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.”
“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.”
According to Brian Merry, Ph.D., Dean of the Class of 2025, those experiences included going on trips to a DNA lab and engaging in multi-disciplinary lessons in English classes. He added that the atmosphere had been a bit quieter in the Upper School: “It’s been a nice transition to spring break.”
There were also some cross-divisional opportunities for students to engage in. For example, students in Science Department Chair & Physics Teacher Tara Weinstein’s Honors Physics class worked with some 3rd and 6th graders as part of their PAW project.
“My students were tasked with designing an age-appropriate game that could be used to teach their target students a key physics concept,” explained Ms. Weinstein. “They worked in groups of four or five to design and build their games, and then they had the 3rd or 6th graders play them.”
“My students were tasked with designing an age-appropriate game that could be used to teach their target students a key physics concept,” explained Ms. Weinstein. “They worked in groups of four or five to design and build their games, and then they had the 3rd or 6th graders play them.”
Max Koppelman ’26 and Abby Trokhan ’26 were among the US students who worked with the 3rd graders, and upperclassmen who worked with 6th graders included Krishnav Tapuriah ’26 and Alia Saphier ’25. “It’s so nice to be able to take advantage of being on a campus that houses all three divisions!” exclaimed Ms. Weinstein.
Meanwhile, US Science Teacher Scott Murphy took his AP Physics class to iFLY, an indoor skydiving experience, to study terminal velocity and the effects of air resistance. “The trip was so fun!” said Lucas Brown ’25, adding: “The physics were also very interesting to learn about… We spent a long time [in class] learning the math about the connections between surface area and mass and air density and how all those factors contribute to your drag speed. We all could calculate how fast we were falling in the chamber… I thought it was one of the best field trips I have ever been on.”
Classmate Dusan Dobric ’25, said he learned through the iFLY activity “that when falling, the way that your body is oriented is important because it affects the surface area that the air contacts, which can spin you in different directions.”
Freshmen also engaged in innovative experiences. “I think a major highlight for students was their forensics theme science PAW,” said Grade 9 Dean Dylan Bryant. Ninth grade science students were given a theoretical case involving a possible murder, and they were asked to analyze multiple pieces of forensic information to reach a conclusion. “After examining all evidence, students practiced their evidence-based reasoning skills to write a coroner’s report stating the cause and time of death,” said Mr. Bryant.
Cross-disciplinary opportunities were another mark of PAW, such as an Advanced Ceramics class led by Art & Design faculty member Caitlyn Young. In addition, Paul Edwards, also in the Art & Design department, gave a lecture on artistic influences during the Harlem Renaissance to the History class taught by Diane Christian. The theme was how prominent forces shaped Black life in the United States in the mid-1930s; Aaron Douglas’ iconic murals were among the featured works.
“I think a lot of [Grade 9] students handled their first PAW week very well,” concluded Mr. Bryant. “As stressful as some of the exams and larger projects were, students appreciated the open campus and increased freedom for the week.”
All in all, it was a stimulating week for our US students ahead of the spring break!
