Working with Shenendehowa High School on Some MORE Cool History Projects

In 2026, I was pleased to work with students in the American Stories class at Shenendehowa High School in Clifton Park, NY. U.S. History teacher Rob Rider asked students to create documentaries on a topic of their choice, and as part of that, to interview an expert for the project (that was my role). The video documentaries were then shown as part of a “Shenendehowa Film Festival” held at the school.

Shown here are Praneel Narisetti (left) and Joe Sposito (Joe’s partner, Zac Reynolds, is not shown here), whom I enjoyed working with on their projects. Praneel’s was entitled “The Metal Apple” and was about Steve Jobs and how the introduction of the Macintosh helped change computing. Joe’s project was entitled “Mob Rules” and was the 1891 lynching of Italian immigrants in 1891. I also provided information on the epic Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925 for students who preferred not to use their names or photos for this article.

Thanks to Rob Rider and these great students for a creative way to learn history!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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