The Experimentory Blog

Imagine: it's a hot, sticky day in late July. You've just finished a hike and you stop by a local ice cream stand on your way home. Stepping up to the window, you are amazed: they carry every flavor you can imagine -- and many you can't: Noni, Anise, Snozzberry Crunch (what's a snozzberry?). What do you choose? You wish you could try them all first before you decide.  Maybe you should just go...

The Experimentory at Deerfield Academy is more than a catalogue of summer course offerings. It is not just a schedule of field trips and activities. It is not a recreational club with buildings and fields reserved for afternoon activities. In fact, the Experimentory isn't really an "it" at all --it's a "we"-- a community of mentors and students. 

In today's video post, former Experimentory student Xander reflects on how his Experimentory teachers, Mr. Payne and Ms. Melvoin, encouraged his curiosity and challenged him to take academic risks. The result? He returned home knowing more about architecture, culture, group dynamics -- and himself. 

Aren’t valleys are wonderful? Cool swimming on a hot summer day. Farming in dark, fertile soil. Messing about in boats. It is no quirk of fate or whim that European immigrants settled Deerfield, MA in one.

Of course that’s the perspective of a Valley Dweller. When you live on a mountain, valleys are obstacles. And we all live on mountains – figuratively speaking.

You want a tree.

Trees are made of wood, right? So you stop by a lumber yard and purchase some 2x4's. An hour, a bottle of wood glue, and a whole lot of nails later, you have a trunk. Since trees stick out of the ground, you bury one end in dirt. After drilling a few holes and jamming in some broken broom handles, you have branches. Cut up newspapers form leaves; crinkled aluminum foil is...

Welcome to the Experimentory Blog! This post is a summary of who we are and what we do.

If you are just learning about the Experimentory for the first time: Welcome! This is a great place to get yourself oriented before you complete an application. Follow the green  links below to learn more about specific areas of interest.

If you are one of our regular readers: Welcome to you as well!! We...

Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! On this day, we announce, on behalf of the Experimentory Office...

Each year we provide tuition grants to facilitate some of our students' participation in the Experimentory. The deadline to apply for Financial Aid is March 15 -- one month away. Hence: a friendly reminder.

Some important details regarding Financial Aid:

Designing a city. Creating a short film inspired by the genius pioneers of French cinema. Building prototype garden capable of sustaining an astronaut on Mars. Understanding the values that make human civilization possible. These grand achievements all ring sadly hollow without friends to help, cheer, console and congratulate.

Our students depart our program each summer with new academic...

Deerfield is old. How old, you ask? Well, the US Constitution is older… but not by much. For an institution to last 221 years, it must evolve and adapt to changes in people, culture, and technology. But, perhaps just as importantly, it must also hold onto things that are good. Traditions are a way of preserving institutional culture to help us frame out activities and shape our identity.

“Our whole project is ruined!” Marcus was beside himself. It was the night before the final Experimentory Showcase. In less than 24 hours, they would be presenting their final projects to gathered friends, family, and faculty. And on this night of all nights, a teammate had inadvertently used a wrong power supply, frying the circuit board of an automated prop they’d spent a week building....