With our D-E mission to “make it better” clearly in mind, 8th graders recently participated in hands-on service learning to benefit local organizations. Students chose from three volunteering programs:  Pasta packing at the Community FoodBank of NJ warehouse  (they eventually packed 3840 bags of pasta!); Creating a snowman craft for clients of Meals on Wheels North Jersey; and sewing baby blankets to donate to the Bergen Family Center. Grade 8 Dean Alison Miller shared, “We want to have students start thinking about and trying out what they like to do and what is gratifying for them. If they enjoy what they're doing, they are more likely to do it!”   

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.”