Fostering Innovation Within the Classroom and Beyond
The following pages describe how new ways of learning and teaching are underway at D-E, in all three divisions.
LS and MS Robotics Teams Finish Strong in Competition
This weekend, our Lower School (LS) and Middle School (MS) Robotics teams excelled at the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Regional Tournament in Clifton, NJ, earning numerous awards! Team Nitro (Grade 8) won the Robot Design Award and placed in the top third of teams in the...
MS Robotics Showcase Preps Teams for Competition
D-E Middle School (MS) Robotics Teams recently presented a Showcase for faculty/staff, families, and friends, in preparation for their first official competition. The four MS Teams Apex, Nitro, Quasar and Rex each took a turn highlighting the process and motivation...
D-E 360° ACE Chess and Robotics Tournament Highlights
Students in our D-E 360° Aftercare & Enrichment (ACE) programs—particularly our Chess and FIRST Lego League (FLL) Robotics teams—are off to a strong start! Earlier this month, we hosted the annual D-E Intersquad Chess Tournament in Hajjar Auditorium. Our Chess...
MS Robotics Team Hosts Pumpkin-Decorating Competition
As part of Spirit Week, and another chance to earn points for their grade, our 8th-grade Middle School (MS) Robotics Team planned a cross-divisional maker competition. MS and Upper School students used their creativity to decorate pumpkins in the Makerspace as one of...
MS Robotics Team Neutron Earns Innovation Recognition
This past weekend, D-E Middle School Robotics Team Neutron competed at the Menlo Park Mashup Invitational Tournament. The team placed 3rd in “Innovation Project” for their invention prototype, the LumiNet, which seeks to solve the problem of fishing waste. Their robot...
LS Robotics Attends FLL World Championship in Houston
Our Lower School Robotics Team Ocean Animals recently represented New Jersey at the First LEGO League World Championship in Houston. “At the Explore level, they joined 40 teams from around the world to showcase their LEGO models, posters, and ideas,” explains Lower...
Critical Mass US Robotics Team Now Headed to State
On Sunday, our Upper School (US) Robotics Teams, Critical Mass (Varsity) and Absolute Zero (JV), competed in the Bergen County League Tournament in Emerson, NJ. According to US Robotics Coach Chris Fleischl, in qualification matches, Critical Mass held a record of 4-1...
D-E Students Exemplify ‘Innovation in Action’ During the Engineering Challenge
Last week, the Upper School’s 3D-Engineering (3D-E) Club and the Imperatore Library co-hosted the annual Science Buddies Engineering Challenge at D-E in recognition of National Engineers Week. US/MS students participated in the project, which consisted of building a landing pad for a paper rocket, meant to emulate the design of a “rocket catcher” in the real world. Jackson Chang ’25, a 3D-E student leader, said this project “gives people–in a kid-friendly way–the opportunity to dabble in engineering design.”
Innovation Coordinator Colleen Larionoff, who facilitated the challenge for the MS students, remarked that these activities are a great example of “innovation in action” because they aren’t tied to a class, and this gives students more freedom to explore and make mistakes. Seventh grader Ken Escobar ’30, said he participated in the challenge because “I feel like it’s an opportunity for collaboration… and now that I’m immersed in it, it seems fun.”
US Robotics Teams Finish Strong @ Ramsey Meet!
Our Upper School Robotics Teams competed at their final regular season meet last weekend in Ramsey, NJ and by all accounts D-Emonstrated a great finish! Our Varsity team, Critical Mass (Team 207), held a record of 4-1. Our JV team, Absolute Zero (Team 13048),...
LS Robotics Teams Deep See, Ocean Animals Achieve Inaugural Success!
This weekend, the D-E360° FIRST LEGO League Explore robotics teams showcased their work at the Teki Explore Festival along with 30 teams from across the state. The season's theme was "Submerged," and students were challenged to identify a real-world problem related...










