The Middle School is alive with the sound of poetry! The spring edition of Poetry Connections recently took place for grades 6-8. “As part of a culminating—and reflecting—activity, all Middle School students have written an ode to their grade,” explained Ms. Patel, Grade 7 English and History Teacher. “We use this time to read aloud and share the odes with other members of the Middle School community.” Following the poetry sharing, there was a “gallery walk” component, for which students’ written work was placed on a table for their peers to write personal reflections in response to each poem. The MS student literary publication “Open Roads 2026,” hot off the press, was available for perusing and future inspiration.  Meanwhile, leading up to Poetry Connections, students in 7th Grade Dean Ali Miller’s Creative Writing Discovery class took a field trip to the Poets House in New York City, where they toured the library and collectively wrote a cento, a poetic form composed entirely of lines or passages borrowed from other authors’ works. They wrote a poem titled “Thirteen Ways of Looking at Butter Yellow,” based on “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird,” by Wallace Stevens. According to Ms. Miller, the students planned to donate copies of the chapbooks they wrote and published in class to the Poets House.

Tiny feet take on Field Day! The Lower School’s PreK 3 and PreK 4 classes recently visited Leggett Field for their first-ever Field Day, facilitated by Ms. Michelle Carstens-Potts P’37,’40, Health & Wellness Chair, who organized activities that she said, “centered on skills they’ve been learning throughout the year, such as hopping, running, and balance.” During the parachute activity, they learned cooperative skills, she added, and practiced using manipulatives during the bean bag toss, which included fun components like rubber chickens and squeaky pigs. Meanwhile, the Kindergarten classes participated in their own Field Day on Graham Field, where they did relays, navigated through an obstacle course, and engaged in teamwork. Cheers to our youngest Bulldogs for giving it their all!

As part of year-end festivities for D-E students moving up to the next division, 5th and 8th graders recently gathered with their class for cool treats and a picnic, respectively. The Class of 2033 enjoyed an outing on Graham Field, where the Scream Truck was waiting to fulfill their custom ice cream orders. In addition, the Class of 2030 walked to Solomon Field yesterday afternoon for a picnic lunch and to play ball and mingle for one of the final times with their entire grade. Here’s to summer on the horizon and to our students making big moves next year!