The history department consists of active historians, students and teachers, who believe that knowledge of the past is necessary to comprehend the present and to forge the future thoughtfully and deliberately. We foster the sheer enjoyment of the adventure of historical discovery and study, seeing ourselves in the present as interconnected with people of the past-our families, fellow citizens, and humanity around the globe. In our work as historians, we develop the requisite skills to embrace purposefully life's journey and challenges as we learn to understand ourselves and humanity.

Consequently, the History Department seeks to impart to its students through its K-12 curriculum an enduring understanding of specific knowledge, principles, and habits of mind including ways to:

• Learn facts, think carefully and precisely, and articulate thinking in oral and written form.
• Conduct research: inquire thoughtfully, read critically, analyze and synthesize data, document findings, format a paper
• Create and prove a thesis
• Develop an awareness of oneself and to be able to express oneself confidently, while understanding the dangers of ethnocentrism and egocentrism
• Empathize and respect differences in individuals, communities, religions, values, and cultures of the past, present, and future
• Take responsibility for cultivating individual character and formation as life-long learners