The genesis of “Beyond Empire” comes from a personal place. As a first-generation American of Trinidadian immigrants, who came to the US amidst Trinidad’s independence from the UK, Stephen Bailey finds that it is imperative to trace these stories. The central questions of the course ask, “What is it to move beyond empire? How do people understand themselves in a new context? How do you reacquire or reinvent yourself?” What underlies the curriculum is the belief that through investing in the literary worlds of other cultures, students can be world scholars and compassionate readers.
Stephen emphasizes reading a breadth of literary styles like poetry, fiction, non-fiction, etc. to think critically about how language is used. With challenging material from authors and playwrights like Tayeb Salih and Lynn Nottage, Stephen asks for courage from both his students and himself; the courage to ask hard questions and to listen to different voices and opinions. “That is where true inquiry begins!”
US Assembly Highlights Environmental Awareness
This morning’s Upper School Assembly, organized by Environmental Club leaders Kelly Chu ’25, Radha Munver ’25, Len Glozman ’25, and Alex Sheffield ’26, focused on finding jobs in the field of environmental science and sustainability. Len warmed up the audience with a...
D-E 360° Fosters ‘Chess Culture’ at D-E
The growth of D-E 360°’s chess community over the past year has been incredible. Earlier this spring, D-E hosted the first-ever ChessFest on Sunday, April 27, facilitated by Grandmaster Mackenzie “Mac” Molner, who coaches the Chess Team. Overall, we placed first out of four teams in the K-2 division, first in the Grades 3-5 division out of seven teams, and second out of two teams in Grades 6-8. Team members Arthur P. ’36, Oliver Y. ’36, and Justine B. ’29 also won individual prizes. “Our students represented D-E very well, and for a lot of them it was their first time playing in a tournament,” says Coach Mac.
In addition, for the first time in program history, the Chess Team will represent D-E in the US Chess Federation’s SuperNationals VIII Tournament in Orlando, Florida, from May 9-11. “The SuperNationals only take place once every four years, so it’s super special that we have 10 students signed up to go,” says D-E 360° Director Dr. Sherronda Brown. “We’re proud to see these young people challenge themselves to become adaptable, confident and joyful learners. Join us in celebrating and wishing them well!”
Mandarin Class Field Trip 2025
Upper School World Language Teacher Hailing Zhao’s Mandarin students recently embarked on an exciting field trip to Flushing, NY, to bring their language learning to life. “With the goal of applying their classroom knowledge in real-world settings, students...
Middle School Musical Cast and Crew Get Ready for High School!
This year’s Middle School Musical is High School Musical JR., based on the 2006 Disney Channel Original Movie in which Troy, the captain of East High School’s basketball team, and Gabriella, who’s at the top of her class, try out for the lead roles in the spring musical. The students end up drawn to each other, despite encountering some obstacles along the way.
The leads for D-E’s production include Ella Gorcie ’30, Owen Lee ’29, Brooke Cohen ’29, and Austin Tiemann ’30. According to Eileen Lynch, MS Theater Director and Drama Teacher, the idea to put on this show came about after a casual conversation with MS Principal Jonathan Davis. “We were commenting on the themes of togetherness and community woven through the show and thought it would be a good fit for the Middle School production here at D-E.”
Lower School Music Teacher Lisa Dove is the Music Director, and John John Tarrayo and Bella Savas will choreograph this dance-centric show, assisted by student Dance Captain Arianna Chan ’30. “I honestly think [this show has] helped some of us discover sides of ourselves we didn’t even know were there,” remarks Arianna. “It’s been a fun ride!”
To read more about the making of the MS Musical, click the link in our bio.
US Business Finance Class Zooms with Goldman Sachs Reps
This morning the Upper School Business Finance class hosted a virtual visit with representatives from Goldman Sachs, facilitated by D-E Chief Financial Officer (and Business Finance class teacher) Angela Artale. Sandra Schubert, a 25-year veteran who manages 14...
Chinese Culture Club Hosts Mahjong Tournament
The Chinese Culture Club (CCC), which is dedicated to exploring and celebrating Chinese heritage, recently hosted its annual Mahjong Tournament at D-E with the goal of bringing people together to play the strategy-based tile game that is popular in Chinese culture....
MS Robotics Team Neutron Earns Innovation Recognition
This past weekend, D-E Middle School Robotics Team Neutron competed at the Menlo Park Mashup Invitational Tournament. The team placed 3rd in “Innovation Project” for their invention prototype, the LumiNet, which seeks to solve the problem of fishing waste. Their robot...
The Fifth Grade Opera Opens a Door to Theatre
As part of a longstanding tradition, D-E Performing Arts presented the Fifth Grade Opera for the broader D-E community on Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Hajjar Auditorium. The opera is traditionally divided into three operettas, for which the Lower School (LS) students...
Lifers Celebration Honors Graduating Lifelong Learners and Their Mentors
The annual Lifers Celebration, held on April 30, 2025, in Hajjar Auditorium, is a special dinner and ceremony honoring graduating seniors who have been students in all three divisions at D-E. This year’s cohort includes 30 lifelong learners. Upper School (US)...
Making it Better: 8th Grade Community Service Trips
This week 8th graders engaged in community service by volunteering for one of four organizations—Bergen Family Center, Meals on Wheels North Jersey, Teaneck Creek Conservancy, and Tenafly Nature Center. “A big reason we do multiple locations for service is to allow...
