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!”
MS Creative Writing and Art & Design Students Learn About ‘Narrative in Art’
Cultivating creativity! D-E Middle School students in Ms. Miller’s Creative Writing and Ms. Scrivanich’s Art & Design Explorations Discovery classes recently teamed up to visit The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York as part of an experiential program called...
First Graders Present Their Houses and Homes
A longstanding D-E tradition, 25 years running(!), returned to the Lower School Gym last week with the Houses and Homes Assembly, where first graders, donning construction vests and hard hats, presented to D-E families the model dwellings they’d worked hard on for the...
D-E Winter Track Athletes Competing in Nike Indoor Nationals!
CHEERS to D-E Varsity Winter Track athletes Tade Adeyeri ‘26, Adesola Afonja ‘27, and Grace Dalgetty ‘26! All three qualified for the prestigious Nike Indoor Nationals! Tade competed earlier in the Boys Triple Jump Emerging Elite competition. Adesola will compete in...
D-E Celebrates Pi Day!
Way to go D-E “Mathletes”! D-E’s Math Club officially recognized “Pi Day” (3.14) earlier this week in Imperatore Library with fun, hands-on activities including “Four 4’s” (featuring a challenge to use exactly four 4’s and any math symbol to make a number);...
Fourth Grade UN Field Trip Fosters Global Understanding
During a recent field trip to the United Nations (UN), fourth graders expanded their understanding of global citizenship and international cooperation. They learned about refugees, who they are, why people are forced to leave their homes due to war or persecution, and...
US Odyssey of the Mind Team Heading to State Finals
Cheers to our Upper School (US) Odyssey of the Mind Team, which recently competed in a regional tournament and earned entry to the State Finals. Odyssey of the Mind, a student-led competition, bridges STEAM and the performing arts. The team took first place in the...
Middle School Celebrates Diversity Day
The Middle School recently hosted its annual Diversity Day, facilitated by the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). The program sets aside scheduled classes for the day to engage students in presentations, workshops, and other activities that...
US Robotics Team to Compete in State Competition
Our Bulldog ‘Bots are State bound! Upper School (US) Robotics students recently competed at the Bergen County League Tournament at Emerson Junior-Senior High School. During the qualification rounds, Critical Mass, our Varsity Team, ranked No. 2, and Absolute Zero, our...
D-E 360° Piano and Flute Students Perform a MasterClass
Music to our ears! A few of our Lower School (LS) students recently participated in a Piano and Flute MasterClass in the LS Music Room with music teachers Karen Littlefield and John Littlefield. “MasterClass is a supportive, small-group learning experience in which...
AP Psych Partners With the LS in a Lesson on Cognitive Development
In what’s become a cross-divisional tradition, the AP Psychology class of Dr. Carragher (“Dr. C”), Human Development Chair, visited the Lower School for a fun experiment that tested Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. Upper School students were partnered...
