Faculty from all three divisions at D-E recently took advantage of the animal life that lives on campus for hands-on (and fun!) learning. Beekeepers from our Apiary visited The Imperatore Library on World Bee Day, May 20, to show our PreK 4 class the live bees in our observation hive and give them a lesson on honeybees, complete with a memorable “waggle dance” they could do to emulate the bees collecting nectar. Meanwhile, Sixth Grade Dean Ms. Urbanowski’s DIG (D-E in the Garden) class collaborated with Upper School (US) Science Teacher Ms. Nefdt’s Developmental Biology class to incubate eggs from the chicken coop situated near the Nettie-Louise Coit Teaching Garden on campus. Seventh grader Callie H. ’31 explained that her class had hatched two chicks in the MS Teaching Kitchen, and Upper School students in the STEM Building had hatched two other chicks, so they could study them. Ms. Neft said this was part of a unit on Embryology, in which students carefully tracked the eggs’ 21-day incubation period and compared the embryos of chickens with those of zebrafish. This week, it was time to transfer the chicks, which students had named Dominique and Darwin, from the STEM classroom to the Teaching Kitchen—a process Ms. Urbanowski described as “a ceremonial turning over of responsibility.” We love having Nature’s Classroom right here at D-E!

The D-E Development and Alumni Relations Team recently hosted an Alumni Networking Panel and Senior Lunch, featuring professionals in various fields who shared their career journeys and imparted advice on college life and beyond. Alumni panelists included Mark Stetson ’02, Mashable Executive Producer; Emilio Mena, Jr. ’93, Managing Director, Legal, at MGX; Laura Zaks ’95, an environmental lobbyist; Alison Berman ’98 Managing Partner, President & Chief Executive Officer at Palisade Capital Management; and Mytia Story ’04, Vice President & Senior Chemist at Li Pigments. Mark described the many pivots he made in his career as the entertainment industry has evolved and spoke fondly about his time at D-E and the friends he made then who he still works with to this day. Emilio, whose company invests in AI technology, impressed upon the Class of 2026 the value of “meaningful human relationships.” Laura, too, advised students to “hold your professional network tight.” Both Alison and Mytia described their unexpected but ultimately fulfilling paths to their respective family businesses, with Alison sharing that “not all advice is good advice” if you’re asked to become someone you’re not, and Mytia urging the soon-to-be graduates to “try different things.” Special thanks to our returning alumni for their time and invaluable insights!

For the second time this year, 8th graders participated in service-learning field trips and opportunities to connect with our local community and take steps toward our school’s mission to “make it better.” Students volunteered for the Bergen Family Center, Meals on Wheels North Jersey, the Historic Jersey City and Harsimus Cemetery, and the Teaneck Creek Conservancy. Ms. Miller, 8th Grade Dean, facilitated the trips and coordinated a group picnic at the Overpeck County Park afterward. “The volunteer work I did was crafting a patriotic gnome card for elders using blue construction paper, red construction paper, white paper, and some star stickers,” explained Gigi N. ’30.” Her classmate, Kyle S. ’30, added “We all worked to make six of these because there are a lot of clients at the Bergen Family Center.” Gigi said the biggest lesson was learning that “we” is greater than “me.” “Overall, it just really made my day that my creativity made someone smile,” she said. Kudos to our 8th graders for making a difference!