When in Rome, do as the Romans do! This week Mr. Wallman’s 6th Grade History classes participated in their Rome Cultural Research Showcase in Hajjar Auditorium, attended by D-E families. The event, the culmination of intense Rome-related research, took the form of spoken presentations, live skits, mock trials, videos, models, dioramas, and trifolds. The goal was “creative demonstration of knowledge, collaboration skills, literacy, research skills… and most notably a comfort in oral presentation,” said Mr. Wallman. Students also exhibited attention to detail, such as the group that created handmade beaded jewelry, with the help of MS & US Librarian Ms. Sanford, as a nod to Minerva, known as the Roman goddess of wisdom, crafts, and the arts. Several groups dressed the part of ancient Romans in tunicas, togas, stolas, and pallas as they presented on topics including traditional attire, ancient health practices, the evolution of Roman law, the Gallic and Punic wars, the history of the Colosseum, and the reign of Roman Emperor Nero. Kudos to our 6th Graders for bringing Roman history to life!

The next installment of our community “Spotlight” series is an exploration of the Science Department—a natural fit as the season shifts to spring! “Science is all around us…

Congrats to our Bulldog Bots, who are heading to the World Finals! Over the weekend, our Upper School Robotics Team, Team #207 Critical Mass, qualified to compete in the FIRST World Championship, which will take place Wednesday, April 29, through Saturday, May 2, at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. “We will be one of 336 teams from around the world, representing the top 3 percent of teams that competed this year!” exclaimed Coach Fleischl. “Our students have collectively put in thousands of hours of work throughout a long season that stretches back to the start of the school year. In that time, team members designed and constructed numerous mechanical prototypes, programmed the robot to score autonomously, practiced efficient driving, and worked countless hours mentoring younger students both within the D-E community and in the community at large,” he added. According to team member Rajan Dhillon ’28, the competition was intense, but incredibly rewarding. “As a driver, there was constant pressure to perform my best for the team, and every decision mattered. Things didn’t always go our way… but those moments pushed us to think fast, problem solve, and adapt our strategy,” he said. “Seeing all our hard work pay off made it worth it!” Teammate Alexa Wanich ’28 shared, “It was always difficult to tell how the competition was going, but when they announced our team name [as the winner], I think that was the craziest part.” Good luck in Houston, Critical Mass!