D-E’s third graders recently took a field trip to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) to observe and discuss the life’s work of sculptor Ruth Asawa. “They were excited to see this retrospective in person, since they had studied her sculptures last year and explored a printmaking project related to some of her drawings this year,” said Ms. Christine Hanaway Maloney, LS Art & Design Teacher. The students learned that the artist made it her mission to give back to her community. “While her family was forced to live in an internment camp during World War II, Asawa overcame this huge setback and devoted herself to becoming an artist and teaching others how to work with their hands,” explained Ms. Maloney. “As an arts advocate, her focus was always on arts education, and she was instrumental in founding a public arts high school in San Francisco that still exists today.” Students also explored other MoMA exhibits and created their own line drawings using one of their hands as an outline. We love to see creativity unleashed!   

This weekend, our Lower School (LS) and Middle School (MS) Robotics teams excelled at the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Regional Tournament in Clifton, NJ, earning numerous awards! Team Nitro (Grade 8) won the Robot Design Award and placed in the top third of teams in the Robot Game, as did Team Rex (6th grade). Both Teams Quasar (Grades 7 and 8) and Apex (Grade 6) won the Innovation Project Award. And the D-E 360° Bulldogs (Grades 4 and 5) placed 5th in the Robot Game and won the Judges’ Award. “We are thrilled to share that Nitro and the D-E 360° Bulldogs have qualified for the State Championship!” exclaimed Innovation Coordinator Ms. Larionoff, who coaches the teams along with Ms. Li and Mr. Carroll. “These results reflect not only strong performances but months of commitment, learning, and perseverance from our students.” This year our Upper School FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) team, coached by Mr. Fleischl, mentored the MS teams, who in turn provided feedback and support to the LS teams—an authentic example of cross-divisional collaboration. A heartfelt thank you to the D-E community, from parents to faculty/staff, whose partnership helps make these opportunities possible for our students!

D-E Middle School (MS) Robotics Teams recently presented a Showcase for faculty/staff, families, and friends, in preparation for their first official competition. The four MS Teams Apex, Nitro, Quasar and Rex each took a turn highlighting the process and motivation for their key innovation projects, and then each demonstrated their ‘bots in action. This hands-on experience will come in handy when all the teams compete at the Regional Qualifier at Clifton HS, this weekend.  To all our MS Robotics Teams and their amazing coaches: Good Luck, & Let’s Go Bulldog ‘Bots!!!