History
Deep learning is at the core of a Thacher education. Our History Department is no different.
Here, you’ll find students engaged in rigorous class discussions and tackling analytical writing assignments more often than you’ll find them memorizing dates and discrete facts for a test. This approach is tied to the belief that gaining a deep understanding of complex historical issues can and should allow our students to become more empathetic global citizens, with the tools to effect positive change in our diverse and evolving world.
Our Courses
When it comes to curriculum, our history faculty regularly reshape core courses and electives to ensure they continue to be engaging, authentic, and relevant. This emphasis on flexibility is a win-win, allowing faculty to focus on areas of expertise and interest, and students to have a say in the topics they study. The department routinely polls students about which junior and senior electives they would like to see, and sophomores can choose from a diverse selection of courses, including the histories of Africa, China, Latin America, the Middle East, and the Pacific Rim.
Contemporary Context
Thacher’s history department strives to connect the past to the most pressing contemporary issues, integrating examinations of diversity, citizenship, race, sustainability, and social justice leadership into its courses. In this way, we aim to prepare students for global citizenship in the 21st century.- Alice
“From the rigorous analysis of primary sources to discussing paper writing strategies to in-class debates…the history faculty taught me how to think beyond the easy and to seek out more complex analyses of the past. That history at Thacher prepared me so tremendously to tackle college courses with a sense of confidence in my analytical abilities is a testament to the strength and rigor of the program as well as the teachers who enact it.”
Cambridge, Massachusetts
History Department Faculty
List of 8 members.
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Dr. Sarah DelVecchio
History TeacherColby College - BABio
University of Pennsylvania - MA
Brandeis University - PhD -
Mr. Jason Carney
Afternoon Program Director, History Teacher805-640-3201Villanova University - BABio
University of Hawaii - MEd -
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Dr. Gina Greene
History TeacherHarvard University - BABio
California College of Arts and Crafts - BFA
University of California, Riverside - MA
Princeton University - PhD -
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Dr. Russell Spinney
Chair of the History Department, History TeacherPennsylvania State University - PhDBio
Middlebury College - MA
Colgate University - BA -
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Ms. Christina Yuan
Chinese Language InstructorPrincipia College - BABio
Chinese University of Hong Kong - MA
University of California, Santa Barbara - MA
A college preparatory boarding school for grades 9-12
Notice of nondiscriminatory policy as to students: The Thacher School admits students of any race, color, national, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national, and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other School-administered programs.