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. “
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D-E Finishes First in the State Ethics Bowl Championship
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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!
