History Department Update 1.17.23

The second trimester is almost half over and as usual, it has offered many rewards and challenges.  The season contains many breaks and short weeks, the weather brings hopes for snow days and the long basketball trips challenge both students and teachers to stay on a reasonable schedule of instruction and work.  On the other hand, we are not preparing for finals and most classes have a more relaxed atmosphere that is conducive to learning that can be measured with other outcomes.  We are particularly blessed in the Upper School History Department to have Mr. Todd Freese back in the classroom.  He is currently teaching his World Cultures class. This class brings a world history component to the wide variety of offerings from which 10th graders may choose.   He is utilizing many of our parents and Trinity resources as they can bring their first-hand knowledge of other cultures and countries to his content.  In the third trimester, he will be teaching the popular Civil War class.  We were not able to offer this class last year. As many of you know, going back to Mr. Bill Coombes, Trinity has a long tradition of offering instruction about this difficult period in our nation’s history.  It is a joy to have this excellent teacher back in the Dean’s Office and in his classroom.

Trinity School values professional development and they are willing to bear the expense related to sending teachers to events that will enhance their abilities in the classroom.  As a result of this, in the early days of December 2023, six of our history and social studies teachers traveled to Nashville for the 103rd National Council of the Social Studies Conference.  Terry Miller, Carter Sample, and Cathy Erlandson represented the Lower School while Kodi Dixon, Karley Keener, and Michael Midkiff represented the Middle and Upper School.  These teachers were able to participate in a walking tour of Nashville, visit the Hall of Fame of Country Music, see one of Elvis’s cars, and eat a panoply of good food.  They were also able to attend a wide variety of instructional sessions geared toward the grade levels they teach.  There was information on Artificial Intelligence and how we might try strategies that embrace it rather than fight it.  There was a session on cross-curricular projects that will surely help us be leaders as our 10th graders begin to create a big project to be completed next year.  They were able to be inspired by a session offering a breakdown of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.  And all of these experiences helped point toward one of the conference's sub-themes; The Future of Social Studies-What’s Next?  Hopefully, our department can sort that question out and continue to challenge our students to be prepared to succeed in this complex season of our nation.

Terry Little 

History & Social Science Academic Leader