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.
Checking in with the LS Learning Specialists
Learning to Read and Write Sophia Dorner, Learning Specialist Preschool 3-Grade 2 In the Lower School, preparation for learning to read and write to communicate thoughts begins in Preschool 4. The Preschool 4 team and I plan together during the summer, reflecting on...
Fourth Grade Research Project: Experts in the Making
Submitted by Kristin Geller, Michael Rodenbush, and Ronda Sowa, 4th Grade Teachers Who is Jane Goodall? What was the Titanic? What is the Bermuda Triangle? Have you ever wondered about these topics? Well, the fourth graders certainly have, and...
Our Community: Second Graders Tour Englewood, NJ
The second graders have been learning about their community in Social Studies. We talked about urban, suburban, and rural communities and most recently explored the suburban and urban parts of the Englewood community. We learned the history of Englewood and took a...
Introducing Modesto to Spanish Classes, Grades 3-5
Modesto, a boy-puppet from Puerto Rico, is getting ready to join Doctora Collado to teach Spanish classes to grades 3-5 during the month of February. Together, they will tell short stories about prominent Afro-Latinos and share historical facts. The lessons will...
College Counseling Office (CCO) Update
The D-E CCO is hosting several upcoming events. See below for highlights & check your Email for details. College Roundtable Thursday, January 23, 2020, 4 PM – 5 PM Hulst House (in Leggett Hall) You are warmly invited to participate in...
Artfully Practicing Perseverance through Exploration
Students in the Lower School community practice perseverance and courageously explore many different art materials. The second, third, and fourth graders just finished their first unit on perseverance where they tried new and challenging projects that built on...
All About our Expert First Grade Readers and Writers
One of the most wonderful things about working with first graders is the pride they take in their own knowledge. Ask any first grader and they will tell you that they are an expert at something. Our information unit in the first grade prepares children to read...
AfterCare and Enrichment (ACE)
Original Article
Dwight ’57
Natalie Beaumont just performed in a tango/rhumba showcase at Arthur Murray in Tenafly, N.J. She sings in two groups at the Southeast Senior Center for Independent Living (SESCIL) as well as The First Presbyterian Church of Englewood (FPC) choir. She...
ESB ’60
James Bakalar still enjoys participating in the Harvard Institute for Learning in retirement.
