Students in the 10th Grade European history course recently wrapped up their study of World War I. The unit highlighted best practices in education including differentiated instruction and project based learning. Historical context for the unit was covered through classroom instruction and discussion, the analysis of primary sources, and readings in the text. However, students were able to gain greater understanding and make a more personal connection to the era through their use of documents in the Boswell Library’s archives and a trip to see a production of War Horse at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles.

Students for the past few years have worked with our librarians to research a particular former student who served and died during World War I. The names of the veterans are memorialized on a plaque at the outdoor chapel and are read aloud each year to the student body. Students learn about the former Toad and what his life was like at Thacher by analyzing documents in the school’s archives. Students are amazed at how blunt Mr. Thacher was in his correspondences to the boys’ parents and how many of the former students were involved in many of the same clubs and activities that current students enjoy. Research is expanded to include the assigned student’s life after Thacher and their military service. Current students have contacted government agencies, municipalities, and college archives and alumni offices for information. Students formally present their findings to their class and also prepare a written document about the life and service of their veteran.

This year’s study had the fortuitous timing to culminate with a trip to Los Angeles to see War Horse. The traveling production about a boy and his horse during World War I struck a chord with our student body. They were able to see everything that they learned about the battlefield portrayed on stage along with a boy’s love for his horse, to which they could all relate. Student comments about the trip were all positive. One student commented, “many of us have never been to a professional play before. It is very different from watching a movie because it is more personal, emotional; it feels very ‘natural.’” Others commented on the special effects of the production and how the play “brought trench warfare and the atrocities of war to life.”