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!”
AP Psychology Students Test Young Minds
A few of D-E’s oldest students (seniors) collaborated with some of our youngest (Preschool 4) during a Developmental Psychology unit for which AP Psychology students learned about Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. “Part of that theory is that children at...
End-of-Year Garden Work Party Highlights
The Upper School Garden Club recently hosted their final Garden Work Party of the season, which included tending of the Nettie Coit Teaching Garden, a potluck, and live music from an ensemble led by Mr. Jack Armitage, Director of Program Scheduling and Mathematics...
Ninth Graders Are Immersed in Arts & Culture During History Field Trips
In May 2025, D-E’s Upper School (US) History Department faculty facilitated end-of-year field trips for ninth graders to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Met Cloisters, and the New York Public Library (NYPL). “The goal of our trip to the Met was to compare similar...
BRAVO High School Musical JR Cast & Crew!
Bravo! Congrats to our Middle School cast and crew, who put on high-spirited performances of “High School Musical JR” this weekend. Before the show went on, DJ Ava M. ’29 warmed up the audience with dance hits from the mid-2000s. The story of “freaky math girl”...
Bulldogs are Beautiful!
What makes Bulldogs beautiful? Join us and celebrate ALL that makes Bulldogs beautiful during our Bulldogs are Beautiful week of giving for D-E’s Annual Fund! D-E’s Annual Fund supports all aspects of student life at D-E, from academics, arts, athletics, and...
LS Chess Team Earns 5th Place in US @ Chess SuperNationals
Our D-E 360° AfterCare & Enrichment (ACE) Chess Team has returned victoriously from the SuperNationals VIII held in Orlando, Florida this past weekend! WOW & CHEERS to our Lower School students who placed fifth overall in the country for the K-5 under 600...
D-E Senior Athletes Signing Ceremony 2025 Highlights
D-E’s Athletic Department recently hosted a Senior Athletes Signing Ceremony yesterday in the Myrna B. Sherman Gymnasium. The event recognizes graduating student-athletes who’ve committed to play at the college level. Athletic Director JD Sand first welcomed attendees...
MS Assembly Features US Student Presentations
This week’s Middle School Assembly was a great example of cross-divisional collaboration at D-E, with two Upper School (US) students presenting their talks from last month’s TEDxDwight-Englewood School event and an introduction to Digital Wellness. This year’s TEDx...
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!”
