AGREE and DISAGREE TEACHING CIVIL DISCOURSE AT THE HUN SCHOOL While 2020 was a year of challenges, it was also a year of opportunities for many Hun School programs, including The John Gale Hun Program for Civics Education. Program Director Rory Hart said the presidential election (and the dialogue that went along with it) provided the perfect backdrop to engage Hun students in lessons about how to have a peaceful exchange of ideas. “Our students have shown an impressive capacity to transcend the national culture, I think it is important for Hun students to be politically engaged because, in the age of social media, Gen Z has sparked social movements and change simply through a post. Being politically
and the sort of gridlock we have nationally, in engaging in these conversations. The students are generally eager and willing to do that, and they’re eager and willing to do that in a productive and respectful way,” Mr. Hart said. The program, supported by a gift from Betty Wold Johnson, exposes all Hun students to the virtues of the American republic through programming and coursework. New this year is an Academy Civics course, a required course for
engaged gives our students a better
all tenth graders. Library and Media Center Director Laura Bishop and Mr. Hart
understanding of what is going on in our
designed the curriculum to help students understand why governments are
world and can inspire them to make change for the better. There is no limit to what you can accomplish with this unlimited connectivity we have available to us today.” — DEVON PASIEKA ’21
formed, and how representative governments work. Then, students are challenged to collaborate to design a better government. Of course, a presidential election cycle is a natural time to help students understand the virtues of civic engagement, and Mr. Hart had the entire student body involved. Devon Pasieka ’21 is particularly involved. “Being Student Government president this year has come with a host of unique responsibilities and opportunities. One of those being making sure that Hun students are engaging with the everchanging world around them. This, of course, includes being politically engaged. As president and a civics scholar (coursework in pursuit of a Civics Scholar designated diploma), I have been working with Mr. Hart to create programs and events that will teach Hun students how to vote, debate, and use information to form their own opinions,” said.
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