On Tuesday, February 10, Peddie held its 14th DEI Day. This term’s theme was centered around religion and spiritual belief systems. The date and the list of workshops were announced in a Dec. 15, 2025, email to students, who had previously been given the opportunity to sign up to lead a workshop.
DEI Day began with an opening chapel session, hosting Dr. Nathan Jérémie-Brink, the L. Russell Feakes Associate Professor of the History of Global Christianity at the New Brunswick Theological Seminary. In his speech, Dr. Jérémie-Brink introduced the idea of “welcome tables,” a Christian symbol of radical inclusivity.
All students then attended one of two student panels, with underclassmen and upperclassmen in separate groups. Each group heard from a panel of fellow students about their personal religious practices and how they engage in them while attending Peddie as full-time students.
The afternoon saw students take part in two assigned smaller-group workshops, with such options as “Sects of Christianity,” “Tea and Chinese Spiritual Making,” “Hinduism: Myths and Storytelling” and “Architecture and Sacred Spaces.” It was an opportunity for students to explore topics of their personal interest, as well as for workshop leaders to share their experiences with others.
Finally, all students returned to the chapel for a closing session. Ty “Dancing Wolf” Ellis, a chief from a Lenapehoking Native American nation, led students in a traditional song and dance. Just before, however, Head of School Mr. Hamilton gave a closing address, where he thanked the students, staff and speakers for their participation in the day. He finished with an announcement that the annual Head’s Holiday, a surprise day off from school in the winter term, would fall on the following day, Wednesday, February 11. Head’s Holiday is designed to give students and faculty an extra day of rest and to give seniors time to work on their theses. Mr. Hamilton’s announcement elicited a chorus of cheers from those assembled and encouraged dozens more to join Ellis in dancing their way out of the chapel.
