A few of D-E’s oldest students (seniors) collaborated with some of our youngest (Preschool 4) during a Developmental Psychology unit for which AP Psychology students learned about Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. “Part of that theory is that children at...
This past weekend, D-E Middle School Robotics Team Neutron competed at the Menlo Park Mashup Invitational Tournament. The team placed 3rd in “Innovation Project” for their invention prototype, the LumiNet, which seeks to solve the problem of fishing waste. Their robot...
Our Lower School Robotics Team Ocean Animals recently represented New Jersey at the First LEGO League World Championship in Houston. “At the Explore level, they joined 40 teams from around the world to showcase their LEGO models, posters, and ideas,” explains Lower...
The inaugural TEDxDwight-Englewood School event, held on April 3, 2025, in Hajjar Auditorium, is in the books! Chief Innovation Officer Diana Gross gave opening remarks, along with student leaders and event co-facilitators Soham Bafana ’25 and Georgia Unger ’25, ahead of thoughtful presentations on a range of topics. “Our first TEDx event was a powerful reminder of the importance of giving students a platform to share their voices,” said Ms. Gross. “Their talks were inspiring, showcasing incredible talent and a deep commitment to our mission—applying skills, values, and courage to tackle real-world challenges and make a meaningful difference. They aren’t waiting to change the world—they’re already doing it!”
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.
Entering the office of Chief Innovation Officer Diana Gross in Leggett Hall, you can expect to be greeted by a warm smile and, quite often, jazz standards playing softly in the background. In the midst of her seventh month at D-E, we sat down with Ms. Gross to discuss...
On Sunday, our Upper School (US) Robotics Teams, Critical Mass (Varsity) and Absolute Zero (JV), competed in the Bergen County League Tournament in Emerson, NJ. According to US Robotics Coach Chris Fleischl, in qualification matches, Critical Mass held a record of 4-1...
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.”
Our Upper School Robotics Teams competed at their final regular season meet last weekend in Ramsey, NJ and by all accounts D-Emonstrated a great finish! Our Varsity team, Critical Mass (Team 207), held a record of 4-1. Our JV team, Absolute Zero (Team 13048),...
On Saturday, Jan. 11, members of the newly formed D-E Student Committee on AI attended the Student Artificial Intelligence Summit at Newark Academy along with other schools to learn more about the applications of AI in a variety of fields. The trip was organized by Ms. Diana Gross, Chief Innovation Officer, and Mr. Bill Campbell, Associate Director of Technology for Academics. Five of our students—Soham Bafana ’25, Hudson Guzman ’27, Jason Lee ’27, Derin Sezgin ’28, and Sylvie Yao ’27—also volunteered to lead a session. Of the experience, Sylvie says, “I was aware of the extent to which AI was expanding but going to the AI Summit showed me how much AI has grown…[It] is constantly changing and inevitably will play a big role in the future.”