Our youngest ones have so much wisdom to offer us. Former librarian and now 3rd grade teacher, Rachel Brainin carries on the legacy of Sheila Sienicki and maintains the publication’s spirit. Rather than having students strive to be published, D-Escribe is an open opportunity to explore writing prompts and styles. Teachers mainly submit work from the Units of Study, while also offering students creative prompts to play with style and content.
“Writing is sometimes very prescribed, so the open-ended prompts provide us with more exciting stories. I had a kid who didn’t like to write but then couldn’t stop writing about dinosaurs. In any free moment he had, he would say, ‘can I work on my dinosaurs?’”
Rather than having students strive to be published, D-Escribe is an open opportunity to explore writing as an artistic medium. Rachel hopes to continue to build upon D-Escribe’s wonderful history and to continue to inspire young students.
Magic 2025
On May 22, D-E’s school spirit was on full display at the Myrna B. Sherman Gym, where MAGIC happened! Rain kept the annual intramural competition indoors, but it didn’t dampen the sense of community beaming from the rafters. Juniors (Class of 2026) took an early lead...
Senior Selectives & Senior Class Trip
D-E’s Class of 2025 had an active couple of weeks leading up to Commencement on June 1 as part of their Senior Selectives, elective activities organized by US faculty and staff. These included spring roll making, Indian cooking, swing dancing, dog training, and soccer...
Service Learning in Action
Service-learning is an integral aspect of meeting our D-E mission, and as aptly described by Debbie Rivera Murphy ’11, Dean of Student Life, “address[es] compelling societal needs and teach[es] our students why social issues matter for all of us, especially in an...
Winter 2024-2025 & Spring 2025 Team Records
Celebrating our D-Edicated Upper School Student-Athletes:
End of Year Sports Banquet Highlights D-E Athletics welcomed Upper School (US) student-athletes and their families to Myrna B. Sherman Gymnasium on May 22, 2025, for a memorable End of Year Sports Banquet. Spirits were high for the nearly 600 attendees which also...
Engaging in the Arts to“Make it Better”
The Art & Design Department regularly collaborates with Upper School clubs during the school year on service initiatives that benefit both the D-E community and local organizations. One example is the HOPE Fashion Show, an annual fundraiser organized by the HOPE:...
A Vision of Art: A Conversation With Marisol Diaz
D-E’s Art & Design Department is a program that encompasses all three divisions—the Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School. It’s an integral part of the school community that falls under the leadership of Art & Design Chair Marisol Diaz, who also runs...
D-E Students Present Inspiring TEDx Talks
In April, D-E hosted its first-ever TEDxDwight-Englewood School event in Hajjar Auditorium, which was a great success and is expected to be a new school tradition. Chief Innovation Officer Diana Gross gave opening remarks, along with student leaders and executive...
Teaching With Artificial Intelligence
The other component of AI in Education is, of course, incorporating student use of these tools into the lessons. For Mr. Campbell, the recent workshops highlighted how important “process” is. “AI comes down to transparency,” he noted. “By increasing transparency of...
Professional Development That ‘Meets the Challenges of a Changing World’
D-E’s Profile of a Teacher states that “We continue to grow as professionals, deepening our knowledge and improving our practice at a pace consistent with our changing world.” To this end, in February D-E faculty and staff participated in a Professional Development...
