Celebrating Lunar New Year 2025 at D-E
D-E celebrated Lunar New Year, the Year of the Snake, with a series of incredible events over the course of the week, including a faculty and staff luncheon, Lower School activity stations, and Middle and Upper School Assembly programs featuring a dragon dance, an all-division choral concert, an umbrella dance, and a pop-influenced vocal group consisting of Mandarin class seniors. Activities concluded with a dumpling-making demonstration in the Wharton Lessin Dining Hall as well as craft stations for students, faculty, and staff to explore. Katie Chen ’26 and Oriana Huang ’26 were at a station to translate fortunes written in Mandarin. “Lunar New Year is a huge part of our Chinese culture,” says Katie. Oriana added, “It was fun to see our classmates experience this [important] tradition together with us… a tradition that we have grown up with and have known all our lives.” Happy Lunar New Year to the entire D-E community!
D-E Finishes First in the State Ethics Bowl Championship
We’re thrilled to announce that D-E’s Ethics Bowl Team are State Champions! At the New Jersey High School Ethics Bowl, hosted by Middlesex College on Saturday, Jan. 25, students debated real-world ethical issues. Our D-E Team, advised by Philosophy and Ethics Department Chair Mr. Joseph Murphy, will proceed to the Northeastern Division on Saturday, Feb. 15. Baptiste Louis ’25, a senior leader on the team, says, “The Ethics Bowl is a very special kind of competition…it emphasizes calm, nuanced, and good-faith discussions on issues. You are not working to tear another team down; rather, you are competing to show that you can add most effectively to an ethical debate.” Team leader Reya Shah ’27 adds that the most challenging part was “shifting our perspective on a scenario to move beyond our own viewpoint and find solutions that promote the morality of our greater global community.” Mr. Murphy concurs: “All of this is in the spirit of ‘cooperative competition.’” Congratulations to this remarkable team!
D-E Model UN Racks Up the Wins at YMUN 2025
D-E’s Model UN (D-EMUN) club had an incredibly successful trip to this year’s Yale Model UN (YMUN 2025) Conference, from Jan. 23-26—winning 13 individual awards and the award of Best Large Delegation! YMUN is among the most prestigeous Model UN conferences, bringing together thousands of high school delegates from across the globe to simulate the work of the United Nations. D-E was represented by 20 delegates that were subdivided into committees. “At YMUN, I got to participate in my first ever crisis committee,” says D-EMUN club member Hayley Fuld ’26. “My experience in crisis—from making countless speeches every committee session to working on how to solve the current topic—has taught me so much about working with others and instilled a sense of confidence for how I can perform under pressure!” Way to go D-EMUN and we’re SO proud of all our D-Elegates!
Chinese Family Affinity Group Hosts Lunar New Year Faculty/Staff Appreciation Lunch
Parent/guardian volunteers in our Chinese Family Affinity Group recently transformed Hajjar Auditorium into a lovely Lunar New Year celebration for our faculty and staff! This annual appreciation luncheon held up to tradition with amazing authentic tastes and happy...
D-E Students Prep for the US Lunar New Year Assembly
D-E student performers are hard at work preparing for our Lunar New Year Assembly programs later this week in Schenck Auditorium! Hosted by the East Asian Affinity group, along with the Chinese and Korean Culture clubs, this event will feature choreographed dancing...
D-E 360°’s Fencing Program Provides Opportunities for Advancement
En garde! Earlier this year D-E 360°’s Afterschool Programming Team (ACE) hosted a fencing demo in the Lower School, which was a big hit with our youngest Bulldogs. D-E partners with the Manhattan Fencing Center to offer classes in the LS gym. Registration for the 2024-2025 academic year began this month for students in grades 1-8; however, admission is rolling, so it isn’t too late to register. Student fencers practice on Tuesdays (Beginner, from 4 PM to 5 PM; and Advanced, from 5 PM to 6 PM). “[Fencing] is a gateway to personal growth, new experiences, and lifelong friendships,” says Ms. Julia Gelman, Executive Director for Manhattan Fencing. “Through this program, children can travel to competitions, challenge themselves in exciting new ways, and achieve their fitness, academic, and athletic goals.” Our current students’ enthusiasm for the activity is a testament to this mission. “This is awesome–I love this!” says Cedrick K. ’36, a first grader in the program.
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...
PsychD-E Club Conducts a Phantom Limb Experiment
The brain is a powerful thing! The PsychD-E club, advised by Human Development Chair Dr. Daniel Carragher, held a psychology experiment in the STEM Center, based on the phantom limb theory, the sensation and perception of amputees that their missing limb is still...
BRAVO! A D-Elightful “Shaking It Up With Shakespeare”Concert
A full house was on hand for “Shaking It Up with Shakespeare”, a D-Elightful live concert featuring our Lower School Chorus and Middle School Chorus and Show Choir ensembles. From sonnet snippets and songs based on Shakespeare’s tragedies, comedies, and history-based...
The Spirit of Dr. King Inspires Community and Acts of Service at D-E
All divisions at D-E came together the week of Jan. 20 to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As an act of service, students enrolled in D-E 360°’s ACE program wrote letters of gratitude to U.S. service men and women, veterans, and first responders as part of Operation Gratitude. In addition, the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools, respectively, held assemblies dedicated to honoring MLK. LS students shared what they learned from the book Say Something! by Peter H. Reynolds and what they did to make the world a bit better. Meanwhile, US students enjoyed two performances by renowned jazz violinist Kersten Stevens and heard from local artist Philip Smallwood, whose painting “A Life of Service” was on display. The work celebrates the life and contributions of Bergen County resident Dr. Theodora Lacey, a friend of Dr. King and a Civil Rights activist in her own right. Mr. Smallwood gave parting words to students that “Everybody possesses greatness… I believe in you.”