After-School is a true extension to the school day’s curriculum that adds fun, friendship, and reinforces students’ passions. The activities at Dwight allow students from preschool through grade 12 to excel at their individual Sparks of Genius, as students choose to focus on what they love and bring it to life.

Agata Medic, Director of After-School Preschool-Grade 12, organizes over 100 different activities and programs and has been leading After-School for over a decade. After being given the opportunity to work at Dwight by Chancellor Stephen Spahn, Ms. Medic began her journey in the Summer Camp program in 2013. She said, “I am so grateful to Mr. Spahn for allowing me to create a space of community and culture for the kids.” 

Though Ms. Medic isn’t the only one who makes After-School what it is. “It takes a village,” as she says. Her vision is supported by Vanessa Celis-Mata and Danielle Rivers, After-School Managers Preschool-Grade 12. Former After-School Director and current Director of Overnight Programming Fiona Imboden continues to act as a mentor to Ms. Medic. 

And it’s our Dwight teachers and administrators that ultimately make After-School so special. Ms. Medic said, “[They] are truly the heart of After-School.” They assure the spirit of creativity flourishes in After-School, as can be seen through examples of the below activities in the arts, technology and design, physical education, and Upper School Clubs.

Uplifting Performing Arts in the Lower School

Violetta Zambetti, Lower School Music Teacher, and Dawn Lee Kangas, Timothy House Drama Teacher, run After-School programs that provide the students a space where they can showcase their classroom skills through performances. By the end of the year, the students build a new-found confidence and mastery of an art form. 

Ms. Zambetti has been running “Music Wiz” for 14 years for grades 1 through 4. Her program aims to create a less structured atmosphere for children to intuitively experiment with their musical talents. The program culminates in a show called “Spotlight,” where everyone sings and plays instruments in front of a large audience of parents and other students. Similarly, “Ignite Your Drama,” run by Ms. Kangas, meets once a week, and then performs a play in December. 

Both Ms. Zambetti and Ms. Kangas find ways in which to challenge the students, knowing that this will result in them gaining pertinent knowledge early on. Ms. Zambetti’s mission for “Music Wiz” is to teach students how to problem-solve and figure out ways to improvise. She said, “This is a great ‘workout’ for every part of our brain. When they can fix their mistakes in the process — that is what makes their talent grow.”  

The budding performers in the music and drama groups love the activities and continue to sign up, eager to be on the stage. For students who feel that theater or music is their true calling, they get to take part in all components of a performance, including the rewarding rehearsal experience leading up to it.

Fun and Tradition in the Lower and Middle School

For 15 years, dodgeball has been a beloved activity at Dwight. Running three days a week for grades 1 through 8, students gather in the gym and play a friendly game, getting all their energy out while practicing good sportsmanship. This tradition has been an integral part of Dwight After-School, for both the teachers coaching and the students participating. It is not merely a game of dodgeball, but a way through which the students take part in a fun competition. 

Students brainstorm creative ways to play dodgeball, inventing different themes. Sorush Panahi, Math Director (K-4), Accelerated Learning Director (2-4), Faculty Mentor, and Dodgeball Coach, caters to each type of learner during dodgeball. “So there are learners who kind of prefer more bodily, kinesthetic ways of showing their intelligence. Other ones are more visual-spatial, and even the ones who are logical, mathematical, or artistic, we try to incorporate elements of that in the various forms of dodgeball that we play,” he said.

A lot of the dodgeballers have participated for years – some without missing a single trimester. This activity remains a meaningful constant from Lower School through Middle School. Mr. Panahi has had students find him and tell him that they cannot wait for dodgeball, and that they have been practicing their running and throwing. 

Dodgeball gives the students an environment where they can have fun, understand the value of working together as one team, and recognize the importance of kind and safe competition. It continues to be one of Dwight’s most cherished traditions. 

Fueling Innovation in the Middle and Upper Schools

Students who yearn to expand their design skills after school visit Spark Labs, run by Jonathan Coker and Robert Gilson, both Design Teachers. Leading a variety of design activities after school, both facilitate projects that the students are eager to take on. They create a constructive way for students to approach their design aspirations.

For the students who prefer to design with organic materials, Mr. Gilson runs Hammers and Nails, a woodworking club that uses neither hammers nor nails, but instead, screws, to build exciting creations by hand. This activity involves both Middle and Upper School, and gives the Middle School students a chance to have mentors who guide them through difficult projects, such as building a charcuterie board or a jewelry box. By the time they reach Upper School, they are able to not only come up with creative designs, but independently build them, taking with them a physical item that is both practical and unique. Mr. Gilson, as much as possible, allows the students to work with each other, and instead of having every step explained, leaves room for their talents to flourish independently.  

Similar to Mr. Gilson’s approach, Mr. Coker, who runs STEM Racing - Formula 1, Computer Science, Coding, and Robotics Club, pushes students to be creative and independent. His activities stem from the idea that students can take something that is interesting to them out of their own classes and develop it with their peers. For example, many of the students have evolved their projects into a much larger work, designing sneakers and other products through AI and other such platforms. As a result, many are now taking engineering seriously at a college level. Mr. Coker invites those alumni to come speak about their careers, inspiring current students. He said, “This is really where they feel seen… that something leads to a whole career [through] just tinkering around with things.”

Making Real-World Connections in the Upper School

Dwight’s Upper School activities offer a wide range of opportunities for students to internalize what they’ve learned throughout their time at Dwight and apply it in a way that goes beyond School into the real world — especially through the wide array of student-run Clubs. For example, Model UN (MUN), advised by Patrice Reyes, History Teacher, and Paul Vliegen, Dean of 11th Grade and Global Politics Teacher, acts as a representation of the United Nations. Students debate real-world topics such as climate change and economic development, joining MUN conferences at other universities such as Georgetown and Columbia University. 

Many Dwight students come from various backgrounds, such as Europe and South America, giving them the upper hand in competitions. A large majority speak a second language, such as French, Spanish, Italian, and Norwegian. Because of this knowledge, the students choose to represent a wider range of countries, including countries in Europe, Africa, South America, and Central Asia. In the more unique cases, they have chosen Fiji and Uzbekistan.

Luca Schliecker ’25 feels that their presentation skills have improved tremendously because of the support that they get from the advisors. Luca said, “It helped me be more confident in my public speaking… I instantly fell in love with it and it helped me realize that I actually enjoy politics and that is now what I'm planning on majoring in college.” 

Ms. Reyes, advising Growing in Faith Together, Black Student Union (BSU), and Newspaper Clubs in addition to MUN, is just one example of a Dwight educator who continues to support the students in what excites them the most during After-School. She said, “I give my time. I show up for them because I enjoy it… And they always feel like, ‘Okay, Ms. Reyes is in my corner.’ And I always make it very clear. I will always back you up… I will be there. And you can count on it.”

These are just a few programs that prove After-School is not just a vital extension of the day – it’s a community that believes every spark has the power to ignite one’s future.