History

Our ninth grade students take a year-long introductory course that teaches foundational writing and historical thinking skills while exploring a variety of global and contemporary themes. Sophomores take Modern World History, and juniors take US History. Most seniors choose from electives that include economics, art history, comparative government, Afghanistan and Pakistan, journalism, and State of the World, a project-based dive into contemporary global issues. We offer AP courses in World History, US History, Economics, and Art History.

Learning history is no longer defined by listening to long lectures. While direct instruction still plays a role in our classrooms, research shows that students learn best by doing. So, the majority of our time is spent assessing source material (including texts, works of art, political cartoons, and literature), enacting historical simulations, debating historical and contemporary issues, and pursuing creative projects including building websites, podcasts, videos, and interviews.

Our teachers work from a multiplicity of perspectives, not only to convey the complexity of the discipline but also to ensure that our students, who hail from a wide variety of backgrounds, can see themselves represented in our curriculum. Each of our courses intentionally represents a variety of different perspectives––including women, young people, people of color––as well as an approach that considers multiple points of view––oppression as well as resistance, emigration as well as immigration, the enslaved as well as the enslavers. Providing opportunities for our students to explore and discover multiple historical narratives allows for a richer and more nuanced understanding of history and encourages students to engage with both the material and their classmates with empathy. 

Monterey is a hub for the study of international relations and foreign policy, and this translates to unique opportunities for Stevenson students to engage with current social and political issues that shape our world. Our students attend lectures at the Panetta Institute for Public Policy, present work at the annual education and research conference at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, and participate in the Youth Committee for the United Nations Association of Monterey. Distinguished scholar-practitioners associated with the Middlebury Institute for International Studies and the Naval Postgraduate School often visit campus to share their experience and knowledge.

Although we recognize and teach the importance of historical narrative, many of our courses—including our ninth grade introductory history course—are taught thematically. Our ninth grade course begins with a unit on identity that invites students to consider the factors that influence who we are so that we may better understand what motivated our forebears. Subsequent units explore migration, war and reconciliation, and power and authority. Our 11th grade US History course is shaped, in part, by creating a historical grounding for our contemporary world.

We begin by introducing students to thinking about and practicing how to read, interpret, and annotate historical sources. Small group and whole classroom discussions and small informal writing assignments are guided by questions that heighten students’ involvement in making sense of documentary evidence. Students learn to support claims with specific textual or visual evidence, and construct arguments grounded in evidence. As writing assignments become more formal and lengthy, students produce vibrant argument-driven, evidence-based expository and analytical historical writing.

Our monthly school newspaper, Tusitala, is written and edited by our journalism class, which is open to all students (and accepts articles from students not in the class). Recent articles have tackled topics such as the political situation in Venezuela, gentrification in the US, and cultural appropriation. We also have a thriving Model United Nations club that participates in conferences locally and throughout California, and a stellar mock trial team, coached by local attorneys, that participates in regional competitions.