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.
D-E Juniors Get Immersed in the History of New York City
Mr. Swirbul’s History of New York City class, consisting entirely of juniors, recently took a field trip to Lower Manhattan, where they went on a two-hour tour called “Revolutionary New York.” On the tour, the class learned about important events, people, and places...
Upper School Celebrates Hispanic Heritage
The Upper School concluded Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, with an assembly and afternoon food tasting organized by the Latin American Student Affinity Club (LASA). Faculty Advisor and Dean of Student Life Ms. Murphy opened the...
Middle School Overnight Trips Encourage Teamwork, Independence, & Leadership
Along the lines of the Upper School Class Trips, which incorporate experiential learning, D-E Middle School (MS) students take an annual overnight trip the last week in September to several destinations in the Tri-state and surrounding areas. “Research and experience...
Club Être Celebrates the ‘Day of the Girl’ at Nasdaq
Club Être, a chapter of the greater Être organization run by D-E alumna Illana Raia ’86 and led by student leaders Anna Ibargüen ’26, Ella Siew ’26, and Daniela Hochstadt ’28, recently took a field trip to Nasdaq headquarters in New York. They were invited by the...
D-E Principals Host Discussions On Supporting Children In High-Pressure Settings
D-E Principals Kim Lalli (Upper School), Jonathan Davis (Middle School), and James Choi (Lower School) are closely aligning with the overarching message in a book by Jennifer Breheny Wallace called Never Enough, which examines how an understandable desire to set...
Celebrating Chuseok and The Mid-Autumn Festival
D-E’s Chinese Culture Club (CCC) and Korean Culture Club (KCC) hosted a joyful Chuseok and Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration earlier this week, in the Wharton Lessin Dining Hall. Mr. Lee ’17, Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging for the...
LS Fall Festival Highlights
On a bright and sunny October day, a beloved tradition—the Lower School Fall Fest—returned to Leggett Field. The D-E Parents’ Association hosted the event, which welcomed D-E families to come out to enjoy fall-themed inflatables,...
The Latest Buzz: MS Hosts Beekeepers Visit
Like the Nettie Coit Teaching Garden, D-E’s Apiary offers our students another on-campus opportunity for experiential learning. Grade 6 Dean Ms. Urbanowski recently facilitated a hive demonstration by beekeepers Simon and Ian, who assist with maintaining the bees and...
Upper School, Lower School Students Team Up to Write a ‘Small Story’
In a beautiful display of cross-divisional partnership, the Creative Writing class of Ms. Stephanie “Tuc” Tucker, Dean of the Class of 2027, is working together with the PreK 4 Class of 2039 on a book lesson. “This semester-long project will culminate with the...
Lower School Assembly Celebrates Respect, Hispanic Heritage
The Lower School’s second assembly of the year focused on the core value of Respect and acknowledged those in the D-E community celebrating Hispanic History Month. After a welcome message from Mrs. Lopez and a meditative “Mindful Minute,” teachers, staff, and...











