The 10th Annual Leggett-Umpleby Lecture was brought to us by Mr. Fred Daly, who is in his 46th year of teaching and 31st year at D-E, 20 years of which were spent as the English Department Chair. He also founded the D-E Shakespeare Society, now in its 17th year. Mr. Daly spoke on whether it is appropriate to teach controversial works of literature such as “The Merchant of Venice,” which has a central character, Shylock, that represents Jewish stereotypes, at a school such as ours that values diversity and inclusion. Oriana Huang ’26 and Ella Siew ’26 joined Mr. Daly onstage to periodically read passages from the play that correlated to portions of the lecture.  One key point Mr. Daly made was that “Anybody who reads anything is going to do so through the lens of their own personal experience.” It’s a message that has resonated with Ella, who said, “In my English classes, Mr. Daly shares his views on the play, but he also continues to push his students to think deeply about how we can relate these stories and plays to our own lives and the world today.” Toward the end of his presentation, Mr. Daly revealed that, “I’ve taught [this play] many times, including to Jewish students… It’s good to think about how issues of ethnicity and race and gender manifest in the play. These are not easy topics; they are challenging, and where better to consider them than in a classroom at the Dwight-Englewood School?”  

The Upper School’s INSPIRE club, led by Cam Gennardo ’26, Hayley Cohen ’27, Maia Haber ’26, and Evelyn Chow ’27, recently hosted an open discussion dedicated to Native American Heritage Month. Student leaders presented on the history of the observance, the diaspora it represents, and why it’s honored in November, acknowledging an alternative view of Thanksgiving that speaks to the violence against and displacement of Indigenous Peoples. The group also shared information and a video about a guerilla art project at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in which artists affiliated with the nonprofit media lab Amplifier used augmented reality to “remake” existing classic European works. On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Oct. 12, visitors to the Met could see (and hear) the show’s altered masterpieces using their smartphone or iPad. “The hope was to reclaim traditional American art through the Indigenous lens,” explained Hayley. Dr. Ari Easley-Houser, US History Teacher, then spoke about her own ancestry, which she learned (through oral tradition) includes Cherokee and Creek lineage, and how mixed identities such as hers can add levels of complexity to the conversation. “There’s a false idea of what a Native person looks like,” she remarked. Hayley noted that INSPIRE is looking forward to facilitating more opportunities like this that are “continuing to build a community centered on awareness, respect, and inspiration.” 

D-E’s English Department strives to give students seasonal opportunities not only to write with intention, delving into topics that are representative of who they are, but also to share these words with the broader community. For instance, yesterday The Imperatore Library hosted Write Night, an open-mic forum featuring presentations of spoken-word poetry by students and faculty/staff that has been a tradition at the School for the past 14 years. “Thanks to Mr. Daly for putting this all in motion years ago,” acknowledged Mr. Meserole, English Department Chair. The poems were a combination of work students have done in their Creative Writing classes, slam-poetry-style readings, and poems that are being published in literary journals (congrats, Mr. Petkus!). In the Middle School, Ms. Patel, Grade 7 English and History Teacher, organizes Poetry Connections twice a year for grades 6-8. For the fall session, each student was directed by their English teachers to write a poem to highlight aspects of their identity that would be shared in a room with students from all grades. “Our D-E community is special because of the various identities that are present,” remarked Ms. Patel. “Celebrating our differences and similarities is what makes us a true community. It is the differences that allow us to reflect, learn from, and grow with each other.” Thanks to everyone who beautifully modeled the core values of Courage and Respect when sharing and listening to others present their work! And be on the lookout for an upcoming spotlight on our inspiring English Department.