D-E celebrated its teachers and staff during the annual Faculty & Staff Lunch on June 12. Interim Head of School Preeti Fibiger P ’24 thanked all of those who have put in 10, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 years of service. She also presented The Blackwell Award to Science Teacher Andrea Bautista, The Carskadon Award for Teaching Excellence to Diane Christian, the Williams Award for Creative Excellence to PreK 4 Teacher Nicole Taranto, and The Geralyn Kossmann Award to Transportation/Calendar Coordinator Jackie Simon. Next year’s Leggett Umpleby Series speaker was subsequently announced: Faculty member Fred Daly P’20 will present “The Problem of Shylock: Teaching The Merchant of Venice in the 21st Century,” which will address the playwright’s ongoing relevance. The lecture will be on Monday, November 10 at 7:00 PM in Hajjar Auditorium. Then, D-E retirees World Language Department Chair Bill Biondolino, Music Teacher John Littlefield, LS Nurse Maureen Krane, and 8th Grade Advisor Liz Traub were honored by their peers. Of note, Ms. Traub will also receive a classroom dedication at the October 2025 Alumni Reunion. As part of her personal remarks, Ms. Fibiger gave thanks to the school community for their continued support as she fulfilled her transitional role. She also implored those gathered to “think about what you accomplished this year” and expressed gratitude to them for “always showing up in the service of our students.” We wish all our faculty and staff an amazing summer!