That philosophy guides the Ethics Department Chair, Sr. Joseph Murphy, for his first-time tenth grade students. Sr. Murphy explains that, “they [students] think of opinions somehow like it’s property that they ‘own it’ somehow, but they really don’t own it fully until they can argue for it. Knowledge in a certain sense is a process, and you have to arrive at a conclusion through a process.”
Over this past Summer 2021, Ethics Department Chair Sr. Joe Murphy contributed a chapter within the anthology Intentional Disruption: Expanding Access to Philosophy (2021) published by Vernon Press. The anthology edited by Stephen Miller outlines how educators in philosophy have implemented the discipline at the pre-college level.
Students are always “in process” in class, formulating their ideas, at times, only in Spanish. Joe Murphy’s chapter “Once a Philosopher-In-Hiding: Teaching Philosophy in Spanish in the USA” details his journey from being the language department chair to trailblazing the now expansive ethics department curricula. He is one of few educators to integrate second language education with philosophical inquiry emphasizing that, “language is a way that we identify ourselves. When we talk and when we use language, it’s one of the ways that we make sense of the world.”
Philosophical education in high schools is often attributed as “critical thinking”. Sr. Murphy argues that what precedes the idea of “critical thinking” is first philosophical inquiry. He has seen what it provides in little moments: parents amazed with how their children have learned to discuss hard questions over the dinner table. Sr. Murphy hopes and implores other schools, administrators, and philosophers-in-hiding to take the leap. After all, they will become the philosophers and leaders of our future.
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...