Big imaginations team up once again! For the second year, Class of 2027 Dean Stephanie “Tuc” Tucker assigned the “Small Stories” project to her Creative Writing class of juniors and seniors. This wonderful opportunity pairs Upper School students with a talent for storytelling and PreK 4 students eager to learn from the “big kids” on campus. By the end of the project, these groups will explore the building blocks of a book and collaborate on an original story they’ll bring to life together.
“Feedback from the ‘big’ and ‘small’ participants, and their families, was so positive last year that we wanted to keep it going and growing!” said Dean Tuc. This year, PreK 4 teachers created trading cards for each participant with their names, ages, and hobbies as icebreakers.
Zoe Berger ’28 is a “D-E Lifer,” whose older sister, Lily, inspired her to take Dean Tuc’s class. “I have been at D-E since PreK 3, so being back in the Lower School felt beyond nostalgic,” said Zoe. “But what stood out most was how open the kids were… they were immediately excited to talk, ask questions, and share their thoughts with us.”
“I think the project will change us as writers too,” Zoe added. “We spend so much time learning how to revise, refine, and make deliberate choices, while the [younger] kids remind us how important it is to take risks and be excited by an idea before worrying whether it is ‘good.’” Here’s to the power of cross-divisional creativity!
