The Dalton School

6th graders in Dr. Carmen Campos’ Spanish class have been studying marine life to widen their language skills and learn about important conservation efforts. The class even adopted a leatherback sea turtle, Pink Floyd, which was found cold-stunned this past December. Students had the chance to meet Pink Floyd on a virtual field trip to the NY Marine Rescue Center and are excited for his release back to the water in the spring!

Today, HS students led a heartfelt community co-lab after school with First Program students, where they ran origami projects, arts and crafts, sing-a-longs, and trivia games to build our community closer together #GoForthUnafraid

It’s almost here! This year's annual (and first-ever virtual) Multicultural Festival takes place on Saturday, January 30. First Program families have compiled videos, art projects, and a beautiful digital cookbook of family recipes and stories (look for a hard copy version this spring). We hope you will join us in celebrating our culturally rich and diverse community. Dalton community members can head over to http://blogs.dalton.org/multicultural-festival/ and check out our virtual showcase featuring FP students from over 20 cultures, our virtual FP art gallery, and the Dalton community recipe blog!

Tonight Dalton welcomes New York Times best-selling author Dr. Lisa Damour who will talk about "Managing Stress, Anxiety, and Parenting Under COVID-19." In this virtual presentation, Dr. Damour will share the psychological science on how stress and anxiety operate, reliable strategies for managing ongoing stress, and many other important family topics. All Dalton community members are invited to attend. For login information, please go to the school calendar on Dalton's website.

What a busy and exciting week at Dalton with hybrid learning in full swing!

These costumes are scary good.

In today's Middle School assembly, 8th graders led a conversation on the history of voting in the United States to teach students about eligibility, the dangers of voter suppression, and the ways Americans can make their voices heard.

Dalton welcomed author, educator, performer, and activist Alok Vaid-Menon for a special HS Assembly in honor of #SolidarityWeek. In this virtual visit, Alok used mixed media to help students examine gender, race, trauma, belonging, and the importance of showing up for one another.

Welcome to Solidarity Week! To show support for LGBTQ+ community members, we encourage you to update your Zoom profile with your preferred pronouns and a special Solidarity Week virtual background (Image created by Ella Toback '21) While solidarity work happens in many different forms, it starts with amplifying the voices of people who have been harmed by oppressive systems to center their needs, requests, and ideas. Please check the Dalton website for announcements about activities and other opportunities to get involved.

Every month, Dalton community members take part in many holidays, celebrations, and observances that are significant to them. Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office is proud to recognize upcoming October events and invite you to learn more or take part. If we've missed any that are important to you and your family, please let us know!

It was great to see the Class of 2022 on-campus for their t-shirt decorating party. Thank you to the Junior Class Presidents for organizing this fun, optional event!

This week was our annual Senior Chalk Party! The Class of 2021 came together in small groups to take part in this annual tradition #GoForthUnafraid

Yesterday for our Middle School Day of Activism, students joined keynote presentations and participated in interactive workshops to explore topics such as social awareness and justice issues around race, gender identity, representation, politics, and environment. A special thanks to our guest speakers: Authors Adam Gidwitz, Cheryl Hudson, and Wade Hudson for inspiring students to reflect, learn, and grow.

The Dalton community was thrilled to welcome back Dr. Chris Emdin, Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Technology at Teachers College, Columbia University, where he also serves as Associate Director of the Institute for Urban and Minority Education. After meeting with Faculty & Staff over the summer to lead professional development work, Dr. Emdin returned to engage with Dalton students for a virtual presentation on Reality Pedagogy (RP) and the concept of the rights of the body. The presentation allowed students to understand the type of professional development training their teachers have received around RP, understand their own roles as learners and advocates for each other, and open up space for critical dialogue that moves towards healing of past wounds and a reimagining of our community's future.

4th Graders were able to come together and meet their Middle School Houses yesterday for some exciting and healthy bonding activities at Asphalt Green while maintaining CDC and NYS guidelines.