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. “
Making Beautiful Music Together: Chelsea Knox, Met Opera Principal Flutist Visits D-E
D-E music students recently had the unique privilege of a visit and related master class from Chelsea Knox, principal flutist of the Metropolitan Opera! Rebecca Steinberg, D-E Music Dept. Faculty, who arranged this thanks to a longtime personal connection with Ms....
DogPound Update 2/6/25 / Spotlight on MS Sports Teams
This week’s DogPound Update spotlights our Middle School (MS) Girls’ Basketball Team, who this season have excelled at teamwork! They’re coached by English Department Chair Jeremy Meserole and MS Dean James Aitken, who give us an update on their achievements. GO...
Middle School Mathletes Host “Math Counts” Event
On Saturday, February 1, D-E hosted and participated in the MathCounts Bergen/Hudson Chapter Competition. More than 200 middle school students from over 20 schools converged on the D-E campus and took part. “The competition consists of multiple rounds, with students...
Club Être Field Trip Inspires Future Legal Leaders
D-E’s Club Être recently took a field trip to Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates, a law firm in New York City. “The goal of this field trip was to provide girls with an opportunity to explore their interests in law and hear from mentors who...
MS News & Creative Writing Discovery Classes Explore “Above Ground” Exhibit
Two of our Middle School Discovery Classes on “In the News and Creative Writing” recently visited the exhibit “Above Ground: Art from the Martin Wong Graffiti Collection” at the Museum of the City of New York. Throughout their gallery tour, students were greeted with...
6th Grade Identity Unit Reflects D-E’s Diversity
The sixth grade Identity Unit, for which the theme was how we are what we eat, culminated recently with a presentation in Hajjar Auditorium and a food festival in the Wharton Lessin Dining Hall. More than 30 tables displayed sweets, savories, and beverages, from Indian samosas to Puerto Rican coquito, representing students’ cultures and family traditions. “Every student had a role in the celebration, including reading parts of their work, sharing the process, or showcasing part of their project,” says Ms. Sarah Macone, Grade 6 English Teacher. Cayla R. ’31 says the English project was her favorite because, “I wrote about how my grandma had taught me how to make matzah ball soup and how we have made it together every Passover for as long as I can remember.” Of the unit, Cole M-H. ’31 says, “It was surprising how many cultures and ethnicities we have at D-E, yet we all work together as one collective community.” Cheers to all our sixth graders!
US Robotics Teams Finish Strong @ Ramsey Meet!
Our Upper School Robotics Teams competed at their final regular season meet last weekend in Ramsey, NJ and by all accounts D-Emonstrated a great finish! Our Varsity team, Critical Mass (Team 207), held a record of 4-1. Our JV team, Absolute Zero (Team 13048),...
Squash Club Team Serves Inaugural Season Success!
D-E’s new Squash Club Team has had a splendid inaugural season thus far! Senior players Kiran Tikoo ‘25, Sai Reddy ‘25 and Jackson Chang ‘25 all won games and Sai and Jackson won their matches at the recently-held Interscholastic National Championships for US Squash....
Latest Swartley Gallery Series Features AP Studio Art + D-E Writers
Now through Wednesday, Feb. 26, the Swartley Gallery Series features 2D and 3D artwork from AP Studio Art students Sydney Adekanbi ’25, Daniela Delyusto ’25, Niki Donath ’25, Ben Gmyrek ’25, Olivia Kachikian ’25, Casey Law ’25, Elilee Ram ’25, Isabella Moon ’26, and Nisha Rajan ’26. Earlier today this work was celebrated in an official reception welcoming students, faculty/staff and family friends.
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!
