Before coming to D-E, History Department Chair, Arika “Ari” Easley-Houser taught at Rutgers Prep and several colleges and universities, including Montclair State University and New York University. A socio-cultural historian focused on United States history, she received her Ph.D. from Rutgers University and a certificate in school management from the Harvard Business School. She was recently selected for a National Association of Independent Schools Fellowship for Aspiring School Heads. Now in her third year of heading the department, Easley-Houser speaks to the importance of historical inquiry for students and how the history curriculum must reflect and respond to the diversity of students. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
D-E Celebrates Lower School Fifth Graders Moving Up to Middle School
Fifth graders completed their era as members of the Lower School (LS) on the morning of Friday, June 6, during the Fifth Grade Moving Up Ceremony on Leggett Field. As LS faculty/staff, family members, and friends were seated beneath a tent, the Processional began with...
MS ‘Field Day’ Celebrates Final Day of School
School’s out for summer! On the last day of classes, D-E’s Middle School enjoyed a fun-filled Field Day, which included karaoke in Schenck Auditorium, a trivia game in Hajjar Auditorium, and sports, inflatable slides, and other activities in the Myrna B. Sherman Gym....
D-E Celebrates Pride Month
In the final days of the school year, D-E celebrated Pride Month with community-wide efforts to decorate the campus with Pride flags, banners, window decals, and a giant rainbow paper chain stretching from the Lower School (LS) and past the Upper School (US) to the...
Private Music Lessons Recital Highlights
An end-of-year D-E tradition, the Private Music Lessons Recital, once again proved to be a wonderful celebration of musicianship. This recent event, presented by the D-E Performing Arts Department faculty in partnership with D-E 360°, featured nearly 30 student...
Middle School Final Projects Wrap Up the Year
D-E Middle Schoolers were busy with end-of-year projects to cap off a productive year! For their American History class, 8th graders were each tasked with writing and illustrating a children’s book, based on a historical event from the 1960s. This was a pilot project...
D-E Alumni Return to Campus
D-E alumni recently returned to campus for a series of events, including a panel from recent graduates, speed networking with our class of 2025, a Young Alumni BBQ, and a gift dedication from the Class of 2024. During the Recent Alumni Panel, moderated by Eileen...
Congrats to Emma Hsu ’25, Grace Dalgetty ’26!
Cheers to Emma Hsu ’25 and Grace Dalgetty ’26, both of whom competed in the recent State Meet of Champions in Pennsauken, NJ (the highest level of high school competition in New Jersey),and made D-E School history in the process! Emma competed in both Triple Jump and...
Visiting Poet Dr. Joshua Bennett Inspires D-E Students to ‘Live in the Space of Imagination’
D-E was recently graced with a campus visit from renowned poet Dr. Joshua Bennett, a Professor of Literature and Distinguished Chair of the Humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Dr. Bennett is the author of five books, including The Sobbing...
A Look Back: Poet Dr. Joshua Bennett Visits D-E
D-E was recently graced with a campus visit from renowned poet Dr. Joshua Bennett, a Professor of Literature and Distinguished Chair of the Humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Dr. Bennett is the author of five books, including The Sobbing...
Wacky Water Day and Kindergarten Field Day Spark Joy for Lower School Students
Wacky Water Day was a blast for D-E’s 1st through 5th graders! The annual tradition gives Lower School (LS) students the opportunity to get into their bathing suits to participate in water activities on Mr. Rocky’s Field with their peers, while teachers splash them...