Faculty Spotlight: Middle School Counselor Chris DeFilippo

EMILY BELOWICH '11

Chris DeFilippo, otherwise known as Ms. D, started her journey here at Beaver eight years ago, while she was attending the graduate school at Boston College. While working here as an intern, students often asked, “Are you coming back next year?” Though Ms. D. was hesitant to answer that question, something about the kids here at Beaver sparked her interests and she began working as a full-time middle school counselor the subsequent fall. She says that even now, after being here for nine years in total, her favorite part about teaching at Beaver is the “relationships with the students that build over time.”

Growing up, Ms. D. moved from place to place. She lived with her younger brother, John, her younger sister, Mary, and her parents, Ann and Gene. Though she was born in Ohio, she also lived in Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and then finally settling in Massachusetts. She attended Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Kentucky and moved her senior year and attended Radnor High School in Radnor, Pennsylvania. Her favorite thing to do was to play basketball, and in her senior year she was recruited to play Division I basketball at Villanova University. Though basketball was a huge part of her teenage life, she also enjoyed being with her friends.

I was very curious to know what incited Ms. D’s interest in counseling. In an interview with her, she mentioned that moving from place to place was very hard for her, especially transitioning so quickly and making new friends. However, she noted that the teachers at the school, in particular one teacher, made the transition a lot easier for her. She noted that this one teacher always came to her basketball games, and always encouraged her to make new friends. She quickly learned from this experience that she wanted to be that person for other kids, that role model, that guide they could go to, and she also learned that she actually did enjoy being in a school setting.

Ms. D’s favorite foods are pizza and hamburgers, and she enjoys listening to all kinds of music including R&B. Her favorite television shows are Grey’s Anatomy, ESPN Sports Center, and The Hills. Her favorite movies include Meet the Parents, Wedding Crashers, ET, and all of the Tyler Perry movies. One thing that you may not know about Ms. D. is her love for the song “One Shining Moment.” This song is the written by David Barrett about the Men’s College Basketball Championship. It is played every year at the end of the championship game. She says, “Every year, I wait up until the end of the game to hear this song, and every single year, I cry.” This inspirational song is played while the winning team’s players cut down the nets, and while they feature highlights throughout the NCAA tournament.
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Talent Show looks to become a Beaver tradition

EMILY BELOWICH '11

On Thursday, November 15th, the Beaver student body packed into Bradley Hall to come to Beaver’s first annual Talent Show. Organized by members of student council, this talent show was admittedly an attempt to increase Beaver’s insufficient school spirit. Initially, the organizers for the show were concerned about the level of success the show would bring, primarily because not many people signed up. However, after the performances, freshman class treasurer Kirsten Gute said, “It went really well; it was really enjoyable to watch. We did an awesome job organizing this!” Beaver’s spirit was definitely raised as they watched peers, classmates, friends, and even a teacher, participate in a variety of different talents.

While the whole school attended, only upper school students partook in the show. Such talents varied from Nat Harrington ’10 chanting twelve lines from the Iliad, Aeneid, and the Odyssey, to Raina Jacques ’09, singing a beautiful version of I Know Who Holds Tomorrow. Theo Norton ’08 impressed the crowd with some neat yo-yo tricks, while Ben Jacobson ’09, Ben Patten ’09, and math teacher Kevin Bau rocked out on the bass and drums to The Beatles. During the show Bau comically stated that, although it was a student talent show, he felt like a “student of life.” Emcee Sam Packard ’08 got the crowd laughing with some jokes while students ran into technical difficulties.

In the end, however, Jeff Higgins ’08 walked away with a $100 Visa gift card for his outstanding piano composition entitled "Exceptional Life," dedicated to the memory of Alex Cohn ’07, who passed away last year. He also dedicated the song to other students from his old school, who died in the past few years. This talent show was a great success, and student council is looking forward to planning another one next year to start a Beaver tradition.

Image & video credit: Michael Firer '09
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