A longstanding D-E tradition, 25 years running(!), returned to the Lower School Gym last week with the Houses and Homes Assembly, where first graders, donning construction vests and hard hats, presented to D-E families the model dwellings they’d worked hard on for the past few weeks. The assembly was facilitated by First Grade Teachers Ms. Farrar, Ms. Fredricksen, and Ms. Muus. According to Ms. Farrar, the biggest challenge for first graders was learning “the 4 C’s”—Communication, Collaboration, Compromise, and Cooperation—while building their houses.

As in past years, each home represented a different continent, with the North American two-family home also designed as wheel-chair accessible for a fictional resident named Aarav. Students spoke enthusiastically about the features of their homes, gave fun facts about each region, and answered questions from kindergartners (who could look forward to this project next year) and second graders (who could reflect on their own Houses and Homes projects from last year). The assembly concluded with a heart-warming video of the students working on their projects, set to the song “Our House,” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Ms. Farrar, who got a bit choked up, remarked, “That part gets me every time.” Great work, first graders!