Parnassus is a home to many. Integrating disciplines like visual arts, foreign language, and English, senior Catalina Mahe ’22 is ecstatic to be one of the lead editors for the magazine. As a prospective ninth grader, Catalina saw it as an opportunity to expand her love for first language, Spanish––now learning both French and Spanish in her last year. The club allows students to explore their creativity outside of the classroom and gain exposure from peers’ experiences and writing. Meanwhile, Catalina and her senior co-editors (Sunaya Mueller ’22, Charles Spitzley ’22) spend months curating the magazine with advisor Sra. Abby Kanter. Catalina hopes that the upcoming year will inspire new writers and language-fanatics towards the magazine’s community.
“Parnassus does have a very family-club feel. I think one of the benefits of writing in another language, the most obvious thing, is just practicing the language. I’ve got to read all of the pieces in Parnassus, regardless of what language they’re in. It has inspired me to write a lot of my own pieces and to look into reading more literature in other languages. I finally got to share pieces that spoke about what it’s like being Colombian for me. I got to write about what the food, and what my family is like, and I got to express that in Spanish. “
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.”
LEAD Students Visit Cooper Hewitt’s ‘Home’ Exhibit
In January, D-E Upper School students took two trips to the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in Manhattan, as part of the LEAD (Leaders for Equity & Diversity) program, which provides opportunities for them to learn leadership skills and explore the world and its different cultures. The trip centered on an exhibition titled “Making Home,” focused on Black and Native American expressions of place, home, and belonging. “The purpose of the trip was to connect our November collage project’s theme of ‘home’ to real-world artists investigating that idea,” says Joel Lee ’17, US Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging. In addition to getting a tour of parts of the museum, students were able to use their own creativity to make prototypes of homes designed for biomes such as tropical, arid, and tundra. Great job to our LEAD students for their thoughtful work!
2nd Semester Kick-Off Highlights
Thanks to the efforts of our D-E Parents’ Association volunteers, Middle/Upper School students celebrated the recent start of 2nd semester in a fun way. Snacks, balloon displays, signs, and a special gift for our Class of 2025 greeted students on the official 1st day...
Reminder: Lower/Middle School Chorus Concert on 1/23 – Shake It Up With Shakespeare
Rehearsals continue in earnest and our vocalists can’t wait to share the results of all their efforts! Don’t miss tomorrow’s Shakespeare-themed Lower/Middle School Chorus Concert! D-E Performing Arts presents “Shake It Up With...
Snow Much Fun! Annual US Ski Trip to Smuggler’s Notch
The annual Upper School ski trip to Smuggler’s Notch held up to D-E tradition once again this year! 45 students from Grades 9-12 and 4 chaperones (Mr. Joe Iwanski, Mr. Fred Fontaine, Mr. Paul Edwards, and Mrs. Eileen Feikens)...
Career Day Assembly Inspires Future Entrepreneurs
On Thursday, Jan. 16, Business Leaders at D-E (BLADE) hosted a Career Day Assembly for the Upper School in Schenck Auditorium, where a panel of entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds shared their career journeys. The panel consisted of Gautam Kumar, founder of Milu Health; Erica Schroeder, voice actress; Illana Raia, founder of Être; Heather Benveniste, an independent legal consultant; Shweta Parikh, plastic surgeon; and Bari Schorr, VP of business and category development at Orva. “Hearing about the various paths these accomplished individuals have taken to reach their current positions is important for students who might find themselves on similar paths in the future,” says BLADE club member Isabella Mayer ’26. “This diversity in experiences gave [us] a broad range of perspectives, showing that success doesn’t follow just one formula.” Thank you to our inspiring guests! Photo Credit: Grace Tomin ‘26.
D-E Students Explore Machine Learning at the Student AI Summit
On Saturday, Jan. 11, members of the newly formed D-E Student Committee on AI attended the Student Artificial Intelligence Summit at Newark Academy along with other schools to learn more about the applications of AI in a variety of fields. The trip was organized by Ms. Diana Gross, Chief Innovation Officer, and Mr. Bill Campbell, Associate Director of Technology for Academics. Five of our students—Soham Bafana ’25, Hudson Guzman ’27, Jason Lee ’27, Derin Sezgin ’28, and Sylvie Yao ’27—also volunteered to lead a session. Of the experience, Sylvie says, “I was aware of the extent to which AI was expanding but going to the AI Summit showed me how much AI has grown…[It] is constantly changing and inevitably will play a big role in the future.”
DogPound Update #2 for Winter 2025 Season – 1/17/25
Time for the latest DogPound Update on our Winter D-E Athletics Teams! We’re spotlighting D-E’s Freshman Basketball team, Middle School Girls Basketball, and our record-setting Track & Field team. Be sure to come out to upcoming games and track meets to cheer on our Bulldogs!
