Compiled by Eagle News Staff
On campus, about 50 students take part in a project-based learning program called Eagle Tech, in which they learn the required subject material by using it to address real-life problems and challenges. While this may seem difficult for a history class, history teacher Ross Zabloski has found a way to prepare his students for their futures while educating them on the past.
"When I think about how to make history memorable for students, I usually center units around a word or phrase that is something we can relate to or still struggle to understand today. For Greece and Rome its 'legacy,' for Eastern and Western Empires it's 'unsung heroes or untold stories,' for the Middle Ages it's 'fear or education,'" Zabloski explained. "Then, I think about what skills need to be developed to help in understanding the idea. For the concept of legacy, the students worked on skills regarding research and providing evidence that their idea could last the test of time. They also needed to recognize bias within themselves regarding their motivation for wanting to help others and analyze bias in the sources they interviewed."
To complete their Ancient Greece and Rome unit on March 15, freshmen in Eagle Tech World History I presented projects designed to leave a legacy - specifically, through making school a better place.
"The project was about looking at the concept of legacy," Zabloski continued. "We were studying ancient Greece and Rome and how they have had an impact on the United States regarding our architecture, language, and form of government. Students were challenged to create something that would leave a legacy at the high school after they are gone. The legacy had to help people in some way."
