Meredith (“Mimi”) Garcia had the unique challenge of teaching “Apocalyptic Lit” amidst the COVID-19 hybrid year. Still, the central questions of the course remained, “Will the apocalypse bring total annihilation, transcendence, bloodthirsty zombies, or all of the above? Will it bring people together or tear them apart?” As a medium, fiction allows for distance from both the material and reality, enough to critically engage with the text. Despite the fantastical, sci-fi qualities to apocalyptic literature, Mimi stresses that each text, from The Walking Dead to Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, speak to questions of human nature and of hope.
Mimi’s new course offering, “Globalization, Literature, & Film”, investigates how globalization and media have come to shape each other and our everyday lives. The course utilizes films like Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon (1950) and Walter Salles’ Motorcycle Diaries (2004) to discuss how politics, history, and cross-cultural encounters come to manifest in film. Mimi notes that the entire film industry and how we have come to watch film also plays a role in how we analyze and reflect on the relationship between literature and media—to be both critical of the past and the present.
Lower School Science
“Innovation must start with our youngest minds and thinkers.” This philosophy drives Lower School Science teachers, Julie Pugkhem and Yi Li, who are tasked with fostering students’ curiosity and critical thinking skills. Now in her eighth year at D-E, Julie works...
Club Être Celebrates Women’s History Month
In celebration of Women’s History Month, Club Être “Zoomed” in early March with Elizabeth “Beth” O’ Connell, proud ambassador and strategic advisor to Etregirls.com. O’Connell is a multi Emmy award recipient and she was one of the first female Executive Producers at...
MS Papercut: D-E’s Middle School Newspaper Makes the Cut!
The Middle School is on the scene! Editors-in-chief Anna Ibarguen ’26 and Madigan Kacmar ’26 have led the charge for the Middle School’s official student newspaper, MS Papercut. The second year in production, the club has only grown with contributors, eager to share...
D-Ebate Team
Debate Team has had a stellar track record this year. Throughout the school year, debate club team members have competed in events, showcasing their argumentative and orator skills against other regional debate teams. Congratulations to Aly Calmas ’24 and Sam Gilman...
South Asian Affinity Assembly
In March, the South Asian Affinity Group showcased an insightful presentation on South Asian cultures, figures, literature, and fashion. To top it all off, New York Times Senior Editor, Shashank Bengali, zoomed in to talk about his journey as a journalist and...
DEFAC’s March Madness Fundraiser
D-EFAC (Dwight-Englewood Fights Against Cancer) hosted a March Madness fundraiser for young alumna Mariam Abdelhaq ’17 who is fighting breast cancer. Students created teams and paid an entry ticket to enter the basketball tournament. The senior team “Mutant Ninja...
V-Day Performance Raises Funds for Local Women’s Center
The annual benefit performance “V-Day” aims to end violence against women and girls under the global activist movement under the same name, and to empower women of all ages. Mary Heveran (Lower School Music Teacher) kicked-off D-E’s version of this annual event with...
Black Affinity Presents Black History Month Assembly
Black History Month is about recognizing and appreciating black culture and the significant role that Black /African Americans have provided in American History. D-E Black Affinity Group students presented a special Upper School Assembly designed to honor and...
Asian Affinity Group Hosts Lunar New Year Assembly
To celebrate the Lunar New Year, the Asian Affinity Group hosted a mini-fashion show and presentation on how different Asian cultures celebrate the holiday. Students also presented how each of their own families uniquely celebrate with food and cultural traditions. It...
Alex Russell-Walker, AP Art History
Alexander “Alex” Russell-Walker’s journey to teaching began halfway across the world in Vietnam. It was after teaching English there that he decided to commit to teaching full-time. Receiving his master’s degree at Columbia University’s Teachers College, he has taught...
