From the symphonies of Western music to the realms of dystopian literature, Parker students will have the opportunity to experience a variety of new classes across the departments this school year.
Michael Hining, the Upper School Orchestra and private lesson teacher, is premiering a new class called “A History of Western Music.” On the story of how this class was created, Hining said that he had taught music history class for college students and had really enjoyed that experience. “I just happened to mention to [Head of Upper School Cory Zeller] that I had done that,” Hining said, “and a couple days later, she said, ‘Can you come in and talk to me?’ So I came in and talked to her, and then a few days after that, she said, ‘Okay, I think we’re going to run with this.’” This class is part of Zeller and Hining’s goal to expand Parker’s arts department.
Hining wants to take advantage of his connections to members of Chicago’s Lyric Opera and Symphony Orchestra and have them drop in and perform pieces that connect with what the class is studying. “My hope is that everybody leaves the class feeling not just that they understand the history of music but that they have really found a true appreciation for what their favorite artists came from.” Hining said.
Mike Mahany, Upper School English teacher, is introducing a new elective exploring dystopian literature, and many students have already expressed their interest in it. “The genre of dystopian literature has boomed during the past several years,” Mahany said, “and I am interested in thinking about and exploring the reason why. Why now?” Through the lens of various texts about dystopian settings, Mahany hopes to take students “outside the bounds of what they generally read in school,” and also discuss connections with the current politics and climate of the United States and our world.
A unique addition to Parker’s curriculum this year is “Documenting Parker.” This course was suggested by Principal Dan Frank to coincide with Parker’s 125th anniversary. This is the only year students can take it for the near future. Taught by Upper School history teacher Dan Greenstone and Upper School visual arts/graphic design teacher and visual arts Department Chair Travis Chandler, the class involves making documentaries about the history of Parker. “Filmmaking is a ton of work, but it’s also really fun and rewarding,” Chandler said. The class will take advantage of the Parker Archive, which contains photos and copies of The Parker Weekly and The Parker Record dating back to 1914. “I think students will enjoy seeing how students who came before them had similar experiences but also profoundly different ones because of the time period in which they lived.” Greenstone said.
Frank was also the one to come up with the idea for a new history elective, “Historical Inquiry at the Newberry Library.” During his time as a Parker student, he took a class at the Newberry Library, an independent research library containing millions of primary and secondary sources from over 600 years of history. Through this class, taught by Upper School history teacher Otis Pope, students will learn how to conduct research by interpreting primary sources using the library’s extensive archives. They will also get to travel to the library every other week to access these materials in person. In addition to teaching students how to analyze these primary sources, Pope also hopes to help them “gain an understanding of how primary sources influence how history is captured and told.” He believes that this knowledge will complement the content in other history classes as well.
