Since the entire Dwight-Englewood school community came back together in September, there is an extra sense
of joy and enthusiasm in the air. Students are finding pleasure in each interaction, big and small, and there is
something special about the times we all come together in celebration and service.

Each year, we celebrate Project LEAD, a day when students and faculty are invited to dress up like a favorite
book character. This year, more than any before, students took the opportunity to dress in full costume with
creative flair and with real meaning behind their choices. The passion for this celebration was palpable as they
paraded around campus, reveling in a return to normal.

This same verve for celebrations like Project LEAD, is strikingly apparent each month as Third Graders
Making a Difference announces our new projects. Third Graders’ Making a Difference is a yearlong service
learning curriculum. Throughout the entire school year, students learn who needs help, how we can help them
and then they get to work making a difference.

In October, following Project LEAD and Halloween, we invited the whole Lower School to bring in their
excess candy to be donated to Soldiers’ Angels, who gives the candy to active military and veterans. As we
watched even the smallest children drag in their big bags of candy, we were amazed. We saw our collection
grow to 465 pounds of candy – that’s almost a quarter ton of candy! The difference it makes when people join
together for a cause was clear to see.

This month, Third Graders Making a Difference is once again inviting the Lower School to come together as a
community as we help children who are in need and may otherwise never have a new pair of pajamas. We are
collecting new, full-sets of pajamas for the Pajama Program (sizes newborn-adult xxl). Collection bins are
outside the third grade classrooms. The collection will end Wednesday, December 15, culminating in a cozy
school-wide celebration of our collection with a Lower School Community Pajama Day!