trevordayschool

1 9 T R E V O R D AY S C H O O L n W I N T E R 2 0 2 1 – 2 0 2 2 discussions about them, our Middle Schoolers must know the fundamentals of American history." We could not agree more with this analysis, and our history teachers will continue to support our students' needs as future voters in America, and as global citizens in our diverse communities. e fabric of our national dispositions from all sides of the political aisle requires an understanding of ourselves as Americans in order to be effective citizens. Our students will eventually become adults who experience new U.S. Supreme Court cases, see new state laws enacted relative to voting rights, and explore new realities of nuanced social developments that impact our country's balance of power internally and externally. ese new courses—alongside Jackie Monteleone's amazing 6th-grade course on Mesopotamia and Ancient Civilizations—lay the bedrock for Trevor Middle School students to be fully equipped for their experiences at the Upper School and, even more importantly, beyond. In How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America (2021), Dr. Clint Smith III discusses the broad sociological reality when studying history, stating, "...Part of what [sociology] demands is an engagement and interrogation of one's positionality relative to the subject matter one is studying." In other words, our students will need to recognize the lens through which history is being taught to them, and the lens through which they are receiving it, to fully comprehend and appreciate history itself. Fortunately, our Trevor Middle School students could not be better prepared for this philosophical and historical journey that continues into their Upper School years. Our immense appreciation and kudos go to Ms. Monteleone, Mr. Swartz, and Mr. Lansdale for guiding this project from start to finish, and we'll look forward to our empowered students making a difference as informed citizens in the not-so-distant future. n is focus on American history through active citizenship continues for our students into their 8th-grade year, with Rick Lansdale's scholarly approach to the U.S. Constitution, the Civil War, and Frederick Douglass' influence. (When studying his Narratives, for example, students learn that Frederick Douglass understood that the "new technology" of his age—photography— could change people's thinking about Black people, and he became the most photographed American of the 19th century as well as its most famous orator.) Mr. Landsdale's approach focuses on intended and unintended consequences for a young America in a new global economy. He shares the following: "e 8th- grade history curriculum builds on the ideas and concepts that 7th graders will have encountered the year before. Understanding the principles of the Constitution will help students determine the degree to which each subsequent era—the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the Civil Rights Movement—has succeeded in building a 'more perfect union.' We will look at the tension between the rights of the individual and an individual's duty to our common welfare, between state and federal issues, and between national and global concerns. Students will enter Upper School with a better understanding of their position as voters-to-be and the controversies with which the nation is now contending." Much like the 7th-grade experience, civil rights, civil liberties, and American governance are central themes for Mr. Lansdale's 8th-graders. is deliberate and calibrated approach is something that Director of Middle School Rebecca Damas touched on in her initial announcement to the community outlining changes to our history classes. In referencing the incursion on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and the defacing of the Museum of Jewish Heritage two days later in Manhattan, Ms. Damas said, "In order to understand the impact of these events and to engage in thoughtful Historical images: Opposite page, top: A painting by John White, the governor of the famous "Lost Colony" of Roanoke. is is one of the earliest depictions of Native Americans by a British artist; Opposite page, bottom: e first page of the U.S. Constitution; is page, top: Frederick Douglass; is page, second down: A Civil War encampment; is page, third down: During the Great Depression, countless families such as this one were displaced by unemployment and the catastrophic conditions of the Dust Bowl.

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