Theme: Paper Tigers

This is the 8th annual TEDxDeerfield event, held at Deerfield Academy. This event is free for anyone who can attend. The theme of this year’s event is Paper Tigers, where we take a deeper look into ideas worth sharing to pull out their essence. Things might not always be as scary as they seem!

We have 12 speakers, 7 Deerfield students, 2 Deerfield faculty, and 3 outside speakers.

Elizabeth Wachsmann Concert Hall
Deerfield Academy
Deerfield, Massachusetts, 01342
United States

Anna Cheniuntai

Entrepreneur

Anna Cheniuntai is a technological innovator with a Bachelor's Degree in Space Physics and an entrepreneur ideology. Her company disrupts the construction industry by developing proprietary technology to 3D print full-scale buildings. The technology was used to construct the largest 3D printed building on Earth that holds the Guinness World Record and receive the top awards on NASA's 3D Printed Habitat Challenge.

Anna Pikarska

Author, Musician

Anna Pikarska is a senior in Deerfield Academy and an incoming freshman at a Stanford University from Ukraine. She spent 10 years studying in a Ukrainian music school from the age of five. Last summer, she wrote and illustrated a book about piano improvisation for children which was officially published by a well-known Ukrainian publishing house called “Krok”. The idea behind writing this book was to develop a different approach to piano education that would potentially keep children more engaged and increase their level of understanding of music as a whole.

Avery Zakowich

Activist

Avery is a freshman at Deerfield Academy. Her experience with tourettes has shaped her worldview and encourages others to empower themselves against the stigmatization of tourettes and other nuero-divergent conditions.

Carson Belaire

Student

Carson Belaire is a junior at Deerfield Academy. He has spent the majority of his life in Saudi Arabia, and has had a multitude of life experiences from the fast paced nature that his early life had. Nowadays, Carson is a prominent student musician and figurehead for his school where his personal philosophy shines through in all his actions.

Ellie Atherton

Author, Hospice Nurse

Ellie Atherton is a registered nurse with a long history of caring for people who are nearing the end of their lives. In the 1990s, she worked with many as an herbalist, helping them to discover ways to find comfort. She quickly discovered the dying had valuable life lessons to share and that the more we understand about death, the less we fear facing it. Ellie can often be found speaking to civic groups and organizations about what she learned from the only real experts on the subject—the dying. She is the author of several books based on true patient stories intended to help demystify the dying experience. Her books have already helped many readers to better understand dying and have less fear of the final stages of life.

Hannah Horner

Activist

Hannah is a freshman at Deerfield Academy. Her experience with tourettes has shaped her worldview and encourages others to empower themselves against the stigmatization of tourettes and other nuero-divergent conditions.

Kevin Kim

Activist, Student

Kevin Kim is from Los Angeles, CA and is attending Deerfield Academy as a junior. As an influencer of his community, Kevin is very adamant about changing his community for the better, both in Koreatown (CA) and in Deerfield (MA). Since 2018, Kevin has been working on solving the Opioid Crisis in his hometown with several local organizations such as the KYCC, and national organizations such as the DEA.He aspires to impact the country and some day the world in a positive way.

Mac Wang

Tarot Card Enthusiast

Mac is a freshman at Deerfield Academy. As a high school student, he's explored the multitude of associations that tarot cards have within secular and occult settings in order to gain insight into his life. His explorations in their meanings and how they've affected his own life and those of others is innumerable.

Mark Teutsch

Biologist, Educator

With belief that identity is greater than sum of our ancestry and experiences, and that our collective actions nurture the identity of children, my name is Mark Teutsch. Today my gratitude goes to my father and mother. Professionally, pedigrees provide purpose to ponder. I seek meaning from lessons I received by Carl Woese, who learned of chemistry and nature from Helen Childs Boyden, at Deerfield Academy.

Sam Leitermann-Long

Mathematician, Educator

Sam Leitermann-Long is a mathematician and teacher who is currently a faculty member of Deerfield Academy. His background is in mathematics and mathematics education, with specific concentrations in abstract algebra and research-informed education. Sam is fascinated in the growing realm of knowledge on how the brain works, and the effects of the modern world on our ability to process and consume information. He currently holds a position on the faculty of the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning in Potomac, MD, where he works with teachers to develop their use of research in the classroom. In this talk he hopes to share his thoughts on the powerful influence of algorithms on human society and consider the implications of their role in an increasingly digital world.

Sara Schley

Author, Activist

Sara Schley is a force of nature. Smart, thoughtful, bold, she works fearlessly to better the environment and make the world a kinder, more loving place. A tremendous writer as well as an engaging speaker, Sara is unafraid to share both her triumphs and her failures in order to help people and the planet heal.

Sophia Burke

Activist

Sophia Burke is a junior at Deerfield Academy. As someone has been affected by trichotillomania, Sophia has a unique outlook on how compulsive behavioural disorders shape the lives of those affected and associated to those with these disorders. She is also the captain of her school's wrestling team and spearheads multiple political clubs on campus.

Thomas Harrick

Tech Enthusiast, Student

Thomas Harrick is a student who has been interested in technology throughout his life. Originally from Silicon Valley, he has had the opportunity of working with various technology companies, start-ups, and non-profits, learning about the history of technology and the roadmap of where it's going next. He is also, admittedly, a dog person, while albeit not having any pets of his own.