This morning’s Upper School Assembly, organized by Environmental Club leaders Kelly Chu ’25, Radha Munver ’25, Len Glozman ’25, and Alex Sheffield ’26, focused on finding jobs in the field of environmental science and sustainability. Len warmed up the audience with a trivia game, with questions such as when is Earth Day (April 22!). This led into a video featuring former leaders of the Environmental Club, Clement Wong ’15 (a PhD candidate in engineering at the University of Michigan) and Will Greenbaum ’09 (Director of Solutions & Operations at Optiwatt), who discussed their paths to jobs in clean energy. Radha and Alex then moderated a live panel interview with Michelle Aboodi ’12, Senior Manager of Sustainability, Data, & Materials Operations at Decker Brands, and Stephen Wiessner, Executive Director at Flat Rock Brook, a nature preserve in Englewood. When asked about “fast fashion,” which refers to rapidly produced goods that prioritize quantity over quality, Ms. Aboodi said this trend “by design is not sustainable” and “does more harm than good.” Mr. Wiessner spoke about his passion for environmental work, remarking that it’s important to follow your heart when deciding on a career. “It’s a meaningful thing to enjoy your work… and to find something that has value and changes the world,” he shared.

The growth of D-E 360°’s chess community over the past year has been incredible. Earlier this spring, D-E hosted the first-ever ChessFest on Sunday, April 27, facilitated by Grandmaster Mackenzie “Mac” Molner, who coaches the Chess Team. Overall, we placed first out of four teams in the K-2 division, first in the Grades 3-5 division out of seven teams, and second out of two teams in Grades 6-8. Team members Arthur P. ’36, Oliver Y. ’36, and Justine B. ’29 also won individual prizes. “Our students represented D-E very well, and for a lot of them it was their first time playing in a tournament,” says Coach Mac.
In addition, for the first time in program history, the Chess Team will represent D-E in the US Chess Federation’s SuperNationals VIII Tournament in Orlando, Florida, from May 9-11. “The SuperNationals only take place once every four years, so it’s super special that we have 10 students signed up to go,” says D-E 360° Director Dr. Sherronda Brown. “We’re proud to see these young people challenge themselves to become adaptable, confident and joyful learners. Join us in celebrating and wishing them well!”

Upper School World Language Teacher Hailing Zhao’s Mandarin students recently embarked on an exciting field trip to Flushing, NY, to bring their language learning to life. “With the goal of applying their classroom knowledge in real-world settings, students participated in a scavenger hunt at a Chinese supermarket, interviewed native speakers, and practiced ordering food and drinks—all in Chinese!,” says Ms. Zhao. “The trip culminated in a traditional hot pot meal, where students enjoyed authentic dishes while watching two unforgettable cultural performances—the mesmerizing face-changing art of Bian Lian and an energetic noodle dance, where performers skillfully prepared our noodles while flying them through the air.”