Problem solvers unite! This week the office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging hosted a presentation by Reilly Brooks, Executive Director of Schoolyard Ventures, for students in Grades 10 and 11 about her organization’s Social Innovators Program––designed for high schoolers interested in social entrepreneurship. D-E has partnered with Schoolyard Ventures and the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice to bring this 12-week online offering to our students, which will run from Feb. 16, 2026, to May 11, 2026. Students who complete the asynchronous program will receive a Certificate of Social Entrepreneurship from UPenn. “This program seeks to engage real-world problems and create social impact,” noted Dr. Ingram, Director of DEIB.  During the interactive session, Ms. Brooks further explained that the idea was to “bring meaningful change in the world” and to counter misconceptions about social entrepreneurship. “It’s a mindset… a way to approach problems and navigate them,” she said. She presented an example that involved the removal of old landmines around the world and tasked the students to consider how to tackle the problem using innovative thinking. We encourage our US students to apply to this program by the application deadline of Thursday, Jan. 22, as it aligns well with our mission statement and is one step toward becoming real “whole-souled citizens!”

This week, Middle School students in the Creative Writing, In the News, and Developing Leadership Discovery classes went on a field trip to the Museum of the City of New York. “We had a guided tour on activism in New York, specifically focusing on two movements—LGBTQ+ activism in New York from 1969 to 2019, and the movement for Black Lives from 2012 to 2020,” explained Grade 8 Dean Ms. Miller. In preparation for the visit, students discussed how civil rights movements use art and artists to spread their message. For example, Creative Writing students read and analyzed the poem “Playground Elegy” by Clint Smith, written in response to the murder of Michael Brown. And both Creative Writing and In the News students reflected on how civil rights movements guide future ones. “We also watched some videos on the Stonewall Inn Riots and… traced the roots of the BLM movement to the killing of Trayvon Martin and how this event was a catalyst moment,” said Ms. Miller. We appreciate opportunities like this that speak to D-E’s mission to “embrace diversity in order to develop the skills, values, and courage to meet the challenges of a changing world and make it better.” 

The D-E 360° Chess Team is dominating the board! Twenty-one of our students attended the U.S. Chess Federation’s recent NJ State Championship Event at Brookdale Community College. “Overall, as a team, this was our most successful tournament yet!” exclaimed Grandmaster Mackenzie (aka “Coach Mac”) Molner. Congratulations are in order especially for our Kindergarten and Grade 1 teams, who won first place for their levels, and our Grade 2 team, who won 3rd place for their division! In addition, several students won individual awards: Elvyn L. ’38 won the 7th-place trophy in the Kindergarten division; and in the Grade 1 division, Nicolai D. ’37 won the 7th-place trophy and Aiden Z. ’37 won the 10th-place trophy. “It was wonderful seeing such a great turnout and all the students having a fun time,” said Coach Mac. The next set of D-E Tournaments will resume after the winter break, with another NJ State Championship scheduled for Feb. 22, 2026. Wishing all our D-E 360° chess players continued success in future matches!