Over previous years, DIS demonstrated remarkable success in STEM-related college admissions, with acceptances to prestigious post-secondary institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, UC Berkeley, and NYU. With this, many students pursue careers in medicine, dentistry, and scientific research—fields that require significant in-school preparation and hands-on experiences through high school.

This success reflects the dedication of both students and teachers, as well as the school’s long-term commitment to academic excellence and college preparation. Currently, DIS offers rigorous AP science courses for students, including AP Biology, Chemistry, and Physics—coursework that serves as integral for students’ further success in the STEM field.

However, as the science department continues to evolve, a key task remains for the administration: the enhancement of laboratory equipment, as well as research opportunities. While available resources at DIS meet the necessary curricular standards, further investments stay integral in order to support students’ further research and education experiences.

Under the status quo, many students cannot access practical support from the school in research projects and competitions, such as the STEM Fair. “When I participated in the STEM Fair last year in chemistry, most of the work was done outside and I bought equipment myself…there was not much equipment in school that was useful for the STEM Fair preparation,” said sophomore Sol Sakong, a participant of the 24-25 DIS science fair. This lack of support leads students to resort to private tutors and individual connections with laboratories and professors.

Additionally, investments in laboratory equipment plays a crucial role in the advancement of preexisting coursework. “Right now, I would really like to have some advanced equipment for my biology laboratory, but that’s very expensive…I hope we could get new microscopes and do more experiments like gel electrophoresis,” said Mr. Crewe, the head of the science department. This makes further developments in labs crucial, as it opens new possibilities in the classroom and provides students with intensive hands-on experiences.

Real-world complications exist, however. Most importantly, the science department works under a limited budget. Therefore, future plans must be carefully made to effectively implement equipment change. “The science department has a collective set budget, and we need to spend a lot of it on replacing consumables … we would need multiple years to make these large changes outside of simply continuing our demos,” said Mr. Crewe.

These considerations often make investment efforts difficult. “We want to stick with the fundamentals first, because specialty items could easily get obsolete…if that happens and we won’t be using it after a few years, we should make that [investment] slide and focus on the foundational things,” said Dr. Willette, secondary principal. Consequently, a realistic solution would be a gradual increase in expenditures for the science department under meticulous examination by both instructors and the administration.

Though DIS continues to excel in its STEM education, additional investments in the science department would transform students’ learning experience, as well as their future career success. “Though we can’t get a particle accelerator or take university-level courses, I hope to provide students with the best experience possible in the high school curriculum…just doing our best with what’s available,” said Dr. Willette.