Eighth Graders Set Their Wheels in Motion for the Great Paper Roller Coaster Expo

Eighth Graders Set Their Wheels in Motion for the Great Paper Roller Coaster Expo

What do dinosaurs, flames, space, Minecraft, and SpongeBob have in common? They are among the themes depicted in this year’s Great Paper Roller Coaster Challenge, which recently took place in the Middle School. The project, facilitated by 8th Grade Science Teacher Hyo Kim and 8th Grade Math & Science Teacher Julia Taazelar, challenges students to design a roller coaster marble run. Parents and some Lower School students had a chance to view the variety of designs as well as test the functionality of each roller coaster, marble in hand. Ms. Taazelar describes this as a capstone project for Grade 8 that puts to use what they’ve learned about the laws of motion and energy transformation. With this project, they’re able to “apply the skills they’ve learned theoretically into something that is practical and hands-on,” she says.
Ms. Kim adds that the project, in its fourth year running, is a way “to wrap up the curriculum on physics… that also teaches students about collaboration, as each person has a specific job.” As students described to their gathered audiences how the marble could represent both stored energy (potential) and energy in motion (kinetic), it was clear that the project met its aim of being both imaginative and educational. It’s another great example of innovation in action at D-E!

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.”

Official ceremonies honoring our 2024 Distinguished Alumni Awardees and newest inductees into the Athletic Hall of Fame took place in Schenck Auditorium on the afternoon of Saturday, October 19, 2024.

Official ceremonies honoring our 2024 Distinguished Alumni Awardees and newest inductees into the Athletic Hall of Fame took place in Schenck Auditorium on the afternoon of Saturday, October 19, 2024.

Preeti Fibiger P ’24, Interim Head of School, kicked-off the ceremonies by describing the DAA award. The Distinguished Alumni Award (DAA) was established in 1997 to pay special tribute to alumni of the Dwight School, the Englewood School for Boys, and D-E. The award...

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!”

MS Musical “High School Musical JR”: Tickets Available Now!
High School Musical JR Opens this Friday May 9!
Lifers Celebration Honors Graduating Lifelong Learners and Their Mentors
D-E 360° String Society
Announcing Our Next Head of School
D-E 360° After Care and Enrichment
Athletics Schedule
Admissions
D-E.org
D-E Today - News and Editorial Content
Loading...