Our seventh graders wrapped up their year with a cornerstone of our Middle School Financial Literacy curriculum: the annual trip to Wells Fargo! Greg Peterson, P’20, whose generosity along with that of his wife Mary Harada, began this program 12 years ago, and he has been instrumental in its development throughout that time. And lucky for us, we have all of the info about the trip from Greg, serving once again as our fabulous View roving reporter:

Our seventh graders trekked to Wall Street spending a day at Wells Fargo! This is the culmination of their investment management role as part of the Financial Literacy curriculum.

AI AI Captain! – Goron Z. Gordon rode the AI and Tech wave in the second half of the contest to generate the best second half return (+55.1%) as well as the best overall return for the year (+34.6%). Grok says congratulations!
One-Hit Wonder Award – Ronak S. Ronak rode a +120.6% return in Nuraxis stock in the first period, which was the single best performing stock in any period and almost enough to secure the best overall return. Unfortunately, four stocks were negative for the year. The overall +32.7% return was good enough for second place!
Comeback Kid Award – Mijo C. After posting a loss of -28.1% in the first half, Mijo came storming back with the second-best return (+51.2%) in the second half with strong returns in all three stocks including a +111.8% return in AMD stock.
Look Out Bill Ackman Award – Jasper H. Notorious short seller Bill Ackman would be envious of Jasper’s ability to pick losing stocks. Two stocks went bankrupt and a third is on life support. Jasper’s overall portfolio was down -97.9%, which we have never seen before, nor will we ever see again! Jasper noted tanking was his strategy for an award and hedge fund opportunity.
It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint Award – Lucas P. After posting the best return of the first half (+25.3), Lucas’ defensive stocks lagged (-16.0%) as the AI and Technology trade took off in the second half.
SWITCHEROO! Award – Gordon Z. Gordon had not one, but the two best stock switches in the contest, swapping Super Micro for Western Digital (+72.3%) and Nvidia for Micron Technology (+75.7%). These were the two best switches out of 32 made this year.
Switcherboo Award – Spencer C. Spencer’s switch from Apple to the Proshares Ultra Short QQQ may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but ended up being the worst performing switch, falling -39.3% in the second half as the AI and Tech trade reasserted itself.
Wait for It – Avin P. Despite a -23.4% loss in the first half, Avin made no switches. This patience was rewarded as IBIT (Bitcoin ETF), Alphabet, and CoreWeave paid off for a nice +27% return in the second half.
Five Out of Six Ain’t Bad Award – Sana K. While no student had all six stocks with a positive return, Sana had five positive stocks and was the only student to accomplish this. Nvidia stock in the first half (-12.5%) was the only blemish.

The discussion included debate on optimum asset allocation, what changes to make in the portfolio, how to manage the summer investing period, and lessons learned to transfer to next year’s rising Seventh Grade. Year-to-date, the overall portfolio returned a respectable 7.7% return against an S&P benchmark of = 8.3% and PIMCO Active Bond ETF = 0.0%!

Huge thanks to all of the professionals and parents from Goldman Sachs, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Wells Fargo, Truist, Dr. Thor Johnson, Rui Dong, Dorothy Meyer, Michele Glazer, James Cappabianca, the Harada/Peterson and Krupp Families — and everyone who supports this wonderful and unique element of our curriculum at Â鶹´«Ă˝!

Â鶹´«Ă˝’s Sixth Grade have been in and out of 925 Ninth Avenue these past few weeks, diving into their Humanities and Sciences curriculum with trips far away and nearby!

First was the annual Sixth Grade Cape Cod Trip!With all of the details, we have the updates from the road from Ms. Meyer:

DAY ONE

We had a wonderful first day in Cape Cod! The buses got off before 8:00 AM and, after two brief stops, two DVDs, and many rounds of singing, we arrived at camp around 1:15 PM in good spirits.

First on the agenda was a meeting with the staff at Camp Wingate-Kirkland, cabin assignments, and a fire drill. Once the logistics were taken care of, the students were divided into field groups for outdoor challenge and team-building activities with the wonderful staff from Outdoor Classroom. Before dinner, there was some free time for Pickleball, basketball, tether ball, gaga, chess, reading, and card games. After dinner, all food waste was collected and weighed for the Ort Report, followed by evening activities that included team challenges geared toward promoting the Four Cs: Care, Communication, Courage, and Curiosity.

We all gathered for Evening Quiet Sing as a final activity before heading back to the cabins for the night. The guitar is strumming and the kids are singing as I write this. Looking forward to another great day tomorrow!

DAY TWO

The day dawned, bright and sunny. Despite the 7:00 AM wake up call, many of our students were up well before that, eager to start the day. Unfortunately, the Whale Watch was canceled, but luckily, we had an exciting back-up plan and the kids were in great spirits.

We loaded the buses with our day packs and lunches and headed to The National Seashore National Park and the Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham. After a visit to the museum and information center (where we saw an interesting movie about the coastline and whaling industry), our field guides took the kids out on the salt pond to observe and learn about this unique ecosystem. Students found three or four different species of crab, spotted numerous fish, birds, and interesting plants, and even found a snake skin.

After a picnic lunch, we went on a two-mile hike through the woods along the coastline. We climbed Doane Rock, had a treat, and finished the hike at Coast Guard Beach. We explored the dunes, and the kids had a blast playing on the beach. There was football, volleyball, and other catch games! There were sand castles, deep holes, seal sightings, bird watching, and card games!

Back at camp, we had dinner and celebrated Ingrid’s birthday with special Cape Cod cupcakes called Scottcakes. Mr. Coen had made the connection with Mr. Scott who owns the Scottcakes shop by the Whale Watch departure site. When Mr. Scott heard that we wouldn’t be going on the Whale Watch, he didn’t want us to also miss out on the cupcakes and Ingrid’s birthday celebration, so he personally drove an hour to meet us at the beach and deliver the Scottcakes! Thank you, Mr. Coen and Mr. Scott!

After dinner, we had free time before gathering around the camp fire to roast marshmallows and enjoy Evening Quiet Sing before bed. It was another beautiful day on the Cape!

DAY THREE

Day Three was a lovely ending to a great trip! After breakfast, we loaded up the bus and headed out to the New Bedford Whaling Museum, where students explored a 50% scale model of a 19th century whaling ship, admired the nation’s largest collection of scrimshaw, and were able to study actual whaleship logbooks and journals from the 16th-19th century.

After lunch, we visited the Seamen’s Bethel, which is the church Ishmael visits just before heading to Nantucket and out to sea in the famous whaling novel “Moby Dick”. Herman Melville describes the church in detail, including the pulpit shaped as a ship’s prow (which was actually added later to match Melville’s description).

We wrapped up our trip with readings from “Moby Dick” and an acknowledgment of the tremendous legacy left by the seamen, whalers, writers, families, and workers of Cape Cod!

It was an amazing trip for our Sixth Graders — and special thanks to our wonderful chaperones: Mr. Thoren, Mr. Coen, Ms. Meyer, Mr. G, Ms. Koralewski, and Mr. Blackman!

After they returned, Sixth Grade trekked to our own coastline and participated in New York City’s Billion Oyster Project, connecting classroom learning to real-world environmental work happening around our city. As part of their Coastal Resilience Unit, students explored how coastal communities, including projects near Staten Island, are using living shorelines and oyster reefs as natural barriers to help reduce erosion, absorb wave energy, and support healthier ecosystems.

Students first visited the Oyster Restoration Station (ORS) at Pier I in December, where they investigated biodiversity within the harbor and observed oysters in the Hudson River. On this trip, students revisited their same stations and compared changes over time. They analyzed how biodiversity shifted throughout the year, observed the growth of living oysters, and experienced firsthand how scientists monitor environmental change. Through this ongoing project, students saw how small organisms can have a major impact on strengthening coastlines and building more resilient communities!

Our soon-to-be graduates have begun packing in so many events (and memories) in their final days at Â鶹´«Ă˝ and last week, it was the annual Eighth Grade Washington, D.C. trip! Yes, it seems every Spring, almost every eighth grader on the East Coast makes their way to our nation’s capital. Our oldest Dragons are bused from here to there (and back), and they pack in visits to the Smithsonian and Holocaust Memorial Museums, the Lincoln, Vietnam War, Jefferson, and Martin Luther King, Jr. memorials, Arlington National Cemetery, the National Archives, the Capital Building, and more in just three days (oh, don’t forget the ghost tour of Historic Alexandria)! Here with all the exciting details from the trip is Mr. Deards:

DAY ONE

On arrival in D.C., we went to the National Mall, where we ate a picnic lunch before spending time in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. We then walked to the Museum of African American History and Culture. This is an important place. I wish we’d had the two days it takes to really explore and inhale it.Ěý

Our visit was sadly short, but we were able to spend time in the historical area with severe galleries that describe the institution of slavery and its arrival in North America, the Revolution and creation of the Constitution (which allowed the continuation of the institution), the run-up to the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Civil Rights. I was impressed by the seriousness the students showed as they reprocessed much of the curriculum for the year but saw it amplified and deepened with additional data and vivid artifacts. They were saddened to note that Thomas Jefferson had enslaved children, and several choose to file by the casket of Emmett Till to pay their respects.Ěý

Our evening tour took us to three important monuments. First, we visited the austere and hauntingly beautiful Korean War Memorial. There are 19 statues (38 when reflected in the etched wall), and the statement “Freedom Is Not Free” is strong. It was gloomy and raining, which matched the attire and mood of the soldiers honored. We then heard about the design of the Vietnam War Memorial (the designer was a college student, and the project got a B!) before walking slowly past it. Our last visit was to the Lincoln Memorial. We saw the spot where Dr. King gave the “I Have A Dream” speech. Several students investigated the theory (shared by our guide) that John Wilkes Booth’s face can be seen if Lincoln is observed in profile, and they found it to be true.

DAY TWO

Our planned visit to Arlington National Cemetery had to be recalibrated as a very, very distant cousin of mine (King Charles) was also visiting. However, our tour guide organized the transition well. We went, en route, to see the US Air Force Memorial, which is a soaring tribute to birds, to the Wright Brothers, and to the human desire to fly.Ěý

The children were surprised and rather intrigued to learn that Arlington National Cemetery (now close to full) was the home and plantation of the strongest military tactician (but possibly weakest strategist) of the Civil War, Robert E Lee. Lincoln offered him the position of head of the Union armies on Day One (it took Grant three years to earn such a posting), but Lee was a Virginian before he was an American. We began a thoughtful journey that allowed us to pay our respects to several people we had encountered or will encounter in our studies. We saw the graves of Robert and John F Kennedy. We spent a few minutes just looking at some gravestones and wondering about those who had served their country.Ěý

After Arlington, we walked to the Iwo Jima monument, which memorialized the moment that the U.S. flag was raised.Ěý

Our next port of call (and yes, this was a LOOOONG day) was the National Archives (motto: “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”) We saw the biggies. There was the Declaration of Independence (“We hold these truths to be self-evident”), the Constitution (an unthinkably brief FOUR PAGES long, containing the entire mechanics of democracy and still, seemingly, humming), and the Bill of Rights The students swarmed and clicked their cameras (flashes dutifully off). I wonder if they were moved. I always am.

We were then able to squeeze in a brief sojourn at the World War II Memorial. It is a beautiful site with an Atlantic and Pacific side.Ěý

Then we took a tour of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. This is an austere and profound experience. We gave your children one and a half hours to investigate it, and they used every minute of the time. As we rode the elevator to the top floor, we heard a brief movie of the reactions of the Allied troops as they encountered concentration camps and could not believe what they were seeing. We saw a quote from General Dwight Eisenhower, who made it his business to witness a camp so that he could refute anyone who described the Holocaust as “propaganda.” You should ask your child what they made of it, but we saw one sad thing: among the towns in Germany where centuries of Jewish life were destroyed, was the town of Â鶹´«Ă˝, once a foremost center of Jewish learning.

We then went to Historic Alexandria for an encounter with the surreal. We engaged in a Ghost Walk. And this skeptical educator was quite enchanted and occasionally frightened by the evening. An appropriately attired guide began by explaining the history of public hangings, war, and disease, and took us to several sites, including a cemetery, a tavern with a “Room 8” (with several notorious deaths and weird candle incidents), and George Washington’s townhouse (now an AirBnB where visitors sometimes report hearing the neigh and knickering of Washington’s horses). We then scurried back to the bus. Was it because we were tired and wanted to get tucked up in bed at our hotel? Or were we, just a little, afraid of the spirits?

DAY THREE

Our morning began at the Tidal Basin with the Jefferson Memorial. It is, in many ways, a serene and deceptively simple space. We see Jefferson gazing out across the water, marble and symmetry doing their quiet work. We spoke a little about the tension in Jefferson himself: the author of soaring ideals about liberty, and a man who lived in profound contradiction with them. The students, as ever, were quick to see both sides.

We then rode to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, which feels entirely different. It is more dynamic, more urgent. The great stone figure emerges from the “mountain of despair,” and the surrounding quotations form a kind of moral chorus. The statue was originally criticized for its unfinished nature. But, perhaps, it is an appropriate tribute to the ongoing work in support of Civil Rights. Your children moved through it thoughtfully, reading, pausing, occasionally photographing lines that struck them. It is a place that asks something of you.

After a well-earned lunch at the Capitol Café (which, for this correspondent, was a disappointing black bean burger and a blondie to die for), we entered the Capitol itself. This is, of course, the epicenter of American government, though it also occasionally feels like a museum, a cathedral, and a construction site all at once. We began with a film, earnest, sweeping, and unapologetically patriotic, and then moved into a guided tour. We stood beneath the great dome and looked up at Brumidi’s Apotheosis of George Washington, which remains one of the more surreal artistic choices in the American canon: Washington ascending, quite literally, into the heavens.

We learned about the building’s long and occasionally turbulent history (including its destruction at the hands of British troops in 1814 and its subsequent rebuilding), and about its status, at the time of its construction by mostly enslaved labor, as the largest building in North America, a physical statement of ambition as much as governance. We walked past the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court before looping back around the Capitol Building for one final photo.Ěý

We thank Mr. Deards for his illuminating work as a Â鶹´«Ă˝ Correspondent, and to all of the Ms. MJ, Nurse Allyce, Mr. Blackman who made this trip possible. Our Â鶹´«Ă˝ students continue to cultivate both intellect and integrity inside 925 9th Ave and beyond.Ěý

The Fifth Grade Science Fair and Sixth Grade STEM Fair took over the Dining Hall and were true celebrations of curiosity, creativity, and independent learning. Over the course of the full school year, our students took ownership of their research projects — choosing topics, asking questions, testing ideas, and refining their work with impressive dedication. Not only does this project embrace and stretch our students’ Science knowledge, it builds many other skills such as time management muscles, planning and prioritizing awareness, and so on.

The culmination of this year-long unit are these fairs, held over two days when the Dining Hall is filled with energy and excitement and Science is at the center of every conversation. Families, students from other grades, faculty, and staff explored a wide range of topics as they visited the fairs — from engineering designs featuring motion-sensored music and lights to investigations of bacteria grown in petri dishes to experiments focused on the most effective ways to grow plants and food, the topics were vast and impressive. It was a wonderful event allowing students to confidently share their thinking while teaching others something new.

Shout-out to all of our Fifth and Sixth Grade scientists as well as MS Science Teachers Ms. Koralewski and Mr. G for their guidance and support! GO DRAGONS!

Our third graders are immersed in a cool cross-curricular project combining what they are learning In Makers Lab and Music! After exploring how electricity moves (including circuits, conductivity, and polarity), they split up into bands and selected what instrument they wanted to play. But not just any instruments — these are instruments they engineered out of Makers materials such as cardboard, boxes, markers, and so on.

After building their instruments, they created their circuit by adding conductive materials to the instruments and wiring them onto Makey Makey boards. (For those that don’t know what Makey Makey boards do, they allow for inputs on their Chromebook to be controlled outside of the computer.) By using these boards and a program developed by Makey Makey to play sounds via circuits and inputs connected to their Chromebooks, the instruments were then wired up to play music notes!

They are now using these instruments in Music class to compose original songs with their bands! They’re currently notating their compositions so they can read them back, rehearse, and perform their work. The final result? A concert with all of the bands and their original masterpieces!Ěý

High-fives to our Third Grade Maker-Musicians for their creativity and kudos to LS Makers Teacher & Academic Technology Integrator Ms. Nguyen and LS Music Teacher Mr. Tim for this awesome cross-curricular project!

Middle Schoolers Rock the Boulevard with their Annual Â鶹´«Ă˝ Idol!

In April, it was time for one of the most beloved and entertaining Middle School events: Â鶹´«Ă˝ Idol! As part of their Middle School music curriculum, each class selects a song, works on the arrangement, and rehearses in order to compete in a proper head-to-head musical contest – complete with judges and crowd input!

This year, the judging panel consisted of Mr. Jameson, Ms. Funk, and Mr. Levin (each play a “role” akin to the judges on the real American Idol show), and we had a special host: DJ DB (Mr. Benedek)! All of the classes brought their enthusiasm and energy…the performances were quite memorable (to say the least). This year’s songs included a wide range of genres — “Yellow,” “Rise Up,” “My Way,” and “Country Road” are just a few of the tunes we heard!

Special shout-out to the winners: Rise Up in Sixth Grade, who were selected as the group that demonstrated the best teamwork; My Way in Seventh Grade, who was voted the most entertaining group; and Iris in Eighth Grade, who won best performance!!Ěý

Spotted in the Dining Hall: The Annual PA International Potluck and Game Night!

Our Â鶹´«Ă˝ community gathered in the Dining Hall for one of the oldest Â鶹´«Ă˝ traditions: the Annual PA International Potluck! It was a fabulous night, with delicious food, fun games and activities, and lots of laughter! Thank you to everyone who brought food and enjoyed the games — and a special shout-out to our amazing PA Leadership and volunteers as well as our Â鶹´«Ă˝’s Security and Facilities Teams for helping with organizing, set-up, and clean-up! See you next year! GO DRAGONS!Ěý

Â鶹´«Ă˝ Welcomes the President of the Geena Davis Institute!

It was a wonderful event, as Â鶹´«Ă˝ welcomed Madeline Di Nonno from the Geena Davis Institute (GDI)! The GDI has a mission to champion equitable representation of women and girls in media, aiming to reinvent, transform, and inspire how global content creators and media tell stories through authentic portrayals of the population in entertainment. Hosted by the Â鶹´«Ă˝ Parents of Girls Affinity Group and open to all families in the Â鶹´«Ă˝ community, it was an inspiring and informative gathering! Thanks to everyone who made this event happen!

The Beebots need your help learning to count!

Help! The Beebots need to learn to count to 10 but only speak the Beebot language! Are you up to the challenge?

Our first graders were! In Makers, our First Grade students are learning about sequences and code. In order to help the Beebots learn to count, they first need to learn the Beebot language: sequencing! As part of their second coding lesson of the year, students helped the Beebots count to ten by planning the route the Beebot took through a sequence of directional steps.

Don’t worry, all our Beebots learned to count to 10!

Our Middle School welcomed the volunteers from PricewaterhouseCoopers for their final morning of Financial Literacy curriculum for the year! The Boulevard and classrooms were electric, as they tackled a variety of topics!

Â鶹´«Ă˝ fifth graders investigated current types of consumer financial fraud (including online scams, cookie click bait, and sweepstakes fraud) and identified actions a victim of fraud or identity theft should take to restore personal assets and security. There was a deep dive from many students who wanted to share what scams or frauds their families had been snared by and how to protect social security numbers. Split into groups to design a way to help inform the public about scams, one fifth grade team created their PSA as a commercial and sang the lyrics to their song “Please Stop Believing” using Journey’s iconic melody “Don’t Stop Believing”. 

Â鶹´«Ă˝ sixth graders were engrossed with creating a spending plan. They explored all of the ways to create and work with a budget, analyzing and differentiating between needs and wants. The topic provided much discussion (as one can imagine)! One student noted fixed and variable expenses are key and wondered why there was not a budget category for medical care, while another felt keeping their annual income below a threshold would get them “free” healthcare. Many felt that candy and streaming services were fixed expenses (not discretionary) yet others argued that “none of these are necessities, I could live in a cave.” Quite a few of the PwC instructors were delighted to hear how many Dragons would spend a new-found $100 by donating or saving it versus spending the money. When thinking about the impact of revenue and their budgets, one enterprising student expanded their income through social media streaming and influencing while another decided to cut their gas bill by selling the gas stove and converting to electric.

Meanwhile, our eighth graders focused on planning for the future. They discussed making smart investment choices, how to create a balanced portfolio, and how to analyze which stocks can appreciate as well as throw off dividends. The PwC team was impressed with their knowledge of stocks, ETFs, diversification, and long-term strategies for wealth creation. While a number of the students felt they could get some backing on their dream investments by appearing on the TV show Shark Tank, one of the main topics centered on how AI may disrupt white collar careers. Students and their mentors also had an intense conversation about the idea that gambling is investing, with the students wanting to check out the Kalshi predictive markets platform.

And what about our seventh graders? Well, they were preparing for their grade’s field trip to Goldman Sachs that is coming up in May! They will share details of how they have managed the Financial Literacy Fund Portfolio and also hear the always-riveting results of the individual stock contest. Stay tuned for a recap on that trip coming soon!

Thanks as always to all of the people who help to make the Financial Literacy program such a success! WAHOO!

All of us here at Â鶹´«Ă˝ applaud our soon-to-be graduates. While the matriculation results are wonderful, we have a few other fun facts to report: this amazing class had more than 100 high school offers to choose from as well as a record number of acceptances to Stuyvesant for any Â鶹´«Ă˝ class (a whooping 11)!

We are so proud of the Class of 2026 for all they have achieved during their years at Â鶹´«Ă˝ and we can’t wait to celebrate them during their final days at 925 Ninth Avenue! As we say, once a dragon, always a dragon!

ANOTHER National Championship! That’s what the Â鶹´«Ă˝ Girls Chess team brought home from the All-Girls National Chess Tournament in Chicago last weekend. We had 15 Dragons head to the Windy City and, once again, they shined! Our Under 10 team placed first and are the National Champions, while our Under 14 team placed second and our Under 12 team tied for second! AMAZING!

Not only that, but our Dragons earned many individual awards as well! Winnie T-T. went undefeated and Daisy Y. tied for third in the Under 14 section, Aileen L. tied for eighth in the U12 section, and Athena T. tied for third and Abigail Z. placed ninth in the U10 section! WOW!

We have to mention that Â鶹´«Ă˝â€™s MS teams in the Under 12 and Under 14 sections initially lacked the necessary number of players to constitute a full team (each team only had two of necessary three players). In an act of bravery, two of our second graders put their school first and their personal ambitions second — Marianna G. and Winnie T-T., who both could have excelled in the Under 10 section (AND who can still play in that section next year) joined the Under 12 and Under 14 teams, respectively. Our accomplishments would not have been possible without them! HUZZAH!

Congrats to ALL of our Â鶹´«Ă˝ Girls Chess players, our amazing coaches, and incomparable Chess team parents! GO DRAGONS!

Spotted on the Boulevard: A Mural all about Â鶹´«Ă˝!

Before their Agents of Change Museum, our youngest Dragons got inspired by Diego Rivera’s use of murals to portray Mexican history and culture! After reading “Diego Rivera: His World and Ours,” and learning about his life and art, students decided to create a mural all about Â鶹´«Ă˝. They first planned out their portion of the mural and then painted using paint sticks. The mural was then put on display at their Agents of Change Museum for all to see!

What was on the mural, you may ask? Well, it had images of the people, places, classes, and traditions that make Â鶹´«Ă˝ so special!

Dragon Debate Roars Through the Season With Top Spots and Speaker Awards!

In another dynamic showing in their blockbuster season, 57 Â鶹´«Ă˝ Dragon Debaters descended upon Packer Collegiate School last Saturday, demonstrating their command of logos, pathos, and ethos.

Applause all around to Â鶹´«Ă˝â€™s Novice teams! We had two teams break into the top 10 teams overall, and every single Novice debater deserves congratulations for the dedication and growth they demonstrated during their first season of competitive debate.

The Â鶹´«Ă˝ Varsity teams also deserve huge kudos for securing a remarkable five spots in the top 10 of their division with teams in fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth place overall! We are also tipping our hats to speaker award recipients Dorothy F. (Novice) and Henry A. and Deacon G. (Varsity)! HUZZAH!

It has been an incredible season, with Â鶹´«Ă˝ teams giving it their all, participating in more than 270 rounds of debate — and we have even more rounds ahead! Â鶹´«Ă˝ Debate is already hard at work, lining up their teams for the NYDL Varsity Debate Championship in April and some potential additional Debate opportunities in May! Stay tuned for more news about our outstanding Debate program! Shout-out to all of our Dragon Debaters, our fabulous Debate coaches, and the ever-supportive Debate parents! GO DRAGONS!

Admit One: The History of the 13 Colonies comes to life!

Our Third Grade Dragons held their film premiere for their films exploring the complex ideas of the United States Constitution. Each class made mini films addressing different aspects of the Constitution that combined into one bigger film. Students researched, wrote scripts, planned the action of the scenes, filmed and edited!Ěý From memorizing lines to quick costume changes our Dragons worked hard filming the scenes of their films. A true test of their collaboration and creativity, they jumped right into the editing process, adding background images, trimming clips, and creating title screens.

Spotted on the Boulevard: An enchanting time at our INspeyerED Spring Camp Week!

Over the break, our campers created a collaborative forest college, magical creatures from enchanted forests, maps containing secret caves and restaurants with magical food, and detailed dioramas based on original stories. That’s not all!! During their electives and activities, campers were able to make focaccia, design and construct birdhouses, build robots with Lego Mindstorms EV3 sets, and so much more! A highlight of the week was an in-camp field trip with Improv 4 Kids, where everyone jumped right into interactive improv games. A big thank you to everyone who helped make this a week filled with magic, movement, and making!

Before break, we celebrated our Lower School artists at our Fourth Annual Lower School Art Walk! It was an amazing day with family and friends from each Lower School grade attending the event with art projects on display that covered a semester of art exploration and creativity!

During their first semester, our youngest Dragons dove into a myriad of art concepts and skills to hone not just artistic skills but also work fine motor skills and build hand muscles! Students explored painting using the three primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) and practiced important studio habits such as holding a paintbrush correctly, washing brushes between colors, and experimenting with mixing paint on both their palettes and paper. As they tackled color mixing, printmaking, shape and composition, and embroidery, our Kindergarteners created wonderful pieces such as clay pots, embroidered art, and colorful collages inspired by Henri Matisse’s The Snail!

Meanwhile, our first graders spent the first semester inspired by many different artists! They created pixel-style mosaics based on the work of street artist Invader (known for his mosaics inspired by classic video games) as well as city collages based on the layered style of Romare Bearden (who used collages to tell stories of city life). In experimenting with printmaking, our first graders created art pieces inspired by Matisse and made donut sculptures after studying the tints and color mixing found in Wayne Thiebaud’s colorful dessert paintings. In a project to practice sequencing steps, strengthen fine motor skills, and develop patience, they made basket-like textiles inspired by Ghanaian textiles!

Through a series of creative projects that connected to their Humanities lessons, Second Grade artists explored the history and art of Ancient Egypt. Students practiced image transfer using the grid method to draw maps of Ancient Egypt, combining drawing, painting, and tactile design elements to bring the geography to life. To work on skills such as painting, observational drawing, and careful line and pattern work, they created drawings of beetles and pharaohs. As an experimentation with shape, color, and movement, students created their own sculptures inspired by the vibrant, organic glass sculptures of Dale Chihuly. Our Second Grade artists also celebrated DĂ­a de los Muertos by designing vibrant sugar skull artworks, embossing patterns and lines onto foil frames. Finally, students explored the bold, repeated imagery of Andy Warhol and created their own bold flower prints.

In the fall, our Third Grade artists were busy observing how a single color can be transformed in multiple ways and learning how adding light and dark areas creates the illusion of volume — these artistic studies produced wonderful tape-resistent projects and snowperson paintings. As they studied the work of Georgia O’Keeffe and her famous large-scale flower paintings, the third graders practiced observation, composition, and color contrast to make their own expressive flower pieces. Students then worked together on a grade-wide collaborative watercolor project inspired by Paul Klee’s work, with each student selecting a few words that represent things they associate with school, especially their experiences at Â鶹´«Ă˝. Finally, our Third Grade artists explored the expressive ceramic masks of Kimmy Cantrell. Cantrell’s work is known for its bold colors, asymmetrical shapes, and playful patterns that exaggerate facial features. Inspired by his unique style, students designed their own imaginative mask drawings, focusing on expressive shapes and decorative details.

In two connected art projects, Fourth Grade students studied the colorful dessert paintings of Wayne Thiebaud. They created their own cake drawings after learning how artists move from drawing simple shapes to creating form, practicing how to construct a cake with a missing slice to show depth and dimension. The Fourth Grade artists then recreated the missing slice from their drawing as a three-dimensional sculpture. Students constructed the form using pre-cut cardboard and masking tape to build the structure of the slice. They then covered the form with plaster strips and Claycrete to create a solid surface and finished their sculptures with paint and decoration. Fourth Grade artists also explored the beauty of geometric patterns in Islamic art, focusing on designs that use radial symmetry, examining how repeating shapes and lines can radiate from a central point to create balanced and intricate compositions. Students outlined their patterns with Gallery Glass leading and filled the shapes with Gallery Glass paint, creating vibrant artworks. Students practiced observation, shading, and color theory through a skull drawing and value study. After studying how background color can affect the mood and depth of a work of art, they completed their drawings with watercolor backgrounds in their choice of warm or cool colors.  

From pastel drawings to glow-in-the-dark creations, delicious clay sculptures to fantastic florals, it was a wonderful morning to celebrate the artistic explorations of our students!

Huge shout-out to our Lower School artists, classroom teachers, Ms. Gabrielli, Ms. Martin, Ms. Gordon, the Â鶹´«Ă˝ Facilities and Security teams, and everyone who helped make it happen! And, of course, a rousing standing ovation to Lower School Art Teacher Ms. Ocasio!

Before Spring Break, some of our Dragons celebrated their study of writing and storytelling with some inventive and cross-curricular projects!

Our first graders recently explored fiction writing and story structure by studying the Jory John series as inspiration. Our writers learned that characters face challenges and work hard (with the help of secondary characters) to solve their problems. They also discussed how memorable characters display unique and striking characteristics that help hook a reader’s attention. Using all of this knowledge, our first graders then planned and wrote their own stories! They created original characters (Wensil the Pencil, Kristina the Snow Leopard, and Tony the Chef…just to name a few) and brainstormed what problems they might face. They executed their plans into a five-page story including an introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and a resolution.

To celebrate their published work, our students brought their stories to life by dressing up and becoming their characters! We saw fake mustaches, animal tails, homemade t-shirts, and more as our students incorporated creativity and fun to their learning. They also shared their writing with Â鶹´«Ă˝ second graders who have fond memories from doing this project last year. It was a sweet culmination of a writing process that required stamina as well as imagination!

Meanwhile, over in the Middle School, our seventh graders and their families celebrated the completion of the Seventh Grade Medieval Manuscript Project! This process-based, interdisciplinary collaboration between Ms. Belski in Humanities and Ms. Moorhead in Art began as a study of world view, trade, literacy, and storytelling in the Middle Ages.

By using the raw materials and tools bookmakers had access to during the time period, students were able to experience historical bookmaking through kinesthetic learning, express their individual and creative thoughts through storytelling and design, and deepen their understanding of labor and process in a modern world that often undervalues the importance of craft. These books took five months to create from start to finish, embracing a commitment to slow, dedicated craftsmanship from a world gone by! In addition to displaying their finished books, each section of the Seventh Grade performed a song that related to either medieval times or Romeo and Juliet!

We are so proud of First Grade and Seventh Grade writers! GO DRAGONS!

Jane Goodall, The Roeblings, Steve Jobs, Simone Biles, Marie Curie, The Wright Brothers, Charles Darwin

These names? Just a few of the amazing people our Kindergarteners chose to research as their Agents of Change! The Agents of Change unit of study has been a part of the Â鶹´«Ă˝ curriculum from the very beginning and is just one example of how we work with our gifted learners — no matter the grade — to explore how they can make an impact in the world around them and why it’s so important.

Throughout the month of February, Kindergarten students learned about a few modern day Agents of Change and the modalities they utilized. They studied Malala Yousafzai and Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins (letter writing and speeches), the Water Protectors of the Dakota Access Pipeline (protest and posters), Bob Marley (songwriting), and Diego Rivera (murals). After learning about each Agent of Change, students were able to utilize their modality for a cause they found important: making protest posters, writing persuasive letters addressing problems they see in our school, and songwriting.

In an interdisciplinary Makers lesson, our youngest students read Diego Rivera: His World and Ours to learn about Diego Rivera’s life and his art. Inspired by him, the Kindergarteners decided to create a mural all about Â鶹´«Ă˝: the people, places, classes, and traditions that make our school so special! Each student first planned their portion of the mural, and then they painted the mural using paint sticks.

Alongside all of these classroom lessons, students worked on a home project to research and build a project on an Agent of Change of their choice, focusing on sharing details about their change-maker, the cause they believed in, and the actions they took to enact change. These Agents of Change ranged from inventors to politicians to scientists, and students created dioramas, posters, and videos to share their knowledge.

The unit culminated with the annual Agents of Change Museum, where families and loved ones were invited to school to explore the museum featuring both school and home projects. Students acted as docents, sharing their own work with their loved ones, and attendees were tasked with leaving compliments and questions for the researchers. It was a great way to celebrate the hard work of the Kindergarteners as well as highlight the wealth of knowledge they gained during this unit of exploration and inspiration!

Â鶹´«Ă˝ Chess Dominates at New York State Scholastic Chess Championships!

TWO CHAMPIONSHIPS…AND MORE! Â鶹´«Ă˝â€™s Chess Team stunned the competition at the New York State Scholastic Chess Championship last weekend — once again proving we are a Dragon powerhouse!

Our K-1 and K-8 teams clinched first place and the NY State Champion titles in their divisions, while our K-3 and K-5 teams also flashed some excellence with second and third place finishes, respectively! And there is even more great news: in their divisions, our K-1U400 team placed sixth, our K-3U800 team placed eighth, and our K-5U1000 team tied for second! AMAZING!

And that isn’t it! Our Dragons were shining bright individually as well! Leon Y. tied for fifth in the K-1 division, while Ian S. tied for second and Abigail Z. tied for ninth in the K-5 division! In the K-8 division, Lev S. and Isaac S. tied for third and Sam N. tied for ninth! Meanwhile, Komei O. tied for third in the K-8 U1300 division. To add to the amazing individual results, Kanysh S. nabbed the second place U800 class prize in the K-1 division, Rigdol L. grabbed the second place unrated class prize in the K-1U400 division, Kai Y. earned the first place U1200 class prize in the K-3 division, and Idan Z. nabbed the first place U1600 class prize in the K-8 division! HUZZAH!

Our Â鶹´«Ă˝ chess players made us proud once again — not just for their skills on the board, but for the way they value teamwork, determination, school pride, and camaraderie even more than the trophies they win. A huge shout-out to our amazing chess parents and our truly extraordinary chess coaches! GO DRAGONS!

First Graders Become Historical Time Travelers…Complete with Time Travel Helmets!

Recently, our First Grade students dove into imaginative inquiry when they were tasked to design and create time travel helmets using various crafting materials. Through this creative project, students imagined traveling back to learn about people and places from long ago.

To construct their helmets, they brainstormed what a historical explorer would need to time travel…and the list was endless. From temperature gauges to language translators, from lightbulbs to power buttons, our students were so creative. They sketched out a plan and then brought their ideas to life by securing materials all over their hats. The students also reimagined the use of traditional craft items such as pom poms, pipe cleaners and tin foil — straws became a water source and cotton balls transformed into a power button!

This hands-on project blends creativity, history, and curiosity, helping our first graders deepen their understanding of the past while engaging in meaningful and imaginative ways their time travel helmet can guide their learning!

Spotted on the Boulevard: Fourth Grade’s TaĂ­no Mini Museum!

Our fourth graders kicked off their study on the Columbian Exchange by learning about the Taíno, the indigenous group Columbus first encountered in the Caribbean. As part of their unit, students conducted a mini research project by choosing a topic they were interested in knowing more about — think Taíno housing, food and arming, religion and beliefs, social structure, language, and more! To complete their research, they read articles and watched videos about their chosen topic and recorded their findings in a notebook.

Our fourth graders then decided what medium would best convey what they had learned. Our Dragons used their creativity to display their research on posters, flashcards, dioramas, board games, and more — one student made a miniature version of the TaĂ­no game of batey but modified it to be a single player. To accompany their projects, students wrote a short blurb explaining their research. It was then time for their mini museum to open! Fourth graders were able to see their classmates’ projects and leave compliments, and faculty and staff also stopped by to see the wonderful creations.

The entire grade finished with a celebration including TaĂ­no music and taste-testing native Caribbean crops: cassava chips and guava juice! It was a huge hit!

Spotted by Â鶹´«Ă˝’s Science Labs: a 3-D periodic table created by our Fourth Grade scientists!Ěý

Yes, our students have been studying the periodic table, as well as learning about atoms, atomic structure, and how atoms interact with each other. Each Dragon was assigned an element, which they researched using books, websites, and the periodic table itself. They then wrote about what they learned, presenting their findings in a multi-paragraph report and selected a few 3-D objects to represent their element in their box – we spotted bright pipe-cleaners representing neon lights, a model magic spacecraft showing a use for titanium, foil “jewelry” representing silver, and a real microchip illustrating how silicon is used! This fantastic interactive periodic table of elements was then put on display for the whole school to enjoy! Way to go, Fourth Grade scientists!

Spotted in our First Grade classroom: lots of spots…101 spots as a matter of fact!Ěý

A tradition for the past few years, our First Grade Dragons celebrated the 101st day of school this week! Yes, they celebrate this day since they are in first grade and also to differentiate it from the 100th day of school they celebrate in Kindergarten.

As a lead up to this special celebration, they begin on the first day of school counting the school days, discussing place value, number sense, grouping, and so on to get to 101. To make it extra-special, everyone dressed up in black and white or like a dalmatian and enjoyed activities such as asking “What will I look like when I’m 101 years old?”, “If I had 101 Dalmatians, I would…”, and “If I had 101 of ______, I would ______!” They also brought in 101 items of anything they wanted, which they shared with each other via a gallery walk.

This day, wrapped in creativity and joy, highlights they’ve become 101 days smarter, stronger, kinder, and wiser!

Eighth Grade Travels to City Center for the 25th Flamenco Festival!

Our Eighth Grade Spanish students had the exciting opportunity to attend the 25th Flamenco Festival at City Center! Students saw performances by festival director Manuel Liñán, Olivier Award winner Eva Yerbabuena, member of multigenerational flamenco family El Farru, and rising star Juan Tomás de la MolĂ­a.Ěý

Before attending the festival, students learned about the history and origins of flamenco. Students studied the development of this powerful art form in southern Spain through the cultural influences of Roma (Gitano), Andalusian, and Moorish traditions. They also explored the role of the abanico (fan), discovering the traditional “language of the fan.”

Witnessing live performances helps connect language and cultural studies students are learning in the classroom in an impactful and memorable way!Ěý

What do you get when you roll a tennis ball, bounce it off three walls, and then hit a cup?

The study of geometric isometries! Our Eighth Grade Dragons were investigating fun consequences from reflecting points across lines. Given a pre-image (in this case, a cup), students found the image of the cup by reflecting it across a line (a wall of desks). Using painter’s tape, they drew line segments from the starting point to the reflected image of the reflected cup.

Our Dragons rolled the ball along the line segment, bouncing off the wall, hitting the cup. After reflecting the reflection and drawing a line segment to the new image, the ball bounced twice before hitting the cup. This process can be iterated over and over again, creating some cool trick shots!

The students’ favorite part? Laughing at Mr. Blackman when he couldn’t roll the ball very well!

John D. Rockefeller takes the stand!

Our Sixth Grade Humanities classroom was turned into a courtroom! This wasn’t any trial in any courtroom; this was a trial in the Court of Ethics. The charges? John D. Rockefeller lived an unethical life, brought forward by plaintiff Ida Tarbell.

Our sixth graders are studying the United States during the age of expansion, specifically examining the life and impact of John D. Rockefeller and the rise of Standard Oil. Every student played a role in the case: from the prosecution team to courtroom artists, and witnesses to journalists.

The verdict? That depends on who you ask. From the ethicist: he lived his life in a moral grey area. How you view him depends on your ethical priorities – if you value fair business practices, Rockefeller lived an unethical life. If you value utilitarianism and philanthropy, he lived an ethical one!

Kudos to all of our sixth graders and a huge shout-out to our Humanities teachers Mr. Thoren and Mr. Coen for bringing this cool project to the curriculum!

Defined by Teamwork and Positivity, Varsity Basketball Season Finishes Up Strong!

Both of our Varsity Basketball teams wrapped up their seasons recently! For their final game, our Varsity Boys team traveled to take on Gaynor, the number 1 seed in the AIPSL B Division Bracket. Â鶹´«Ă˝ won the opening tip and started the game by pinging the ball around on offense. Gaynor picked up their defensive intensity, swarming the Dragons each time they touched the ball. Â鶹´«Ă˝ was quick on their feet and pivoted to move the ball to avoid getting trapped, yet the Dragons went into the half down 24-7.

During the second half, Â鶹´«Ă˝ played with energy and kept their heads up. The Dragons attacked the hole on offense and created great looks around the rim. On defense, Â鶹´«Ă˝ was pressuring the ball and forcing deflections. As the half went on, Â鶹´«Ă˝ gained more confidence, knocking down a few three-pointers and making contested shots. When the final whistle sounded, Â鶹´«Ă˝ was defeated 53-26.

This was the fourth season in a row that the Varsity Boys Basketball team has made the playoffs! We are so proud of all of our players, who worked hard each practice and grew as a team throughout the season. We also want to thank Coach Stith for all of his hard work too!

Unfortunately, the last game for our Varsity Girls Basketball team was cancelled. We are so proud of them — the girls came to practice each week ready to develop their skills and learn the game of basketball. At each game, the team displayed amazing attitudes and showed stellar sportsmanship. Huge shout-out to all of our players and we also want to thank both Coach Segal and Coach Eismont for a terrific season!

Highlighted by Teamwork and Positivity, JV Basketball Season Comes to a Close!

Our Â鶹´«Ă˝ JV Girls showed incredible determination and heart in their final game, a match-up against The School at Columbia. Facing an aggressive and fast-paced team, Â鶹´«Ă˝ held firm despite trailing 2-0 after the first quarter and 6-0 at halftime. Rather than letting the score shake their confidence, the girls came out in the third quarter with renewed energy, tightening their defense and pushing hard on offense to close the gap to 8-4. Throughout the game, they maintained outstanding sportsmanship, even as several fouls were called and a few players bravely worked through minor injuries and setbacks.

In the final stretch, Â鶹´«Ă˝ continued to battle with grit and teamwork yet the game ended with a 9-4 loss. Most importantly, our Dragons never once lost their team spirit. Their resilience, positivity, and support for one another truly defined the game — and the entire season! The girls practiced hard, grew as a team, and developed their basketball skills! Huge thanks to Coach Koralewski for an awesome season!

Â鶹´«Ă˝ JV Boys also faced off against a talented School at Columbia team for their final game. From the opening whistle, Â鶹´«Ă˝ showed the ability to dribble while being pressured and made some great passes. Despite this, School at Columbia’s height made it challenging for Â鶹´«Ă˝ to generate these opportunities. As the game progressed, Â鶹´«Ă˝ settled down and started to move the ball quickly, connecting on a few of their shots. On defense, Â鶹´«Ă˝ did an excellent job guarding their person and attacking the offensive glass. Yet, as the final whistle blew, Â鶹´«Ă˝ was defeated.

Throughout the season, the JV Boys team came to practice ready to work hard and develop their skills. While the results were not always in our favor, the team had a terrific attitude and with each passing game, the students improved and always looked for positives — and we also want to thank Coach Renato for another terrific season! GO DRAGONS!

Earlier this month, our Middle School students welcomed a group from PricewaterhouseCoopers for their second Financial Literacy morning! Our students explored saving and investing, insurance and risk, the implications of filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy…and much, much more!

Our eighth graders tackled everything about budgets! They discussed where clothing, electronics, and eating out would fit in their monthly budgets as well as how to cut the cost of raising kids. While some noted how privileged they felt living in NYC, others analyzed which foreign country would have a lower cost of living…and at least one student was willing to move to Carling, TX to enjoy the lowest cost of living! And yes, another student decided not to adopt Fido the dog due to the expense in the budget.

As they learned about credit scores and bankruptcy, our seventh graders pondered what happens to your real estate assets in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy as well as what happens to debts when someone passes away. They also examined if a college loan impacts your credit score, and one Dragon shared they had been studying the hierarchy of liquidation and which creditors are more secure.

Our Sixth Grade wrestled with the pros and cons of insurance, potential insurance scams and frauds, and the concept of spreading risk, with one student noting, “If you think about the law of large numbers and spread the cost across a wide group, there may be no financial impact to society.” Several calculated payback periods (in their heads) on how quickly an insurance cost would outpace the purchase price of an item.

The fifth graders explored the ins and outs of investing. Some felt having a trusted, loving family would enhance their investing strategy so “you can truly have it all”. Another shared “our family is using OpenAI to select a 529 plan,” while still another “is already using Acorn to plan my investment strategy.”

Again, this is just a little peek into the latest studies in our Financial Literacy curriculum! Huge thank you to Greg Peterson P’20, Nisha Sheth P’29, and all of the professionals from PwC who came to guide the lessons, as well as to Head of MS Ms. Meyer and the entire Middle School faculty for their support!

It is said that “All the world’s a stage!” and at Â鶹´«Ă˝, it’s the Dining Hall that serves that purpose. On Monday, the forks and napkins were pushed aside for our annual Eighth Grade Shakespeare performance, a highlight of every student’s journey here at Â鶹´«Ă˝. Yes, each year, our soon-to-be graduates present their own unique take on the Bard’s famous words — this year’s play: As You Like It (which the aforementioned quote is from, natch)!

With all of the details, we have a special guest writer for The View…Deputy Head of School and Eighth Grade Humanities teacher Mr. Deards:

This past Monday evening was the annual Eighth Grade play, which this year was Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.”

It was a strong, fast-moving, joyful performance — made all the more astonishing by the fact that four weeks earlier, the students didn’t even know they were doing it.

In just over a month, they produced a full-length Shakespearean comedy: a show with costumes they designed themselves, sets they conceived, built, and painted, original music composed and performed by students, choreography created collaboratively, and — as is so often the case with Eighth Grade work — a production that was largely directed, shaped, and sustained by the students themselves.

No one in their right mind would attempt this. But we do. And somehow, it works. For the fifth year, Mr. Chris Ryan worked with us as our drama guide. Chris often says that he does not treat students as children; he treats them as actors. He teaches them that way, too — with seriousness, respect, and high expectations — and they rise to meet it.

The story of “As You Like It” is deceptively simple. Rosalind, cousin to Celia (the daughter of the usurping Duke Frederick), is exiled by her uncle and flees to the Forest of Arden in search of her banished father. She is accompanied by Celia and the court fool, Touchstone. Orlando, already wildly in love with Rosalind, also escapes into the forest, where he proceeds to write many, very, very poor love poems and nail them to essentially every available tree.

What follows is a play of remarkable sophistication and gender complexity. To remain safe, Rosalind disguises herself as a young man (Ganymede) and suggests to Orlando that he might be cured of his overwhelming love for Rosalind by pretending that “he” is Rosalind, and wooing her daily with sweet words and extravagant devotion. Love multiplies, tangles, and deepens. Identities blur. Assumptions are tested. And, in the end, Rosalind herself quietly and brilliantly orchestrates the resolution of all of it.The finale was spectacular: a two-minute original song, sung by the entire cast, played live by a student rock band, danced by the lovers — and then, finally, by everyone. It was a fitting ending to a show built on joy, courage, and trust.

The night ended in applause and laughter, but what lingered was something deeper: the sense that we had witnessed young people trusting one another with something difficult, beautiful, and alive. They made Shakespeare contemporary not by simplifying him, but by taking him seriously — with intelligence, humor, and joy. For a few hours, a forest appeared where a stage had been, reminding us what schools can be when we let students learn without ceilings.

Bravo! We give a virtual standing ovation to our Eighth Grade thespians, Mr. Deards, Mr. Ryan, and everyone who made this cornerstone of the Eighth Grade curriculum a success once again!

New York Metro Area Scholastic Chess Championship

We rang in the new year with some fabulous news from the New York Metro Area Scholastic Chess Championship! We had 33 Dragons compete at the event…and our K-1 Championship team (First Grade or below) placed FIRST and are the NY Metro Champions! Our Primary Championship team (Third Grade or below) placed ninth, both our Elementary Championship team (Fifth Grade or below) and Junior High Championship team (Eighth Grade or below) tied for fifth, and our Elementary U1100 team placed sixth! Amazing!

Individually, in the K-1 Championship section, Tren T-C. claimed second place, while fellow Dragons Leon Y. And Risheek P. Tied for seventh, and Autumn Z. earned the second place U400 class prize. And in the Elementary U1100 section, Eva L. earned the second place U700 class prize, while Yuv M. tied for fourth in the Primary U600 section! Wahoo!

Our Dragons had an amazing time — with a special treat that GM Abhimanyu Mishra (the youngest player to earn the GM title) was handing out the awards! Congrats to all of our Â鶹´«Ă˝ Chess players, our fabulous coaches, and awesome Chess parents! GO DRAGONS!

Spotted on the Boulevard: Growing Gators!

Before Winter Break, our Third Grade Dragons read the book Zack’s Alligator by Shirley Mozelle in Science class. The book is about a boy who gets an alligator keychain that grows and comes alive when he puts it in water. They used this book as a jumping-off point for an experiment: What would happen if WE put a toy alligator in water?

After submerging their toy alligators for several days, each third grader collected various data to track their alligator’s growth via a variety of measurements. They utilized what they have been learning in their current unit on metric measurements, including how to calculate length, weight, and volume. They also explored how to best organize their data, make close observations, and collaborate with a partner — skills that are emphasized in every Science unit at Â鶹´«Ă˝.

From giving their toys a name (Marshmallow, Chompy, Frog, and Mini Beast were a few favorites we heard) to the surprise of how the alligators have morphed each time they come to class, our students love all aspects of this project, particularly the weighing their alligators on the digital scales.

And this fabulous project isn’t over yet! Our third graders will continue to measure their alligators and when they notice a slowing of growth, they will take them out of the water and see if they shrink back down. At the end of the unit, they will graph their data as a class and come up with certain conclusions. Shout-out to Ms. Duffy, Ms. DiPietro, and our young scientists!

Find nonfiction features! STAT!Ěý

Our fourth graders are studying all aspects of reading and writing nonfiction as part of an integrated unit with Humanities. They are working toward a larger assignment of writing their own nonfiction articles about the Columbian Exchange. To prepare for this, they are honing their research skills in nonfiction book clubs and learning how nonfiction articles are structured and what features are typically included in nonfiction work.

After exploring text features found in nonfiction articles, students put their knowledge to work! With their classroom transformed into an operating room, students donned surgical masks, hair nets, and doctor badges! The challenge? Go on a scavenger hunt using classroom magazines to find a list of different nonfiction text features…and save their patients!

To have a successful “operation”, our fourth graders had to find and cut out specific nonfiction text features and paste them on their patients. They also had make sure they didn’t miss anything on the surgery to-do list and label all of the parts.

Thankfully every group was able to finish in time and save their patients from being text featureless! Of course, our Doctor Dragons had a lot of fun with this assignment and they especially loved getting to dress up as doctors and naming their patients!

Coding, Circuitry, and Creativity: Lower School Dragons in Makers Lab!

Â鶹´«Ă˝’s Makers Lab has been exploding with creativity and innovation, with some of our youngest Dragons learning coding and circuitry.

Kindergarteners are diving into the world of coding! They are learning what code is through a series of “unplugged” activities. Recently, they learned how computers speak in a special language called binary that only has two modes: on or off. They used a code breaker worksheet to create bracelets with beads that spelled out their initials in binary language!

Meanwhile, Â鶹´«Ă˝ third graders kicked off their unit on circuitry with Makey Makey! They learned all aspects of circuitry: how electricity flows, what conductivity and polarity mean, and what an open/closed circuit is. They used this knowledge to create controllers using Makey Makey boards to control inputs on our Chromebooks. The controllers they created were then wired to control a bongo drum app created by Makey Makey!

Saturday was another banner day for the Â鶹´«Ă˝ Debate Team, marked by a record number of debaters and judges, whose hard work, resilience, and team spirit exemplified our Â鶹´«Ă˝ Dragon values!

Congratulations to all 53 — yes, that’s 5-3! — debaters for giving it their all, securing a number of winning records across both divisions and two undefeated Eighth Grade Varsity teams! Â鶹´«Ă˝ ended up taking the second and fourth place team spots in the Varsity Division, alongside third, fourth, and sixth place team places in the Novice Division. AMAZING!

It turns out “hat tricks” aren’t just for ice hockey — Â鶹´«Ă˝ was also awarded the Novice Gavel for the third month in a row! Huge congratulations to fifth grader Dorothy F. on this achievement and to the six additional Â鶹´«Ă˝ students who placed in the top 10 individual speakers across the Novice and Varsity categories. WAHOO!

A special highlight of the day was the new impromptu debate round! Seeing our Dragon debaters collaborate in the moment and think on their feet was truly exhilarating. We are so proud of the entire Â鶹´«Ă˝ Debate Team! Shout-out to our fantastic Debate coaches and thank you again for our parent volunteers! Stay tuned for the results from the upcoming March 7 tournament, where our Dragon debaters will tackle topics ranging from streaming services to standardized testing! GO DRAGONS!

In January, the entire Â鶹´«Ă˝ community gathered for our fourth annual silent march and all-school assembly in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In the days leading up to the silent march, students and teachers reflected on his legacy and discussed causes that are important to them. They also engaged in age-appropriate discussions and lessons about different aspects and inspirations from the course of his life and then created posters to reflect what they had learned.

During the assembly, Â鶹´«Ă˝â€™s Director of Equity and Inclusion Mr. Greenhouse explained to our gathered community the questions each grade tackled, what they learned, and how their posters reflected that:

Our Kindergarten students began this journey by asking a foundational question “Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.?” and explored what tools he used to become an agent of change. They learned that Dr. King used tools like words, love, courage, and peaceful action. Their posters remind us that change does not always start with something big — it often begins with kindness, honesty, and care for others.

First grade students explored the question: “Why did Dr. King dream?” They learned that Dr. King dreamed because the world as it was did not yet reflect the world as it could be. Their posters remind us that dreaming is an act of hope — and that hope is where change begins.

Second Grade students studied Dr. King’s speeches and asked “What were Dr. King’s ‘Big Words'” and “How did those words change the world?” They identified words like justice, freedom, peace, equality, and love. Their posters show us that words matter — and that choosing them carefully can inspire people to act.

Our Third Grade asked “What did Dr. King stand for?” and “Why did he write his speeches?” They learned that Dr. King wrote to persuade, to inspire, and to challenge people to live up to their values. Their posters remind us that speaking and writing with purpose can shape history.

Fourth Grade students explored the shared ideas of Dr. King and Mahatma Gandhi by asking “What ideas did they promote that led to worldwide change?” They studied nonviolence, moral courage, and collective responsibility. Their posters help us understand that Dr. King’s work was part of a global movement for justice.

Fifth Grade students researched Dr. King’s legacy of nonviolent resistance, asking “Why was nonviolent resistance necessary?” and “What challenges did it bring?” They learned that nonviolence was not passive or easy — it required discipline, bravery, and deep moral commitment. Their posters remind us that choosing peace in the face of injustice takes strength.

Sixth Grade students examined Dr. King’s advocacy for human rights and economic justice, asking “What did Dr. King mean when he said, ‘Poverty is violence’?” They also explored how he risked his popularity to speak out about economic inequality. Their posters challenge us to think about fairness, responsibility, and who is protected in our society.

Seventh Grade explored the role of music during the Civil Rights Movement, asking “How does music act as a unifying force? ” and “What songs and lyrics inspired bravery and encouraged nonviolence?” They learned that music helped people face fear together. Their posters remind us that art and culture can sustain movements.

And finally, our Eighth Grade students approached Dr. King not only as a civil rights leader, but as a moral philosopher. They examined tensions such as justice versus comfort, democracy versus power, and memory versus truth. Through careful reflection, their posters invite us not just to admire Dr. King, but to wrestle honestly with the moral questions he raised.

Also during the assembly, our community was reminded how it is important to honor the many civil rights heroes whose names are not always as well known, but whose courage helped make the movement possible. Mr. Greenhouse illuminated how that movements are built not by one leader alone, but by many people — some famous, many not. He highlighted the importance of the actions and legacies of activists such as Claudette Colvin, Ella Baker, Bayard Rustin, Septima Clark, and Fannie Lou Hamer.

Before everyone departed the assembly, Mr. Greenhouse underscored how Dr. King’s legacy does not live only in history books or famous speeches. It lives in classrooms where students ask hard questions, knowing that understanding history means looking beyond a single story and recognizing the many people and ideas that shaped change. He urged our Dragons: “As you look back on your poster, I invite you to hold onto one idea or one question that stood out to you today. Think about how that idea might guide the way you treat others, the choices you make, or the courage you show when something feels unfair.”

A huge thank you to Mr. Greenhouse for organizing and planning this important assembly and to all of our community for taking part in this meaningful Â鶹´«Ă˝ tradition!

How would you design a new seed? What dispersal method would you use?

Our first graders were challenged with just that! As a part of their unit on plants, students were tasked with helping plants by designing a new seed that has a specific dispersal method they learned about.

Blowing in the wind, floating on water, clinging to fur – our students created unique seed designs that can be dispersed in so many ways! From imagining to designing, testing, and improving their seed designs, our students loved being able to use their creativity to solve this problem. Projects like these are just some of the many ways our students here at Â鶹´«Ă˝ are provided with limitless learning opportunities to nurture their inquiry!

National K-12 Championship

10 Â鶹´«Ă˝ Dragons trekked across the country to Spokane, Washington, to compete at the 2025 National K-12 Grades Championship…and they returned to NYC with amazing results! Our First Grade team tied for THIRD PLACE (and a mere two points shy of the championship title)! We also had two eighth graders team up, and despite being one player short for a full team, they tied for FOURTH PLACE! Amazing!

Amidst the fun were a few cool “upset” victories too — first grader Henry A. (coming into the tournament rated 542) beat a player rated 1181! That’s a 639 point difference! His brother, fifth grader Charles, bookended the event with his own upset by defeating a player rated 1639, a 543 point difference from his 1096 rating! Yes, it was a fabulous weekend of chess, teamwork, and laughs! Huge congrats to all of our Chess Dragons and big high-fives to our wonderful Â鶹´«Ă˝ Chess coaches and always-supportive parents! GO DRAGONS!

Sixth Grade Celebrates Their Study of George Orwell’s Animal Farm!

Our Sixth Grade Dragons have been reading and studying Animal Farm and to wrap up this unit, they held…what else… a birthday party! Sixth Grade Humanities teacher Mr. Coen gave us all of the details on the fun:

Throughout our “Animal Farm” unit, students have studied the various ways that propaganda can be used to distract a populace; the Romans called this tactic “bread and circuses.” As an end-of-unit celebration, students dressed as characters from “Animal Farm” and attended Napoleon’s birthday party. Napoleon’s birthday party constituted a grand circus, wherein students created their own visual propaganda, prepared gifts for Napoleon, and performed songs and speeches in his honor.

As in “Animal Farm”, this impressive display distracted from the inequality of their society (Napoleon devoured a gigantic donut during his toast, while students received mere donut holes). Students enjoyed the chance to share their propaganda pieces and the grand reveal of Napoleon (Head of School Mr. Donovan and Sixth Grade Humanities teacher Mr. Thoren both embodied the character in separate rooms)!

Shout-out to all of our sixth graders and Mr. Coen — and a special thanks to Mr. Donovan and Mr. Thoren for their stellar performances!