Service-learning is an integral aspect of meeting our D-E mission, and as aptly described by Debbie Rivera Murphy ’11, Dean of Student Life, “address[es] compelling societal needs and teach[es] our students why social issues matter for all of us, especially in an increasingly interconnected world.” In this section of D-E Today you’ll learn about how our students in all three divisions recently were encouraged to and then embraced service-learning in meaningful ways. This feature is the first of our anticipated, ongoing series on service-learning at D-E. Together with our “D-E Change Makers” feature introduced earlier this year, we aim to share more details about the School’s vision for D-E’s service learning program, highlighting examples of how the School creates opportunities for students to connect with our local community and empowers them to take action.

As every D-E student inevitably learns, our mission as a school is “to develop the skills, values, and courage to meet the challenges of a changing world and make it better.” As such, students in each division regularly participate in service-learning initiatives to further this goal.

Among the most well-known programs in the Lower School (LS) is Third Graders Making a Difference (TGMD), founded in 2014 by Third Grade Teacher Michelle Sussmann and co-led by Third Grade Teacher Rachel Brainin P ’23, ’25.

During the TGMD Assembly in May to celebrate these achievements, students spoke about their favorite charitable projects and provided thoughtful remarks such as, “You don’t have to be an adult to make a difference” and when people give back “failure is impossible.”

In the Middle School (MS), sixth graders participated in a service-learning program that includes planting a vegetable garden for the CFA in Englewood. This annual project is facilitated by Sixth Grade Dean and D-E In the Garden (DIG) Teacher Tasha Urbanowski P ’20, ’25. In April and May, sixth graders take several field trips to the CFA garden with their Advisories to help with transplanting, seeding, and planting until the entire garden has been sown. Students practice these skills in the school’s own Nettie Coit Teaching Garden.

The 2024-2025 cohort of third graders participated in numerous community events throughout the school year. These included: collecting 467 pairs of shoes for Soles4Souls; exercising to earn nutrition packs for needy families via Kid Power; collecting 399 pounds of candy for Soldiers’ Angels; accepting food donations for the Center for Food Action (CFA); playing Freerice, an educational trivia game for which every correct answer raises 10 grains of rice for the World Food Programme; gathering PJs for the Pajama Program; coloring drawings for Color A Smile; donating items to the Bergen Family Center (BFC); making 612 origami “The Class of 2020 initiated this project when they were sixth graders,” explained Ms. Urbanowski. “We began by planting one bed of vegetables in one of the City of Englewood community gardens, and the positive response from CFA clients was so strong that we expanded our work—returning to the CFA every year to build raised beds… to plant garlic and potatoes brought from our school garden and, later, to put in seedlings started in the Lagana greenhouse.” Ms. Urbanowski added the CFA vegetable garden has grown so much that it now provides up to 600 pounds of produce to families in need, and our sixth graders have been instrumental in making this happen!

In the last few years, D-E Upper School (US) students in the Garden Club have also been volunteering at the CFA garden in the summer. As Ms. Urbanowski summarizes: “This longstanding relationship and beautiful tradition is a prime example of our mission in action— through our work at the CFA, we come to better understand our neighbors and the challenges our community faces, and we reach out to make a positive change through hands-on engagement.” doves, representing world peace; researching the impact plastics have on the planet; and organizing a gently used book sale, for which students raised $3,171—a school record for this project—with proceeds benefiting the Ronald McDonald House, a charity that third graders voted on (any unsold books were donated to a primary school in Kenya).

Eighth graders also did their share of community service this year by volunteering for the BFC, Meals on Wheels North Jersey, Teaneck Creek Conservancy, and Tenafly Nature Center (TNC). “A big reason we do multiple locations for service is to allow students to have a choice in where and how they volunteer,” noted Eighth Grade Dean Alison Miller P ’28.

Aria S. ’29, whose group went to TNC, said she learned that invasive species of plants harm the local vegetation, which can disrupt the ecosystem. “Some memorable moments were when [my classmates and I] showed each other the plants that we found,” said Aria. “We gave back to the community and had fun!”

“Working with the seniors [at the BFC] was one of the most fun ways I’ve ever volunteered,” said Ava M. ’29. “The environment was filled with kindness that radiated through everyone’s faces and attitudes… It was also rewarding knowing that I helped make their day a little brighter and the community that much stronger.”

There is also no shortage of service-learning opportunities in the US. As is noted in the Arts section of this issue of D-E Today (see Page 10), US clubs such as HOPE: Fashion with a Purpose and Art in Action are dedicated to our core value of community. Another example is D-E Fights Against Cancer (D-EFAC), which this year hosted a March Madness Basketball battle and fundraiser that raised $1,834 for CancerCare.

Service trips in the US are facilitated by Dean of Student Life Debbie Rivera Murphy ’11, who compiles community-service opportunities and tracks students’ service hours required for graduation. At the end of the school year, ninth graders took service trips to the Teaneck Creek Conservancy and the Mahwah Environmental Volunteers Organization (MEVO) farm.

Ninth Grade Dean Dylan Bryant, who chaperoned the MEVO trip, said students learned about the importance of sustainability and gained a better understanding of the journey food takes from the farm to the grocery store. “Many students commented afterward that the experience was eye-opening and more rewarding than they expected,” he said. “It was a great opportunity for hands-on learning, teamwork, and stepping outside their comfort zones.”

“MEVO is here to encourage and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards and leaders,” said MEVO Executive Director Violet Reed. “Through serving at our farm, students learn about the immense effort that goes into producing produce and what ecological farming looks like. We are so grateful for their help—running our farms takes a village!” And we’re proud of our Bulldogs for making it better!