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.
2nd Semester Kicks-Off; Seniors Celebrate Their Last Semester
We’re halfway through the school year! Our dedicated D-E Parents’ Association helped our Middle and Upper School students celebrate the start of the second semester this week with blue and gold balloon displays, uplifting signs, and a visit from Ace the Bulldog....
INSPIRE Multicultural Showcase Assembly Highlights
This morning in Schenck Auditorium, the Upper School (US) INSPIRE club, which provides a collaborative space for D-E’s diverse community, hosted its annual Multicultural Showcase Assembly. INSPIRE was founded in 2010 by Ms. Rivera Murphy ’11, Dean of Student Life,...
Field Trip Helps 7th Graders Connect a Science Lesson to Real Life
Seventh graders recently took a field trip to the world-renowned Cold Spring Harbor Lab, in Laurel Hollow, New York. Mr. Larrowe P’30, P’32, 7th Grade Science Teacher, and Mr. De Los Santos, 7th Grade Math/Science Bridge Teacher, organized the trip, which was designed...
Don’t Miss the MS Show Choir Concert!
Rehearsals are in full swing for the Middle School Show Choir as they prepare for their annual winter concert a week from today! The vocal ensemble has catchy tunes, rhythmic beats, and dazzling dance moves in store for its big performance on Tuesday, Jan. 27, at 7:00...
D-E Celebrates the Legacy of MLK
D-E honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. across divisions. During the Lower School (LS) Assembly on Wednesday, students from each LS grade spoke beautifully about how MLK’s dream of racial harmony and equal justice connects to our School’s core values of community,...
National History Day 2026 Highlights
Our eighth-grade students nailed their National History Day (NHD) presentations! NHD projects require students to choose a topic related to a specific theme and conduct research, write a thesis, and create a project that supports their historical argument, shared Mr....
Performing Arts Spotlight: Bringing Passions to Life on Stage
“The arts are much more than simply memorizing lines or playing a song… They are representative of who we are as people, as a community, as a world,” said Mr. Adam Slee, Dean of the Performing Arts. “It helps them find their true selves that helps them find their...
Making Cross-Curricular Connections in Grade 8
Knockout excellence! In an innovative cross-curricular partnership, Ms. Burnett, Grade 8 English Teacher, and Mr. Akula, Grade 8 English/History Teacher, whose students are reading “The Berlin Boxing Club” by Robert Sharenow, teamed up with the Health & Wellness...
Reunion 2025: Weekend in Review
D-E was thrilled to recently welcome alumni from the Dwight School, Englewood School for Boys (ESB), and Dwight-Englewood School for Reunion Weekend 2025, with special events for class years ending with 0 and 5. On Friday evening, October 24, 2025, there was a joyful...
Art and Design Students From Australia Visit D-E
D-E’s Art & Design Department hosted 11th- and 12th-grade students today from St. Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School in Perth, Australia, as part of a 12-day trip to the United States the school offers every two years. The St. Mary’s students, 18 in all, joined the...