Social Studies.htm

LYNN - On the list of high school classes with the "boring" or "difficult" reputation, honors economics may traditionally top the list in both of those categories, much to the dismay of Classical High School seniors who are looking to take a social studies elective, and find that the practical study of world finance is their only option.

With this in mind and a little help from a few professionals, economics teacher Gayle Richardson has succeeded in spicing up her honors economics course by bringing in financial professionals to help students better understand the stock market and prepare for the voluntary Advanced Placement economics test available to all students in her class.

For six years, Richardson has involved her students with the Economic Education Foundation, an organization that sends a financial professional to Massachusetts high schools to work with students preparing for the AP exams.

Along with providing textbooks and study materials, Program Director Dick Brunelle attends several classes each year to help students prepare for the content and questions on the college-level exams. A former AP test reader, Brunelle knows what students must do to achieve a passing grade on the test, and trains them accordingly.

"These kids are pretty brave to take economics because it is thought to be both boring and hard," said Richardson. "So we start out with a group of kids who are really motivated to succeed. Last year we had 10 students take the AP test, and this year we are up to 14."

Brunelle covers several economics topics, such as supply and demand and monopolies, and offers advice on how to answer essay questions.

While Brunelle works with the students taking the AP test only, Senior Vice President and Institutional Portfolio Strategist for Bank of America Joseph A. McCourt runs a simulated stock market program for all of Richardson's students to give them real-world experience buying and selling stocks.

Beginning with $30,000, students learn to buy and sell stocks, follow the market and make intelligent financial decisions based on what happens each day on Wall Street.

The students can decide which stocks to buy and sell, and they can monitor their earnings and losses each day online.

McCourt also teaches vocabulary and other smaller financial tidbits that may help students better understand what to expect from the stock market.

Although he has held many high-powered positions at financial institutions, McCourt says he finds helping students get ahead while they are still in school very worthwhile.

"I would just like to say how much I have enjoyed talking to the classes over time, and what good kids they all are," he said in an email. "I'm not doing this for publicity, I am doing it because I enjoy it."

Merril Lynch and the Boston Globe, who provide free newspapers to the class every day, sponsor the program.

"In the future I will probably invest in the stock market, I don't see myself being a stock broker or anything, but it is good to know where you can make and lose money," said senior Erik Silva.

Students say they have learned a lot of things about the stock market, like how companies target children and teenagers through advertising, and when making investments it is better to take risks with unknown businesses than invest money in a stock that everyone is more familiar with.

"I learned that time is valuable, just like your money," said Laura McLaughlin.

Richardson says the content in these programs is different than what she does in front of the class, which she thinks is a good thing because it provides her students with an understanding of what to expect when they get out into the real world.

LYNN - History, perhaps more than any other subject, is reliant on text books and written accounts of the past which detail the progress and mistakes made by the people who formed the basis for modern society.

For high school students, government and social issues are often more difficult to comprehend in the classroom setting, where words on a chalkboard cannot fully express the importance of the events being discussed.

For members of the Lynn Classical High School History Club, an opportunity to visit historically significant places, filled with historic and educational information, is a much-needed fix for their addiction to the subject.

Club leader and history teacher Gregory Washington has been providing that opportunity to his students, working with local businesses and the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston to organize and arrange periodic field trips to the library and museum, where his students attend classes, tour the grounds and participate in a variety of debates.

Washington has been working with the library for several years, dating back to his tenure as a teacher at Lynn Vocational and Technical Institute, and has brought that tradition to Classical, where an enthusiastic group of history students has embraced the opportunity to learn more about the subject.

Washington and his students will take four separate trips to the library this year, and he is hoping to increase the number to six next year.

Students participate in a variety of programs and debates, touching on subjects such as civil rights, the Cold War and the 1960s.

Debates cover topics like diversity and budget issues, and also affords students the opportunity to learn about politics and debate upcoming elections. In 2006, Washington's students were even given the opportunity to watch Deval Patrick and Kerry Healy debate during the gubernatorial election.

Students from several schools across the state attend the JFK Library programs, and are often integrated with one another for discussions and debates.

"I like the debates because it gets us to understand what other students from other schools are thinking," said history club member Mai Cau. "It starts as a discussion and usually turns into a debate because we are from different cities and we have different views."

The trips also allow students to examine documents and evidence of history within the library, including video and documents from Kennedy's time as president during the volatile Cold War and Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

"I am a history buff, I love history," said Dionysios Koutorlas. "We talk about the Cold War a lot, and I like that. I enjoy learning about the Cold War."

The trip is entirely voluntary, and students attend for different reasons. Some like to learn more about the topics covered in history class, while others enjoy touring the historic museum.

The trip is made possible through donations from the JFK Library, which pays for the buses, and Eastern Bank, led by Vice President Wendy Silva, who provides money to hire a substitute for Washington during each trip.

"It is really nice to see people from other areas and backgrounds so we don't get that stereotype," said senior Deborah Pierre. "It is a really great program. It teaches us a lot."

There have been a variety of Activities, Achievements, and Awards the department has been involved with recently, including the :

Department Chairperson : Mr. Gravin

Teachers in Department :

L. Henkenmeier T. Stanley