Catalina Mahe ’22, Parnassus

Jan 27, 2022 | Spotlight on English

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. “

D-E Students Level Up in National Chess Championships

D-E Students Level Up in National Chess Championships

Checkmate! Cheers to our D-E 360° ACE (AfterCare & Enrichment) Chess Team, which had two players compete in the U.S. Chess Federation’s 2024 National K-12 Grade Championships in National Harbor, Maryland, from Dec. 6-8. Third grader Adam Y. ’34 and 11th grader Anna Radchenko ’26 exhibited great sportsmanship and represented D-E well, says Coach Mackenzie “Mac” Molner. “In this tournament, participants only play other kids from their own grade level,” explains Coach Mac. “It’s a very difficult tournament, to say the least!” In the face of such tough competition, Adam scored 3.5 points out of 7 games and Anna scored 4 out of 7 games. “I loved meeting players from all over the country and challenging stronger opponents,” says Adam. “I’m really proud of myself that I had a draw with a much higher-rated player and earned respect from him.”

US Robotics Teams Are Positioned for State Competition

US Robotics Teams Are Positioned for State Competition

D-E’s Upper School Robotics Teams are halfway through the FIRST Tech Challenge robotics season! “Our varsity team, Critical Mass, and our JV team, Absolute Zero, have completed their first design prototypes and are beginning work on their new, improved robot designs for the second half of the season,” says Coach Chris Fleischl. Teams participate in meets in preparation for the Bergen County League Tournament in February. During a meet on Dec. 15, at River Dell High School, both our varsity and JV teams finished with 3 wins and 2 losses. Next up is a meet on Sunday, Jan. 19, at Blair Academy. The goal is to qualify for the State Championship and, ultimately, the World Championship. Critical Mass’ Jackson Chang ’25, says, “I fell in love with robotics because of opportunities to express myself through building components… We work hard every day to continue to iterate on our robot to even slightly improve our chances in competitions.” We’re rooting for all our future engineers and data scientists!

Sixth-Graders Learn How Food Shapes Their Identity

Sixth-Graders Learn How Food Shapes Their Identity

How are we what we eat? This is the guiding question our sixth graders were asked to consider this morning as a new unit was kicked off in their MESH subjects (that is, Math, English, Science, and History). This first lesson centered around “how food shapes their identity,” said English teacher Ms. Macone. Students gathered in the Wharton Lessin Dining Hall, where Chef Alex and his team prepared breakfast foods representing the Dominican Republic (“Tres Golpes,” a trio of fried eggs, cheese, and salami), Colombia (beef empanadas), and Japan (miso salmon with steamed rice). “I got to try different things I’ve never tried before,” said Kayla S. ’31, who discovered she liked fried eggs. Students then moved on to Hajjar Auditorium to share food traditions within their own families. The unit will culminate on Tuesday, Jan. 28, with a cultural food festival, for which parents are invited to attend and bring in food that represents their family. Cheers!

MS Robotics Team Nitro

MS Robotics Team Nitro

Earlier this month, D-E’s Middle School (MS) Robotics Team Nitro competed at the State Tournament in Mount Olive. In addition to showcasing their robot, the team presented their prototype of an oyster-shell-based building product. The product is designed to combat the...

Jazz Rocks @ D-E!

Jazz Rocks @ D-E!

The beloved D-E annual holiday performance of Jazz Rock, a live concert featuring US student vocalists and instrumentalists, held up to tradition once again this year! Jazz Rock – directed by equally-beloved D-E Music Faculty Rob DeBellis and Ken Kacmar – features...

US Farewell & Awards Assembly Highlights
Upper School Athletics Highlights Reel 2025-2026
Ms. Diaz Returns to NYC Gallery Circuit for Exhibit Spotlighting Women Artists
D-E Summer 2026 Programs
Math & Computer Science Spotlight: Valuing Process, Problem Solving
‘CARRIE’ and ‘A Monster Calls’ Receive Foxy Award Nominations
Scholastic Art & Writing Award Recipients
Q&A With US Dean Emily Sclafani
Professional Development 2026 Highlights
8th Grade Peru Trip 2026 Highlights
Philosophy & Ethics Spotlight: Tapping Into Our Shared Humanity
A Conversation with Petra van’t Slot on Empowering Students With Data
Spring Is in the Air With D-E 360° ACE Programming!
7th Grade ‘Anatomy of a Human’ Exhibit Highlights
D-E 360° After Care and Enrichment
Athletics Schedule
Admissions
D-E.org
D-E Today - News and Editorial Content

Learning About the Birds and Bees That Live on Campus

Faculty from all three divisions at D-E recently took advantage of the animal life that lives on campus for hands-on (and fun!) learning. Beekeepers from our Apiary visited The Imperatore Library on World Bee Day, May 20, to show our PreK 4 class the live bees in...

Read More

Alumni Networking Panel & Senior Lunch Highlights

The D-E Development and Alumni Relations Team recently hosted an Alumni Networking Panel and Senior Lunch, featuring professionals in various fields who shared their career journeys and imparted advice on college life and beyond. Alumni panelists included Mark...

Read More

8th Grade Service Trips Highlights

For the second time this year, 8th graders participated in service-learning field trips and opportunities to connect with our local community and take steps toward our school’s mission to “make it better.” Students volunteered for the Bergen Family Center, Meals on...

Read More

8th Grade ‘Living Wax Museum’ Illuminates Banned Books

This week 8th Graders stepped into history as part of their “Living Wax Museum” presentations to D-E families, faculty, and staff. The cross-disciplinary project, facilitated by Ms. Burnett and Mr. Akula, consisted of dynamic, student-led performances that brought...

Read More

Swartley Gallery Senior Spotlight Exhibit Highlights

In what has become a D-E tradition, the Swartley Gallery Series is closing the school year with its Senior Spotlight exhibit, running through Monday, May 25, and celebrated with an artist reception this week. This showcase is “a chance for all Seniors’ work to be...

Read More

LS Pajama Day Highlights

The Lower School recently celebrated its final Spirit Day of the school year—an ever-popular Pajama Day! Students across the division sported their comfy clothes, wearable blankets, matching PJ sets, and bright smiles while completing assignments, reading,...

Read More

Dance at D-E Makes Some Moves!

D-E Performing Arts formally introduced the expansion of its dance programming via the first-ever Dance Assembly in Schenck Auditorium last week. Spearheaded by Class of 2027 Dean Stephanie “Tuc” Tucker, Dance at D-E consists of the Dance Club, led by Madigan...

Read More

New Jersey National History Day Contest Highlights

Way to go! Eleven of our 8th Graders participated in the New Jersey History Day Contest, which took place at William Paterson University. This series challenges students to become experts on a topic of their choice, individually or in a group. Students take...

Read More

MODE Hosts Library Jam Session

Student leaders of Musicians of D-E (MODE) hosted an after-school jam session in The Imperatore Library this week, just as Seniors reached their last official day of classes. Mackenzie Hammer ’28 kicked off the live performances, playing the ukulele as she sang...

Read More

Loading...