WOW & CHEERS to Achille (“Ash”) Pompidou ’25, who scored his 100th goal for D-E Boys Varsity Lacrosse this week during a match against West Orange High School! Ash’s five goals and four assists helped the team secure an 18-11 victory—D-E’s fourth win of the season. WAY TO GO Ash! Go Bulldogs!!! 

A few of D-E’s oldest students (seniors) collaborated with some of our youngest (Preschool 4) during a Developmental Psychology unit for which AP Psychology students learned about Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. “Part of that theory is that children at the age of 4 are in the preoperational stage of cognitive development—meaning they have thoughts but can't really manipulate them,” explained Dr. Daniel Carragher, US Human Development Chair and Teacher. “We're going to test their ‘conservation of matter’ by pouring one of two equal short glasses of water into a tall glass of water and see if the 4-year-olds think the amount of water changes. Likewise, we will take equal balls of Play-Doh and roll one out into a ‘snake’ to see if they think the amount of Play-Doh changes.” As part of the experiment on the idea of permanence, Philippine Pompidou ’25 asked her group of preschoolers what happens to the moon during the day and shared that one student astutely remarked that the moon “controls storms.” Philippine said she recalled doing a similar exercise when she was little and noted that it was great to see Lower School students start questioning things. “Understanding the why and how [of information you receive] is important,” she said. Kudos to cross-divisional learning and our students for their curiosity about mind matters!

The Upper School Garden Club recently hosted their final Garden Work Party of the season, which included tending of the Nettie Coit Teaching Garden, a potluck, and live music from an ensemble led by Mr. Jack Armitage, Director of Program Scheduling and Mathematics faculty member! Club leader Len Glozman ’25 reflected on the Garden Club’s humble beginnings, when Ms. Tasha Urbanowski, MS 6th Grade Class Dean, walked by him and two friends during lunch outside one Friday afternoon four years ago. “She asked us if we wanted to help her garden for half an hour,” he said. “This morphed into a weekly tradition and ultimately led the three of us to officially propose the club to the Student Activities Board.” Len continued that much has changed since then. “Now, the club is a vibrant community, a space for both hands-on learning and socialization.” The senior described running the club as “an incredibly rewarding experience,” one that he hopes many generations of D-E students will share. “It is my hope that the future leaders of the club will continue to expand the programming around the garden.” Way to Grow, D-E Garden Club!