Evolving CURRICULUM

Central to King's success in preparing students for their lives beyond King is its everevolving curriculum. With student curiosity as a central component of curriculum development, teachers listen to students to gauge new interests and respond in kind.

This commitment to innovation is evident across all divisions, from the Lower School's hands-on explorations to the Middle and Upper Schools’ rigorous academic offerings. In the following pages, we will delve into the diverse and engaging curriculum that shapes the educational experience at King. From exploring the intersection of baseball and American culture to examining the intricacies of cartography, our teachers are dedicated to fostering a love of learning and preparing students for the challenges and opportunities to come.

Beyond Baseball

Patrick O'Neill's vision of using baseball to teach American history was years in the making. With the support of a King sabbatical, he created Stars, Stripes, Seams, and Stitches: Baseball & American Culture, a class designed to deepen students' understanding of American culture from the 1850s onward through the lens of baseball.

O'Neill's class delves deep into baseball’s historical significance, examining topics like race relations, the Negro Leagues, and the effect of Latinos and women on the sport. He challenges his students to think critically about the game's influence on American society and its reflection of broader cultural trends.

To enhance the learning experience, O'Neill incorporates a trip to Cooperstown, New York, the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He encourages students to use their classroom knowledge to critically analyze the museum's exhibits, prompting discussions about controversial figures like Pete Rose and the Black Sox scandal.

O'Neill collaborated with art teacher Ran LaPolla to include art in the curriculum. Students design baseball cards based on influential figures, analyze the subject's significance, and explore the concept of baseball cards as a form of historical currency.

From the classroom to Cooperstown and the art studio, the sport’s narratives surrounding issues like racism, gambling, and steroids foster conversations about truth and honesty, and prompt students to consider the role of integrity in culture, sports, history, and their own lives.

A Quantum Leap Goes Nuclear

A few years ago, a group of curious students approached science teacher Tom Castonguay, intrigued by his expertise in theoretical and computational chemistry. They expressed a desire to go deeper into the subject, sparking an idea for a new course.

What began as an independent study quickly evolved into a full-fledged course. Computational Chemistry takes students on a unique journey into quantum mechanics, which is essential for understanding atomic-scale phenomena and applications such as quantum computing.

This complex subject is rarely taught below the undergraduate level. Castonguay’s course enables STEM students to develop an early understanding of the connections between calculus, linear algebra, statistics, physics, chemistry, and computer science. By exploring these intersections, they can apply quantum mechanics to solve real-world problems.

As he developed the chemistry class, Castonguay collaborated with world languages teacher Gilles Chosson to incorporate a STEM component into King’s partnership with École Internationale PACA in France. After discovering the French school’s proximity to ITER, a leading fusion research facility in France, and CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research on the Franco-Swiss border, the idea for a nuclear and high energy science-themed travel program was born.

The inaugural trip to France and Switzerland last summer was a tremendous success, showcasing the potential for deeper exploration in particle physics. To build on this experience, Castonguay will offer a dedicated course titled Nuclear and High Energy Science in the spring, introducing students to the fundamentals of particle physics and fusion research.

A Deep Dive Into Marine Biology And Bioethics

When upper school science teachers Benjamin Lovewell and Jay Hill saw their expertise in marine biology and bioethics generating increasing student interest, they partnered with Science Department Chair Nicholas DeFelice to develop two new courses. Last spring, Marine Biology and Bioethics were added to the school’s expanding list of life science courses.

Marine Biology explores marine ecosystems' complexity, beauty, and conservation. Bioethics examines the responsibilities and societal effects of biological advancements. Lovewell, who holds degrees in marine biology, aquaculture, and fisheries science, enhances his course with visits to Long Island Sound and the Maritime Aquarium.

In Bioethics, students tackle ethical issues arising from advances in biology and medicine. Students select the course topics based on their interests and current events. Hill, who taught the subject for more than 20 years before coming to King, guides Harkness discussions through topics including eugenics, genetic manipulation, and euthanasia.

These new offerings complement King’s diverse science electives, including Ecology, Anatomy and Physiology, Genetics, Computational Chemistry, Human Evolution, Science Research, Nuclear and High Energy Science, and Environmental Science: Human Impact.