D-E honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. across divisions. During the Lower School (LS) Assembly on Wednesday, students from each LS grade spoke beautifully about how MLK’s dream of racial harmony and equal justice connects to our School’s core values of community, courage, judgment, commitment, respect, and honesty. The Middle School (MS) Assembly took place on Dr. King’s actual birthday, Jan. 15. Ms. Simone Henry Agblonon, Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (LS/MS), engaged MS students in a lively Q&A after a video on the history of MLK Jr. Day that segued into a thoughtful discussion on Dr. King’s legacy. Students also celebrated the occasion with a slice of “birthday cake” on the MS porches.  Meanwhile, Head of School Dr. Calleroz White spoke during the Upper School Assembly. He shared the fact that his grandfather went to a segregated school and how the many years he spent in Tanzania teaching children living in poverty revealed why we should not take our education for granted. He said his focus of the day was partnership—the answer to “What makes a community come to a place where we can be in one space together?” Dr. CW discussed the iconic March on Washington from a slightly different lens—shining a spotlight on other faith leaders who spoke that day about the fight for social justice, including Rabbi Joachim Prinz, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, and Father John LaFarge Jr. He then urged students to take our mission to heart and “look at this world as something you can make better.” Dr. CW concluded with words of the late statesman and civil rights leader John Lewis, whom he’d had the opportunity to meet: “When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you must have the courage to stand up, to speak up, and find a way to get in the way.”

Knockout excellence! In an innovative cross-curricular partnership, Ms. Burnett, Grade 8 English Teacher, and Mr. Akula, Grade 8 English/History Teacher, whose students are reading “The Berlin Boxing Club” by Robert Sharenow, teamed up with the Health & Wellness department to add a physical education component to their unit. The novel is set in Pre-WWII Germany and is loosely inspired by the true story of boxer Max Schmeling, who gives boxing lessons to a man named Karl Stern, someone being harassed because he is Jewish. And then as Nazi violence escalates, Karl must become his family’s protector. “In this collaboration between eighth-grade English and Health & Wellness, we aim to bring the text to life by showing students how boxing can be examined through multiple lenses,” said Ms. Burnett, Grade 8 English Teacher. “By learning boxing fundamentals, students will develop a greater appreciation for the sport’s skill and coordination, creating a more authentic connection to Karl’s journey.” Health & WellnessTeacher Ms. Hovan said these Middle School students are currently in their fitness unit, so the boxing lesson—specifically, shadow boxing and punching bag work—was a natural fit. “It’s a unique opportunity for our eighth graders to do something they wouldn’t have explored otherwise,” said Ms. Hovan. How’s that for teamwork?

D-E’s Art & Design Department hosted 11th- and 12th-grade students today from St. Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School in Perth, Australia, as part of a 12-day trip to the United States the school offers every two years. The St. Mary’s students, 18 in all,  joined the Accelerated Art class of Ms. Marisol Diaz, Art & Design Chair, where she guided everyone through a print-making project using black ink, palette paper, printing plates, a brayer, and an electric press machine. Head of School Dr. Calleroz White and Associate Head of School Ms. Preeti Fibiger stopped by Swartley to welcome the art and design students who’d traveled from afar (and are currently on their summer break!). They were chaperoned by teachers Ms. Jess Gazia and Ms. Jodie Sanders, who explained that this was the first time this biennial trip included a visit to a fellow independent school. “It’s a completely unique experience,” said Ms. Sanders. “We would love to continue this collaboration in the future.” And we look forward to a return visit from our peers from Down Under!