Alex Haight Innovates

His latest creation, the Honors History Capstone, can be likened to the experience of completing a PhD dissertation. Students are presented with a research topic of both local and national interest that deserves a deep dive – in 2017, that topic was the Reconstruction Era in Montgomery County, Md. This year, students explored Irish and African-American race relations in 19th-century Baltimore.

 

With the assignment in hand, students hit the books, combing through archives at local historical societies, universities, and the Library of Congress to uncover primary source material for what will ultimately become a published book.

 

“I was thinking about the next level of preparation for college, and this is what history students do,” Haight said. “(St. Andrew’s students) can see if they really like doing the research, or if they find it tedious, by taking all that information and writing history. It’s a good way for them to see their own passions as well.”

 

Collaboration was key to success in both classes – students worked in pairs to write chapters and, as a group, reviewed and edited hundreds of pages before signing off on a final draft.

 

“That’s what inspired me - how much the kids have taken ownership of this,” Haight said. “It was not only the goal of the project, but without that the class can’t really run. You can’t have a project like this unless the kids are deeply invested.”

 

Maddie Amick ’18 said the hands-off approach taken by Haight and his co-teacher, instructional librarian Mindy Lawrence, has afforded students an empowering learning experience.

 

“They have given us such freedom. It’s not a traditional lecture class at all. You’re usually in a different room, researching by yourself,” Amick said. “They are guiding hands that help us think deeper. Without them, the class would have been very different.”

 

Lawrence said Haight has a knack for turning things around, whether he’s applying an innovative technique to energize a classroom or pulling together seemingly disparate ideas to help a student compose a thesis.

 

“In terms of developing the elective - what a cool project,” Lawrence said. “I’m thrilled to have been able to work with him on this, but what a lucky thing for our students to be able to do, and he came up with this and it’s super ambitious.”

 

Other classes Haight designed include a current events course and a Hollywood v. History class. The Race Matters class, which investigates the legacy of contemporary racism in South Africa and the United States, was a reiteration of a class on ethnic crisis he was asked to teach 20 years ago, Haight said.

 

He would team up with former theater teacher Roy Barber to broaden the scope of that class to cover issues of race and culture. The two would later lead a trip to South Africa that continues today.

 

Haight said he hopes students come away from the Honors History Capstone remembering their experience and accomplishments.

 

“I want them to have done something different and to be proud of what they’re written down - not that it’s perfect, but they worked hard at this and it’s a valuable scholarly source out there,” he said.

If you are interested in St. Andrew's Episcopal School curriculum, you might like this story about the first Honors History Capstone class in 2017.