During our Annual Upper School (US) Farewell & Awards Assembly, school publications were commemorated, student awards were announced, and we bid adieu to several important members of the US community. In her opening remarks, US Principal Ms. Lalli noted, “The purpose of our time together this morning is to honor a number of milestones and conclusions.”
The current editors of Calliope, D-E’s award-winning arts/literary magazine, and Parnassus, our foreign language magazine, acknowledged students whose submitted work was exceptional and announced next year’s editors.
Meanwhile, the editors-in-chief of the student newspaper, Spectrum, spoke about how this work “reflects diversity of thought” and “through these experiences, we were able to see the magic of the D-E community.” Editors also announced next year’s editors in addition to presenting the latest print issue to Ms. Kim Lalli and Ms. Debbie Rivera Murphy ’11, Dean of Student Life. Issues of the 2026 Carpe Diem Yearbook and both magazines will be available to students later this year.
Ms. Lalli returned to the stage to present several awards, and then outgoing Student Body President Max Koppelman ’26 imparted hopes for others to “lead with kindness” and “embrace mistakes” before passing the metaphorical baton to Sebastian Chang ‘27, who urged his peers to “leave things better than how we found them.”
Finally, farewell tributes were given to beloved US Science Teacher Ms. Shefali Nefdt; US English Teacher Mr. Fred Daly, who in his 31 years at D-E “never approached teaching in a conventional way” and “left a lasting mark on our school”; and US English Teacher Ms. Diane Christian, who joined D-E in 1989 and whose “legacy will live on.” Ms. Lalli gifted these departing faculty with books she hoped they’d enjoy.
We wish them all the best in their next chapters!
