Dwight-Englewood School
The Dwight-Englewood School (D-E) is an independent coeducational college-preparatory day school, located in Englewood, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The school teaches students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in three functionally separate schools. The Lower School (formerly known as the Bede School) serves students in pre-kindergarten through 5th grade in Drapkin Hall. The Middle School, in Umpleby Hall, serves students in grades 6-8. The Upper School serves grades 9-12, and it houses its administration in the Leggett building and the Klein Campus center. Other buildings are the Hajjar STEM  Center, Swartley Arts Center, the Imperatore Library and the Modell Sports Complex. As of the 2019–20 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,040 students (plus 28 in PreK) and 125.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 8.3:1. The school's student body was 49.4% (514) two or more races, 24.4% (254) Asian, 11.5% (120) Black, 9.0% (94) American Indian/ Alaska Native, 5.1% (53) Hispanic and 0.5% (5) Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander. Dwight-Englewood is a member of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools and has been accredited by the Middle States  Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1999. Awards, recognition and rankings. Dwight-Englewood was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, the highest award an American school can receive, during the 1986-87 school year. History. In 1889, the Dwight School for Girls was founded as a college preparatory school by Euphemia S. Creighton and Ellen W. Farrar. The name is chosen to honor then-president of Yale University, the Rev. Timothy Dwight V, whose educational philosophy they admired. The Englewood School for Boys was established  in 1928 as a college preparatory school. In 1973, the two schools formed a nonprofit corporation known as Dwight-Englewood School. In 1993, Dwight-Englewood School and The Bede School merged to add students in Pre-K through sixth grade. Campus. The school's campus consists of 15 buildings totaling . The campus covers . The principal educational facilities are: Leggett Hall - 21 Upper-School Classrooms - Middle School Drama & Latin Classes - Headmaster's Office - Upper School Principal and Deans Offices - Hulst House - Wireless Internet Access Klein Campus Center - Hajjar Auditorium - 9 General Classrooms - Student Coop and Bookstore - Senior Lounge - Bells Classroom - Choir  Room - Arts Display Spaces - Wireless Internet Access Hajjar STEM Center - Wireless Internet Access- 8 Science Labs with Fume Hoods, Chemical Working Surfaces, etc. - 7 classrooms - Math and Science Department Offices- Massoud Steps Meeting Area- Robotics Lab Imperatore Library - 35,000+ Volumes - Computer Workspaces - Student Lounge - 4 Language Classrooms - Taub Technology Center - Wireless Internet Access Swartley Art Center - Photography Studio - Ceramics - Art History - 2 Studio Arts Classrooms - Music Practice - Art Gallery - Printmaking Facilities - Wireless Internet Access Khubani Performing Arts Center - Theatre - Music Instruction Rooms - 1 Sound and Lighting Booth - 1 Projection Booth Modell's Sports Complex 2 Gymnasiums - Dance/Aerobic Studio  - Weight Room - 2 On-Campus Fields - 2 Additional Fields - 5 Tennis Courts Lower School Building 15 Classrooms - Cafeteria - Gymnasium - Library - Computer Room - Wireless Internet Access Umpleby Hall - 28 Middle-School Classrooms - 2 Science Labs - Wireless Internet Access Graham House - Admissions Office - Alumni Office - Business Office - Development Office Middle School Building A Middle School facility was built, replacing the Library Circle area of the campus and the now-demolished Pope Generoso Science Hall. There are also plans for a multi-story auditorium to be built on campus to replace what is currently Umpleby Hall. Athletics. The Dwight-Englewood Bulldogs participate in  the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, which is comprised of small-enrollment schools in Bergen, Hudson County, Morris County and Passaic County counties, and was created following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). Prior to the realignment that took effect in the fall of 2010, Dwight-Englewood was a member of the Bergen County Scholastic League. With 388 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Non-Public A for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an  enrollment of 381 to 1,454 students in that grade range (equivalent to Group I for public schools). The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Non-Public Group III for football for 2018–2020. The school has many athletics programs, including boys' lacrosse, girls' lacrosse, boys' baseball, girls' softball, boys' football, coed golf, girls' field hockey, boys' basketball, girls' basketball, girls' volleyball, boys' tennis, girls' tennis, coed spring and winter track, coed cross country and coed ultimate frisbee. The boys tennis team won the Non-Public B state championship in 1991 (defeating Moorestown Friends School in the final match of the  tournament), 2008 (vs. Sacred Heart High School), 2010 (vs. Moorestown Friends), and won the Non-Public A state title in 2000 (vs. Christian Brothers Academy), 2002 (vs. St. Augustine Preparatory School). The boys' tennis team won the 2002 Non-Public B state championship and was the runner-up to Holmdel High School in the Tournament of Champions, falling by the score of 3-2 in the finals. In spring 2008, the boys' tennis team finished with a record of 21-1 and won the Bergen County Groups 1-2, North Jersey Group B Sectional, and Non-Public B state championship  with a 5-0 win over Sacred Heart. The team's only loss was in the Tournament of Champions semi-finals to ultimate runner-up Westfield High School by the score of 3-2. In 2010 the boys' team won the North Jersey Group B sectional, knocking off tournament favorite Newark Academy 3-2, and won the Group B title once again, against Moorestown Friends 4-1, before falling in the Tournament of Champions semifinal to Westfield, 3-1, t finish the season with a record of 26-4. The ice hockey team won the McInnis Cup in 1994. The  wrestling team won the Non-Public Group B state championship in 1999. The girls tennis team won the Non-Public A state championship in 2001 (vs. Red Bank Catholic High School). The girls' varsity tennis team won the Bergen County Small Schools title in 2010, finishing the season with a record of 18-1 and earning Courtney Baiardi Stasi recognition by "The Star-Ledger" as its Coach of the Year for the season. Robotics teams. The Dwight-Englewood Upper School robotics teams compete in FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), an international robotics competition for students in grades 7-12. The Dwight -Englewood varsity robotics team, Critical Mass (FTC 207), was founded in 2005. D-E's Junior Varsity and Freshman teams (FTC 13048 Absolute Zero and FTC 13663 Quantum Smashers, respectively) were founded in 2017. The Varsity team has competed at the state, regional, and international levels. In the 2014-2015 FTC season, Critical Mass competed at the East Super-Regional Championship Tournament, and in the 2016-2017 season, the team won the Vermont FTC Championship and placed 13th in the Edison division at the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship. In 2017-2018 season, the team won the New Jersey FTC  Championship and went on to place 18th in the Edison division at the world championship. The Fifth-Grade opera. In fifth grade, students compose and write an original opera. They form an opera company and go through all the steps necessary to stage a full production—script writing, libretto, costumes and makeup, set design, lighting, and publicity. This project is part of the Metropolitan Opera's program, "Creating Original Opera." 2020 will be the 31st year of opera production at the Lower School. Organization. Internally, the school has Principals for the lower, middle, and upper schools, as well as deans  of students. The overall executive position which oversees all three schools is that of the Head of School. The current head is Dr. Rodney V. De Jarnett. Within the schools, there are departments for Math, English, History, Science, Language, Physical Education, Technology, Human Development, and Arts. Each department has a department chair. Additionally, each grade in the middle and upper schools has a class dean, formerly grade level adviser, or "GLA," who acts to help the students in their grade and manage certain grade-specific activities. Some class deans also teach various subjects at school aside from their role as  class dean. Student government. The Dwight-Englewood Student Government is divided into many initiatives. There are three groups of initiatives, which include a Curriculum, Facilities, and Life/Spirit Group. Within each group, there are multiple initiatives. Each initiative focuses on a certain issue such as workload or the Coop. There is also a President and a Vice-President, along with a Head for each Group and Initiative. There is also the position of Class Coordinator within each grade. Before, the Student Government was divided into four Committees, Life, Spirit, Facilities, and Curriculum. The Student Life committee focused on things such  as social events, and student privileges. The Spirit Committee concurrently worked with the life committee on social events, and they also hosted Spirit Week. The Facilities Committee addressed needs that include mending infrastructure around campus, and Maintenance Appreciation Day. The Curriculum Committee worked on the curriculum of the school. The Facilities Committee passed a cell phone proposal, which will help with student-parent communication. The Curriculum Committee succeeded in securing several new courses, including a Philosophy course. Students Clubs. Dwight-Englewood clubs include: 2021 Whistleblower Allegations. In June 2021, Dana Stangel-Plowe, a teacher at the school, stepped forward and  publicly resigned. In a video produced by the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism (FAIR), Stangel-Plowe alleged that the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion ideology the school was promoting was “regressive and illiberal” and "damaging to our students’ intellectual and emotional growth.” Stangel-Plowe claimed that the ideology had affected the curriculum, divided students, and created an atmosphere of intolerance and self-censorship. She also claimed that Head of School Dr. Rodney De Jarnett had told faculty on two occasions that if he were able, he would fire white faculty members and replace them with people of color. The allegations made  national and international news. "New York Times" columnist John McWhorter, who is black, took to Twitter to say, “Truly antiracist parents, in the name of love of their kids, should pull them from the Dwight-Englewood school as of next fall.” In an opinion piece for "The Washington Post", George Will called Stangel-Plowe “a good woman” who “might be indicative of a wholesome nationwide infection of indignation among parents dismayed by political agendas.” Notable alumni. School alumni include many honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award: