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!”
Swartley Gallery Series: Showcasing What It Means to Be Human
The latest exhibition in the Swartley Gallery Series is a community art exhibition inspired by the theme “What Does it Mean to be Human?” D-E Middle School (MS) and Upper School (US) students, faculty, and staff contributed paintings, drawings, ceramics, collages,...
Join Us for the LS Spring Concert!
Our Lower School (LS) Grades 2, 3, and 4 are practicing hard and eagerly anticipating their annual Spring Concert, scheduled for a week from today! The D-E community is invited to attend the LS Spring Concert on Tuesday, March 10, at 7:00 PM in Schenck Auditorium....
Human Development and Student Support Services Spotlight: Building Resilience and Community
D-E’s Human Development Department and Student Support Services Department both provide our students with a safe space for self-discovery, mental health awareness, and learnings that go beyond academics. In addition to leading the Human Development Department, Chair Dr. Daniel Carragher (aka “Dr. C”) P’26, in his 15th year at D-E, teaches AP Psychology and is a licensed clinical psychologist who practices outside of the School. Meanwhile, Student Support Services includes psychologists assigned to each division, school nurses, and learning specialists. Click the link in our bio to learn more about Human Development and Student Support Services!
4th Graders Present Their Research on Inventions That Changed the World
As part of a nonfiction writing unit, fourth graders in Ms. Watson’s class explored the research and writing process by studying an invention of their choice and developing a well-structured five-paragraph essay. “They began by generating their own subtopics,...
D-E Celebrates V-DAY 2026 With Moving Presentations
D-E’s V-Day 2026, with the theme of “Rise for our Bodies, Our Future, Our Earth,” was a stunningly powerful event organized by the leaders of the Women of Color Affinity group, Amanda Santos ’26, Ripley Chang ’27, and Yaritza Menjivar ’27, under the guidance of Dra....
3D-E Hosts Engineering Challenge
The 3D Printing and Engineering Club (3D-E) recently hosted an engineering event in The Imperatore Library in honor of National Engineers Week, celebrated nationally this week. Innovation Coordinator Ms. Larionoff explained that the cross-divisional event is based on...
CODES PaintFest Service Learning Program Highlights
The Upper School (US) CODES Club recently hosted a fantastic “PaintFest” service learning program in partnership with the Foundation for Hospital Art. Their efforts culminated in beautiful, vivid paintings that will eventually find their way to the walls of Englewood...
Seniors Celebrate 100 Days Countdown to Commencement 2026
Let the countdown begin! The D-E Class of 2026 was recently invited to Hajjar Auditorium to celebrate 100 Days to Commencement. During the event, hosted by the D-E Development and Alumni Relations Team, students were treated to a D-Electable breakfast of blue-and-gold...
Celebrating Black History Month
Black History Month celebrations continued this week in the Middle and Upper Schools with assemblies in Schenck Auditorium facilitated by the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) Department. For the US Assembly, members of the Black Affinity student...
Author Visits Help Enrich MS Literary Units
Authors recently visited our Middle School (MS) to enrich current units of study. Seventh graders hosted a Q&A session with award-winning author Reyna Grande, whose memoir, “The Distance Between Us,” is central to their cross-curricular Anatomy of a Human Project....