Pictured (left to right), Stefan Stawnychy, Harry Enten, Livia ’25, Sebastian ’25
The goal of the History Department is always to build awareness and to educate but during this election cycle there is a renewed emphasis on civic education and dialogue. The view of the History Department is that the more students understand the ideas and structures of democracy the better equipped they will be to engage and understand their roles and responsibilities as citizens. The Chair of the History Department Stefan Stawnychy comments, "We want our students to get out from behind their screens and to engage physically in democracy. This means having constructive conversations, writing letters or even knocking on doors. Although most of students are too young to vote, they need to gain a sense of agency and actively participate in democracy.”
During Middle School, students learn about the structures of democracy like the electoral college. In Grade 8 they begin to consider issues like access to voting, which they can start to discuss at home and in smaller settings. By the time they enter Upper School, students have the broad understanding needed to engage in increasingly complex issues.
In the run up to November 5, Upper School students have been invited to weekly lunch-time teach-ins, aimed at informing and creating dialogue around the presidential race. The topics change but always begin with an analytical report and discussion of weekly polling numbers. Stefan comments, “The weekly nature of these sessions has allowed us to pivot to address issues as they arise. We are also creating different kinds of dialogue lead by faculty, students and other voices like representatives from the League of Women Voters or CNN’s Harry Enten.”
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