Dr. Lutz鈥檚 dissertation focuses on Standard Oil of New Jersey. She investigates the environmental history of two of the company鈥檚 oil refineries, located in Bayonne and Linden, New Jersey, since the 1870s. Dr. Lutz asserts that we need to consider the environmental effects of oil refineries and how oil companies have created a self-image of environmental expertise. 鈥淥il has done good for humanity, but we鈥檝e overlooked the glaring environmental costs for way too long,鈥� she stated.

Dr. Lutz started at 91影视 this September. She teaches U.S. history and global environmental history, as well as serves as faculty adviser for the environmental club and College Bowl team. She said she aims to be the kind of history teacher that inspired her when she was growing up. 鈥淚鈥檓 really passionate about history,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 always had great history teachers; they helped me see the world as a more complex and fluid place. History can do this in a way other subjects can鈥檛. My service to the world is doing my history work, to share my passion with students.鈥�

For students in the environmental club, Dr. Lutz hopes to empower students to make positive changes in their communities, and to teach not only the value of making change, but also how to do so. 鈥淚 want students to know that they can change things if they want to,鈥� she said.

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In the course, the students have had the opportunity to engage with world history on a macro thematic level, rather than focusing chronologically or on certain geographical locations. This year, the class has studied five themes: human interaction with the environment, the development of culture, the development of states, the development of economies and the development of societies. The museum scavenger hunt challenged students to incorporate what they had learned as they searched the Met for objects showcasing these larger themes, took selfies with said works of art and uploaded them to an online map.

鈥淭he Met鈥檚 unparalleled encyclopedic collection offers a unique classroom for a world history course,鈥� explained Kastner, who is also a licensed New York City tour guide. 鈥淓very gallery serves as a window into a different place and time. I can talk about different cultures back at school, but at the museum the students can actually experience things in a unique way.鈥�

鈥淎lthough I have visited The Met before with my family, I never really appreciated how trends in history could be learned through art until I did the scavenger hunt with Mr. Kastner,鈥� said Benjy Katz ’18.

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鈥淢y parents even had me march with them in Newark, New Jersey on a peace march after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and the subsequent race riots in Newark,鈥� she recounted. 鈥淚 will never forget that larger-than-life experience.鈥�

Frey saw an opportunity to tie Black History Month to her ninth grade English class鈥� unit on 鈥淭he Secret Life of Bees鈥� by Sue Monk Kidd, a coming-of-age novel set in the 1960s American South. 鈥淪ince hands-on learning learning is my area of expertise and passion, I asked the 91影视 administration if I could start a Black History Month at 91影视 by featuring Civil Rights projects created by my ninth grade students.鈥� Frey assigned students in-depth topics that focused on the Civil Rights Movement, and their projects are currently displayed in the school鈥檚 main hallway for the duration of the month.

鈥淚 wanted students to know that there were so many people, in addition to MLK and Rosa Parks, who were instrumental in making a difference in racial equality,鈥� said Frey. Some of the projects on display include: Jim Crow laws, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), Martin Luther King Jr., Jews and the Civil Rights movement, Voting Rights, black rights today; the Civil Rights Act and civil disobedience during the Civil Rights era.

Jack Shulman, a student in Frey鈥檚 class, completed his project on Mahatma Gandhi鈥檚 influence on the Civil Rights Movement. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know who Gandhi was before, and now I know that he was vital [in influencing] Martin Luther King Jr.鈥檚 decisions and what King did,鈥� said Shulman,

鈥淚 am thrilled with the projects that my students created for the Black History Month exhibit,鈥� Frey said. 鈥淭hey worked hard and learned so much more than just facts. I鈥檓 very proud of them and their creativity too! We hope to make this an annual event here at 91影视 and that students, staff and faculty will take the time to look at and read each project on display.鈥�

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At 91影视, Chazan led a discussion with faculty and administration that addressed best practices for integrating Jewish history within a broader, general history curriculum. The integration of general and Jewish history constitutes a core aspect of 91影视鈥檚 history department, and is one of the unique aspects within the school鈥檚 general studies program.

Discussion topics included, but were not limited to: different historical theories about the driving force behind events in Jewish history; how to sensitively approach the notion of Jewish exceptionalism鈥攁nd its detractors鈥攆rom an academic perspective, within an Orthodox high school environment; the importance of imbuing a sense of dignity to the history of the Jewish people while cementing an understanding of just how relatively few in number the Jews have been from the very beginning of their history; and the challenges of balancing narrative flow with methodological concerns when teaching and writing about Jewish history.

In addition, Chazan expressed that he had heard many positive things about The 91影视 School over the years. 鈥淭he invitation to come to 91影视 really represented for me an opportunity to see this place that I鈥檝e heard so much about,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is extraordinarily impressive. I鈥檝e really been struck by what I鈥檝e learned today visiting your school.鈥�

鈥淚t was wonderful to learn from Dr. Chazan,鈥� said 91影视 History Department Co-Chair Eitan Kastner. 鈥淗e helped us contextualize and frame the benefits and challenges of a combined Jewish and world history curriculum, and gave us a lot to think about.鈥�

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Working in groups, students created webpages – under the guidance of Rabbi Pittinsky, Director of Educational Technology – for their respective candidates that included聽links, videos, documents, pictures, cartoons, polling results and more. As candidates dropped out, students wrote 鈥減olitical obituaries鈥� and were assigned to a track a different candidate still in the race.

The assignment is a perfect example of project-based learning, engaging students through real-world applications that extend beyond the classroom. It has also helped the political education of our students, many of whom will soon be eligible to vote for the first time.

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Students had a great time witnessing some of the art they’ve been learning about in real life, up close and personal – a privilege Mr. Kastner said few art history students around the world get to have – and also got in a very thorough and interactive study session before an art history exam at school the following day.

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Throughout the year in our integrated World History/Jewish History curriculum, the Freshmen have come to see that similar things were happening historically in very different parts of the world at about the same time.聽 We just concluded a unit which used the model that 聽periods of political instability—–> questioning————> formation of new philosophies and religions.

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