Early June is typically a bittersweet time at D-E, as we say goodbye and recognize students as they celebrate milestone events! Leggett Field was THE place to be for all our major end of year events including Commencement for the Class of 2024 and the 5th and 8th Grade Moving Up Ceremonies. Our annual Faculty & Staff Appreciation Lunch then wrapped-up the year for all D-E employees.
PAW 2025 Includes Innovative Ways to Engage US Students in Lessons Learned
Last week, D-E’s Upper School (US) students were immersed in our annual Projects & Assessments Week (PAW). “Over the course of the week, students engaged in a mixture of traditional exams and less traditional, but equally important, projects and workshops,” said US Principal Kim Lalli. “The goal is for students to have a variety of experiences that reflect the dynamic nature of our curriculum and give them a chance to demonstrate just how much they have learned so far this year.” Those experiences included going on trips to a DNA lab and the iFLY indoor skydiving facility. There were also some cross-divisional and cross-disciplinary opportunities for students to engage in. For example, students in Science Department Chair & Physics Teacher Tara Weinstein’s Honors Physics class worked with 3rd and 6th graders to design age-appropriate games as part of their PAW project. In addition, Paul Edwards, an Art & Design faculty member, gave a lecture on artistic influences during the Harlem Renaissance to the History class taught by Diane Christian. All in all, it was a stimulating week for our US students ahead of the spring break!
Community Is the Focus of the Middle School’s Diversity Day
For the recent annual Middle School (MS) Diversity Day, now in its 6th year, MS students at D-E spent the day attending special activities and a variety of community-building workshops on topics of interest to D-E faculty/staff and affinity groups. MS Principal Jonathan Davis said it’s an event that is “grounded in our mission of meeting the challenges of a changing world and making it better.” The day began in Schenck Auditorium with guest speaker Eboné Bell, a prominent media figure who advocates for LGBTQ women, who spoke on creating intentional change. Students then dispersed to attend two of 16 available workshops, which included sessions on European folk songs, spoken word poetry, piñata making, hamantaschen baking, and the origin of beans. There was also a yoga class, a global dance party, an Advisory scavenger hunt, and a jubilant Holi celebration on Graham Field to wrap up the day. “Middle School is all about finding your place in the world and creating your own identity,” expressed Mr. Davis. “This is an opportunity for our students to know who they are and to give others the space to be who they are.”
D-E Celebrates “Pi Day”
Today may be St. Patrick’s Day (Sláinte!), but D-E recently celebrated another beloved holiday that brings smiles to math fans everywhere—Pi Day! On March 14, in honor of the mathematical constant that begins with 3.14, we set up some collaborative board games, logic...
7th Graders Explore & Exhibit “The Anatomy of a Human”
Visiting parents, faculty, and Lower School students were all ears today during “The Anatomy of a Human Exhibit” in the Middle School, as 7th graders eagerly talked about the body systems depicted in the life-size diagrams they worked on, and how their home life or...
