The Spring Carnival, a beloved D-E tradition co-hosted by D-E Student Activities and the Parents’ Association, was a massive success! “Despite organizers having to pivot [from Leggett Field to Modell’s Sports Complex], it was just as lively as in past years,” said Debbie Rivera Murphy ‘11, Dean of Student Life. In addition to fun inflatables in the Myrna B. Sherman Gym, families got to enjoy a variety of activities—from henna tattoos to bookmark and tote-bag decorating—at tables set up by student club leaders. According to Asha Harker ’27, who is on the Student Activities Board, it was a “great way for student leaders to showcase the clubs they lead and to reach out to the community.” D-E’s Drama Club organized live performances from members of Jazz Rock, A Capella at D-E, and D-E Chamber Music Society. In the adjoining Silberfein Gym, carnival-goers filled up on burgers, hot dogs, watermelon slices, cookies, popcorn, snow cones, and cotton candy served up by Chef Alex Stanko and Dining Service Team. There were lots of smiles to go around! Thank you to all our participating students, Student Activities, and Parents’ Association!

Stage Band and Jazz Workshop are hard at work rehearsing—jazz lovers, get ready to enjoy!  Plan to attend an amazing LIVE Cabaret Night performance by our Upper School Stage Band and Jazz Workshop ensembles tomorrow, Friday, May 1, at 7:00 PM in Hajjar Auditorium. Directed by Rob DeBellis, the ensembles will be joined by the incredibly talented, professional guest artists Don Byron and Kenny Davis. Don, a multi-instrumentalist and composer, is a two-time Grammy nominee, a Guggenheim Fellow, and his 7 Etudes for solo piano (which will be performed) were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in 2005. Kenny (bass) has toured with such notable jazz artists as Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves, and Art Farmer, and he’s been the bass professor of jazz bass at Rutgers University since 2011. Cabaret Night is free admission and open to D-E families of all ages. 

Spring always brings an abundance of amazing live performances at D-E! Fifth Graders recently took center stage to present a set of three distinct shows for this year’s Fifth Grade Original Musicals (formerly known as the Fifth Grade Opera). What makes this event so amazing is its focus on collaboration and that each student has a specific role that’s essential to any production — scriptwriter, composer, musician, actor, set or costume designer, stage manager, and public relations officer. The first show, titled “Meister Heisters,” was about kids that get tricked into thinking they will be in a movie about an art heist that ends up being a real heist. The kids work together to double-cross the criminal and then, in a stroke of good karma, receive a monetary reward in the process. The second show was about a girl who feels pushed by her mother to get perfect grades. She’s transported to a different time and place where everyone is forced to do hard labor and isn’t used to having fun because they are ruled by a demanding king. She helps teach the ruler how to be kind and give his villagers a better life. When she returns home, the girl decides she will speak to her mother about her feelings, rather than lashing out. The final show also highlighted the importance of kindness to others. Special thanks to Ms. Dove, Ms. Crawford, Ms. Maloney, Ms. Miller, and Mr. Mannie for helping our fifth graders shine in the spotlight!