BLENDING
OLD and NEW
Hun’s curriculum balances tradition with forward thinking
When Hun Middle School history and global studies teacher Joan Nuse wants to show a video clip to her classes, she uses Apple Air Play to transmit the clip to the Smart Board in her classroom; a process that takes about 30 seconds. But it wasn’t always that simple. Ms. Nuse, who has been teaching at Hun since 1987, used to have to rent film from the New Jersey State Museum and play it on a projector; a process that involved significant planning – and travel time. “Now you can just find a clip and show it, and it doesn’t have to be really long. And you can find them online,” Ms. Nuse said. On one hand, everything has changed about The Hun School since Ms. Nuse arrived: Students in Middle School math classes can take notes right on their whiteboard desks; textbooks live inside of iPads; groups collaborate on projects using Google Drive; and electives include classes such as robotics and coding. But nestled in among the technological advancements and educational innovations at Hun are the traditional courses that make up a classic liberal arts education. After all, no technology can take the place of a good English class debate about the elements of effective persuasion. Even Hun’s students, who create TikTok videos after class and who have grown up with iPads in hand, have been buzzing about one surprisingly popular elective: Latin. “It gets students into this Harry Potter mythological mental space, which people find relaxing after the grind of day-to-day expectations,” current Hun Latin teacher and former Boston University professor, Dr. Seth Holm says. 12
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