Valerie Berrios
D-E Faculty/Staff Share Learnings on AI in Education

D-E Faculty/Staff Share Learnings on AI in Education

The future is here! Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education was the theme of a recent Professional Development Day for all faculty and staff. In her opening remarks, Interim Head of School Preeti Fibiger declared, “To ‘meet the challenges of a changing world,’ we need to understand what those changes are.” This made spotlighting rapidly evolving AI technologies a natural choice for our community.

Sessions were interactive and offered opportunities to engage in productive discussions about how students can use AI most effectively. When used correctly, “AI builds confidence with students to write a strong paper,” noted Ms. Diane Christian (D-E English Department faculty member) during her session on thesis writing with AI.

The day concluded with a student panel discussion, moderated by Soham Bafana ’25, and featuring Sylvie Yao ’27, Jared Mosseri ’27, Reya Shah ’27, and Lucas Brown ’25, who gave their perspectives on using AI in the classroom, such as the idea that AI can help visual learners. Ultimately, said Mr. Justin Weiner (D-E History Department faculty member), during his session on deepfakes, “AI won’t remove the human touch.

Class of 2025 Changemakers Sow Sustainability Initiatives at D-E

Class of 2025 Changemakers Sow Sustainability Initiatives at D-E

As a “community of learners,” we at D-E stand by our mission “to meet the challenges of a changing world and make it better”; therefore, we proudly spotlight students whose actions consistently exemplify this objective and make a lasting impact. Two of these changemakers are Upper School seniors Len Glozman ’25 and Ben Gmyrek ’25. Tasha Urbanowski, Garden Club Faculty Advisor and Grade 6 Dean, says the original “compost crew” Len and Ben are “the students who made a substantial change to institutional behavior and leave a legacy looking toward sustainability.”

School Life Highlights

School Life Highlights

Thanks to daily campus events, seasonal traditions, and the activities of our student-led clubs and activities, student life @ D-E remains as dynamic as ever! Our youngest Lower School (LS) learners have been enthusiastically engaged in D-E Chess Team and LS Chorus...

The D-E Community Honors Black History Month

The D-E Community Honors Black History Month

February is Black History Month, and D-E celebrated with a series of events—from Upper School (US) Assembly performances—to a BHM Exhibit in Hajjar Auditorium for Lower School and Middle School (LS/MS) students. The exhibit featured 15 different sections that highlighted Black contributions in the arts, entrepreneurship, architecture, and more. In the Lower School, students participated in activities including drawing their favorite Black heroes throughout history. In addition, during the MS Assembly this morning, students listened intently to portions of “A Ballerina’s Tale,” a documentary on Misty Copeland’s historic achievement as the first Black principal dancer of a major ballet company. “We celebrate all the people who worked incredibly hard to achieve success when the odds are against them,” explained DEIB Assistant Director Simone Henry Agblonon. “The takeaway is to get to know people as individuals.” Fourth grader Camryn T. ’33, who attentively walked around the LS/MS exhibit, said she loved seeing the poster boards featuring Black people represented in so many different categories. She exclaimed, “Black people can change the world!”

D-E Students Exemplify ‘Innovation in Action’ During the Engineering Challenge

D-E Students Exemplify ‘Innovation in Action’ During the Engineering Challenge

Last week, the Upper School’s 3D-Engineering (3D-E) Club and the Imperatore Library co-hosted the annual Science Buddies Engineering Challenge at D-E in recognition of National Engineers Week. US/MS students participated in the project, which consisted of building a landing pad for a paper rocket, meant to emulate the design of a “rocket catcher” in the real world. Jackson Chang ’25, a 3D-E student leader, said this project “gives people–in a kid-friendly way–the opportunity to dabble in engineering design.”
Innovation Coordinator Colleen Larionoff, who facilitated the challenge for the MS students, remarked that these activities are a great example of “innovation in action” because they aren’t tied to a class, and this gives students more freedom to explore and make mistakes. Seventh grader Ken Escobar ’30, said he participated in the challenge because “I feel like it’s an opportunity for collaboration… and now that I’m immersed in it, it seems fun.”

MADE/Drama Club Visit by Voice Actor Erica Schroeder

MADE/Drama Club Visit by Voice Actor Erica Schroeder

MADE (Manga and Anime at D-E) and the Drama Club recently hosted actress Erica Schroeder P’26,’28, best known for voicing numerous anime and video game characters, to answer questions for students interested in acting. “I’ve always loved the idea of voice acting,”...

6th Grade Identity Unit Reflects D-E’s Diversity

6th Grade Identity Unit Reflects D-E’s Diversity

The sixth grade Identity Unit, for which the theme was how we are what we eat, culminated recently with a presentation in Hajjar Auditorium and a food festival in the Wharton Lessin Dining Hall. More than 30 tables displayed sweets, savories, and beverages, from Indian samosas to Puerto Rican coquito, representing students’ cultures and family traditions. “Every student had a role in the celebration, including reading parts of their work, sharing the process, or showcasing part of their project,” says Ms. Sarah Macone, Grade 6 English Teacher. Cayla R. ’31 says the English project was her favorite because, “I wrote about how my grandma had taught me how to make matzah ball soup and how we have made it together every Passover for as long as I can remember.” Of the unit, Cole M-H. ’31 says, “It was surprising how many cultures and ethnicities we have at D-E, yet we all work together as one collective community.” Cheers to all our sixth graders!

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