj (Islam)
Feb 28 – Mar 30: Ramadan (Islam)

Spring Term
Mar 30-31: Eid al-Fitr (Islam) * date may vary
Apr 12-20: Pesach (Judaism)
Apr 13: Palm Sunday (Christian)
Apr 20: Easter (Christian)
Apr 20: Pascha (Orthodox Christian)
Apr 23-24: Yom Ha’shoah (Judaism)
May 5: Buddha’s Birthday (Buddhism)

Writings and Speeches

by the Dean of Spiritual and Ethical Life

Local Community Members

  • Kanji Ruhl (SKR) – Buddhist
  • Benjamin Weiner (JCA – About) – Jewish
  • Omar Abdelaal (HM) – Muslim

The Deerfield Academy Student Spiritual Council

  • Abdullah Ali ’25
  • Lottie Levine ’25
  • Tyler Christopher Long ’26
  • Alana McDonough ’27
  • Tene Ouedraogo ’25
  • David Peirce ’25

Alliances

  • Asian Student Alliance
  • Christian Fellowship
  • Deerfield Youth Fellowship
  • Jewish Student Alliance
  • Muslim Student Alliance

Sacred Spiritual Texts Available to Students

Bible
Qur'an
Torah

Calendar of Events

  • Sundays, 9:00 am — Hess 213
    Deerfield Academy Youth Fellowship
  • Sundays, 9:30 am — MSB
    First Baptist Church of Amherst
  • Sundays, 6:30 pm — Dining Hall
    Singing of the Deerfield Evensong
  • Wednesdays, 6:30 pm — Hess 123
    Muslim Student Alliance
  • Wednesdays, 6:45 pm — Library
    Christian Fellowship

Religious Observances Calendar

Deerfield Academy 2023 – 24 Spring Term:
Cultural/Religious Observances

As curricular, cocurricular, and other related plans are scheduled for the Deerfield Academy community, including student assessments, please be attentive to the observances listed below. This list is not exhaustive. Please allow it to serve as a reminder of the many geographic and spiritual locations from where our community members originate.

Please contact Jan Flaska (jflaska@deerfield.edu) with any questions. Source: Williams College 2023 – 2024 Multi-faith Religious Calendar

  • Mar. 9 – Apr. 9 — Ramadan begins (Islam)
  • Mar. 23 – Mar. 24 — Purim (Judaism)
  • Mar. 25  — Holi – Festival of Colors (Hinduism)
  • Mar. 24 — Palm Sunday (Christianity – RC, P)
  • Mar. 29 — Good Friday (Christianity – RC, P)
  • Mar. 31 — Easter (Christianity – RC, P)
  • Apr. 9 — Navarātrī (Hinduism)
  • Apr. 9 – Apr. 10 (likely) — Eid al-Fitr (Islam)
  • Apr. 22 – Apr. 30 — Pesach/Passover (Judaism)
  • Apr. 28 — Palm Sunday (Christianity – O)
  • May 3 — Holy Friday (Christianity – O)
  • May 5 — Easter/Pascha (Christianity – O)
  • May 5 – May 6 — Yom HaSho’ah (Judaism)

Our Partners

Local Communities

  • Hampshire Mosque – Hadley (HM)
  • First Baptist Church – Amherst (FBCA)
  • Holy Family Parish – South Deerfield (HF)
  • Jewish Community of Amherst (JCA)
  • Temple Israel – Greenfield (TI-G)
 
 
 

National Organizations

  • Council for Spiritual and Ethical Education (CSEE)
  • Collaborative for Spirituality in Education (CSE)
  • Memorial Scrolls Trust (MST) is the foundation that chose the Academy to be stewards of the Torah in the Archives 
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NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS: Deerfield Academy admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

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