trevordayschool

impact on the world. In conversations with both teachers leading up to this curriculum makeover, it was clear that they were deeply invested in providing their students with content and context that create long-term understandings of our country and its role in the global community. eir commitment to communicating the word of history in ways that represent all Americans ensures our department can meaningfully address our country's collective memory. For example, Mr. Swartz carefully outlines his intentions for the new 7th-grade curriculum as follows: "e course is now dedicated to the history of the United States from the peopling of the Americas through the outbreak of the Civil War. Along the way, students will investigate the role disease played in the conquest of the New World, the religious, economic, and political forces that brought radical Protestants and enslaved Africans to England's American colonies, and the contradictions that threatened to tear the United States apart in spite of its explosive growth. e class is not just an informative one; it is also empowering. e course delves deeply into the Constitution— both its principles and its workings—and students will leave this class more familiar with their rights and with the fighters and fights that secured them. Ideally, students will end their 7th-grade year with a solid, balanced understanding of America's past and an awareness that they have an informed, important role to play in the country's future." Mr. Swartz suggests that an empowered student is not just a student who is prepared for tests but one who is aware that life beyond Trevor—in New York City or elsewhere in our world—requires responsibility as an active citizen. by Richard Thornburgh, Grades 9–12 History Teacher & Department Chair middle school history T R E V O R T R A N S L AT E S : New York City is captivating. Ever since I arrived at Trevor in the midst of the pandemic, I have caught myself walking well past my destinations, minding the crosswalks and cabbies, glancing at all of the histories around me. For New Yorkers, this is but one of many examples of why their city is the best in the world. People can't help but stand and stare in awe. For me, looking around enables me to see how different I am from others even when I think I'm blending in. is recognition that I am different leads me to think about how I have come to learn everything I know, who taught me over the years, and through what lens—and how knowledge is passed from person to person in such a large and diverse country. Trevor students are true New Yorkers, living in one of our 50 United States, as well as global citizens. Trevor's history department strives to create and facilitate dynamic curricula that inform students about the world—and the America—that they call home. Over the past year, our Middle School history department has been working hard to develop, test, and apply new foundations and approaches to the subject matter that arms our students with the very best material needed for 2022 and beyond. Our most recent curricular improvements were created by 7th- and 8th-grade history teachers Paul Swartz and Rick Lansdale, and reflect the importance of American governance and its

• Cover