In this issue, Michelle Carstens-Potts, Chair of the Health and Wellness Department; Dr. Danny Carragher, Chair of the Human Development Department; and Lisa Wittner, Director of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), discuss their roles and the programs they implement.
In our next issue, Part II of this series will feature conversations with members of our Student Support Leadership Team, including Dr. Deirdre O’Malley, Director of Counseling Services, and Marc Gladstone, Lead Learning Specialist. Interviews have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
8th Graders Engage in Service Learning Field Trips
With our D-E mission to “make it better” clearly in mind, 8th graders recently participated in hands-on service learning to benefit local organizations. Students chose from three volunteering programs: Pasta packing at the Community FoodBank of NJ warehouse (they...
US Students “Lunch & Learn” About Social Entrepreneurship
Problem solvers unite! This week the office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging hosted a presentation by Reilly Brooks, Executive Director of Schoolyard Ventures, for students in Grades 10 and 11 about her organization’s Social Innovators Program––designed...
MS Discovery Classes Explore Civil Rights Movements
This week, Middle School students in the Creative Writing, In the News, and Developing Leadership Discovery classes went on a field trip to the Museum of the City of New York. “We had a guided tour on activism in New York, specifically focusing on two movements—LGBTQ+...
D-E 360° Chess Team Competes Well in State Competition
The D-E 360° Chess Team is dominating the board! Twenty-one of our students attended the U.S. Chess Federation’s recent NJ State Championship Event at Brookdale Community College. “Overall, as a team, this was our most successful tournament yet!” exclaimed Grandmaster...
‘Gratitude Is the Word of the Day’ During the Thanksgiving Assembly
There were hellos and hugs all around during the Annual Thanksgiving Assembly on the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 25, where students and faculty/staff from each division gathered in the Myrna B. Sherman Gym to express their gratitude in a multitude of ways. The event was...
Get Ready for the MS/US Orchestra Winter Concert
Don’t miss a single note! The Middle School & Upper School Orchestra will perform their annual Winter Concert this Friday, Dec. 5, at 7:00 PM in Schenck Auditorium. The repertoire will include music from contemporary artists such as Eric Whitacre and renowned...
D-E’s Model UN Team Competes at Princeton
D-E’s Model UN team recently attended its first collegiate conference of the year: Princeton’s Model UN Conference. For the past several weeks, club leaders have mentored younger delegates in meetings and even hosted its own conference (D-EMUN) to get the team ready....
Thanksgiving Assembly Gratitude Reel
What a fantastic year so far! In the words of our Head of School, Dr. James Calleroz White, “Thank you for showing up every day!” We wish our incredible D-E community a Happy Thanksgiving—it’s always so nice to see ya! Explore this topic further with a curated video...
Art Comes to Life for Our Third Graders at MoMA
D-E’s third graders recently took a field trip to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) to observe and discuss the life’s work of sculptor Ruth Asawa. “They were excited to see this retrospective in person, since they had studied her sculptures last year and explored a...
LS and MS Robotics Teams Finish Strong in Competition
This weekend, our Lower School (LS) and Middle School (MS) Robotics teams excelled at the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Regional Tournament in Clifton, NJ, earning numerous awards! Team Nitro (Grade 8) won the Robot Design Award and placed in the top third of teams in the...











