This fall, Head of School Dr. Rodney De Jarnett hosted a special Zoom assembly presentation for Middle and Upper School students with the best-selling author Ozan Varol (Think Like a Rocket Scientist).
All parents/guardians of D-E students were also invited and encouraged to attend.
On the right are excerpts from a letter sent by Dr. De Jarnett to introduce Varol to our community prior to this memorable virtual gathering.
To learn more about Ozan Varol and his book, Think Like a Rocket Scientist, visit www.ozanvarol.com

An Excerpt of a Letter from Head of School Dr. De Jarnett introducing Ozan Varol
An Excerpt of a Letter from Head of School Dr. De Jarnett introducing Ozan Varol
“… always looking for inspiration and new ideas when life and work are especially challenging, I have found Ozan Varol’s book to be one of the best books I have read of late.
So who is this author Ozan Varol? Borrowing from various online resources including his website page (ozanvarol.com/about), he IS (actually) “a rocket scientist, award-winning law professor, and author of non-fiction books. A native of Istanbul, Turkey, Ozan grew up in a family of no English speakers. He moved to the US by himself at 17 to attend Cornell University and major in planetary sciences. While there, he served on the operations team for the 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers project that sent two rovers to Mars. He later became a law professor to influence others to make interplanetary leaps on this planet. Varol has written numerous award-winning articles that are taught in colleges and graduate schools. His work has been featured in domestic and foreign media, including BBC, Time, CNN, Washington Post, Slate, and Foreign Policy.”
It’s worth pointing out too that reviewers and fellow authors of note — including Dan Pink (A Whole New Mind) , Adam Grant (Think Again) and Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point) — all have also raved about Varol’s book. “
Jazz Rock Spring Show on April 17
Jazz Rock, directed by our legendary Mr. Rob DeBellis and with vocal coordination by Mr. Kenneth Kacmar, hit another one out of the park with its Spring Show this morning in Schenck Auditorium! An enthusiastic crowd cheered, hooted, and clapped along to a dozen...
Swartley Gallery LS “High Five” Closing Reception
Art-tastic! The Swartley Gallery displayed multimedia work from our Lower School art students as part of the “Keep the High Five Alive” showcase, curated by Ms. Christine Hanaway Maloney. First graders experimented with colors and patterns by painting squares...
HOPE Fashion Show 2025 a Whimsical, Wonderful Success!
The annual HOPE Fashion Show, with its whimsical fairy tale theme, was a tremendous success on multiple levels, from being a cross-divisional learning opportunity and a creative example of our mission in action to benefiting a wonderful cause, the Limb Kind...
D-E Attends Ethics Bowl Championships @ UNC Chapel Hill
Way to go! Our Ethics Bowl Team made D-E history by coming in 6th place at the National Championship last weekend at UNC Chapel Hill. They competed against high schools from across the country, including Canyon Crest Academy in California, All Saints Academy in...
The Play’s the Thing: 8th Grade Shakespeare Workshop Highlights
What’s in a name? This week D-E 8th graders got a closer look at the Bard’s famous tragedy about star-crossed lovers after the cast of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s Shakespeare LIVE! performed Romeo & Juliet for students in Schenck Auditorium, followed...
Orchestra Extravaganza Concert is Friday, April 25
Save the date! On Friday, April 25, D-E Performing Arts Department’s annual Orchestra Extravaganza Concert is set to perform. Rehearsals are underway with D-Edicated guidance from our Music Department faculty; student musicians from all three divisions will be...
Congrats Gabe Feldman ‘25: 200 Career Points in Boys’ Lax!
CHEERS and congratulations to senior Gabe Feldman ‘25 for scoring his 200th Career Points mark earlier this week! Gabe currently has earned an amazing 108 goals and 94 assists for D-E Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse! Way to go Gabe! GO BULLDOGS!!!
D-E Varsity Baseball named Team of the Week!
WOW and WAY TO GO D-E Varsity Baseball! After a week of voting, the Bulldogs were recently named as “North Jersey Team of the Week”! The Bulldogs earned this nod thanks to the results of an outstanding 4-0 week and outscoring their opponents 34-5! Go D-E Varsity...
DEIB Cultural Showcase 2025 Highlights
Bravo! D-E’s Affinity groups shined bright during our Second Annual Cultural Showcase! Dynamic live musical, dance, choral performances and videos from the Black, Chinese, Latino, South Asian, Korean and LGBTQ+ communities kept the audience in Schenck Auditorium...
Congrats Dani Weiss ‘25: 100 Career Goals for D-E Girls’ Lax!!!
WOW & Congrats to senior Dani Weiss’ 25, for scoring her 100th career goal for the Bulldogs! Dani netted her 100th career goal in the Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse win earlier this week AND topped the school record for goals in a game – with 10. Dani previously held the...