History Education and Grace’s Hallmark Individuality
Dr. Alex Dillon with his senior students in Senior Seminar for History on Thursday. Media provided by Wilson U. ‘27
As debates over civic education swirl across the United States, teachers and administrators are faced with the question of what kind of citizens high school should hope to create. At Grace, administrators and the curriculum must balance independent exploration with general educational requirements.
A Junior Opportunity
One of the foundations of the Grace curriculum is that in Junior year, students can individually tailor their course selection, taking more than one class in a subject they are passionate about. Grace’s five core academic subjects are Math, Science, Literature, Foreign Language, and History. Starting in 11th grade, students can concentrate in one of these five cores or pursue an arts major. This flexibility, built into the curriculum since the high school’s founding in 2012, allows students to lean more deeply into their passions.
The ability to tailor one’s courses to their academic interests is a hallmark of the Grace High School education. Assistant Division Head of High School, Tom James, recalled that on his tour of Grace, he heard from a student that the ability to concentrate or major “was one of the first things he told me about why he chose to come to Grace and what appealed to him about the school.”
But, in order to focus on their passions, students must drop either History or Science, because the other three cores are considered cumulative or foundational. Students can replace History or Science by doubling up in one of the other five cores, or by pursuing an arts or film major. For example, a junior could drop History and double up in Literature, or drop Science and double up in Math.
“I see students take advantage of this flexibility all the time in terms of concentrating in math or concentrating in science,” said Tom James, Assistant Head of the High School. “We even have the option to concentrate in literature or history, though those are sort of rare options.”
Among current 11th-grade students, more than a quarter dropped history. Most did so to take Data Science, while a remaining third did so to pursue an arts major.
Inside Our History Curriculum
Sometimes at Grace, following one’s passions means making hard decisions. Alex A.A. ‘27 says he loves history, but chose to drop the subject so that he could pursue his simultaneous interest in the Data Science elective. Students have many interests, ranging from the humanities to STEM and foreign languages. The Grace curriculum, with one’s ability to double up in some classes, strives to meet student’s academic interests.
History teacher Dr. Alex Dillon explained that, in his eyes, classes in Grace’s history curriculum are relatively independent from each other, unlike STEM subjects, which build on one another more sequentially. “If you have never taken an intro to European history course,” he explained, “you could still get the course on the Russian Revolution.”
All Grace students are required to complete at least two years of history. Ninth-graders take World History, covering Eurasia from hunter-gatherers to the modern era. Tenth-graders take History of the Americas, exploring North and South American histories.
“The idea is that there are certain things in different parts of the Americas that can be usefully studied in tandem,” explained Dr. Dillon. “Questions of indigenous culture being colonized, and then issues of liberation from a colonial power.”
Dr. Dillon reflected that the content of World History and History of the Americas ensures that students “will come out with more than just an understanding of the Anglo-American world.”
Debates Swirl Over Civics
Currently, the United States faces a crisis in civic education, with an increasing number of young Americans failing to grasp the structure of the American political system and the democratic principles at its core. According to the US Chamber of Commerce, a 2023 study revealed that “70% of Americans fail a basic civic literacy quiz” and that only half could correctly identify the law-making branch of the federal government. Currently, only four states (Idaho, Louisiana, Virginia, and West Virginia) mandate a full year of civic education and the passage of a civic literacy test in their curricula.
History, unique among Grace’s subjects, provides students with an understanding of institutions that have played crucial roles in the evolution of democracy in the United States and around the world.
History Department Chair Dr. Toby Nathan shared his perspective: “There have been discussions about building in traditional civics. We look at American politics and culture, and we think we are in need of understanding human experience a little bit more, understanding our past a little bit more.” But he acknowledged that requiring a third year of history would be a major change, as it would fundamentally alter the GCS curriculum.
As part of these discussions about incorporating civics, Dr. Nathan reflected on his experience of the History Department’s development of a potential interdisciplinary class with the Literature Department. The semester-long course would have focused on “Americanness and American identity,” modeled on a similar class on Berkeley Caroll. However, Dr. Nathan said that following a major change at the school and events in his own personal life, the proposal lost steam.
For Dr. Nathan, the bigger issue goes beyond Grace’s walls. When considering what subjects are crucial for civic education, Dr. Nathan reflected a parallel in his view between STEM and humanities education, arguing that both are foundational for student development. “Humanities is an important part of understanding science too, right? Humanities and math and science go hand in hand in creating thoughtful citizens.”
When considering how the curriculum ensures that students have a well-rounded education in light of national educational challenges, Mr. James reflected that, “in terms of academic advising, we do tell students that the most common program is the five core subjects.”
Today’s students are coming of age in an era that is likely to be defined by political gridlock, national polarization, and democratic backsliding. In this historical moment, conversations about how to raise thoughtful, engaged citizens will play a foundational role, including at our school.
Wilson U. ‘27 is a staff writer at The Grace Gazette.