Social Studies Department

The Social Studies Department offers the following courses: World Geography, U.S. History, World History, and Pre-IB and IB courses.  All social studies courses are college preparatory.  Three social studies courses are required for graduation.  Most students take World Geography as freshmen, U.S. History as juniors, and World History as seniors.  Students who need more help have courses in the same subjects but geared to their needs.  Pre-IB students enroll in Honors World Geography as freshmen, Honors World History as sophomores, and the two-year International Baccalaureate program, History of the Americas and History of the Modern World, as juniors and seniors.  Students may also take the Advanced Placement exam in World History and in U.S. History.

It is valuable for students to know the geography of the world before learning the history of the United States and of the world.  Students of World Geography learn about the various regions of the world, and they learn to appreciate the many cultures to be found throughout the world.  In U.S. History students learn about the challenges faced by the U.S. in the past and how to face the challenges of the present and of the future by engaging in responsible citizenship.  World History gives seniors the opportunity to develop a global outlook, at the time when they have the most breadth of knowledge in related areas and disciplines and are able to explore the complex interconnections among various nations and peoples.  The Pre-I.B. and International Baccalaureate (I.B.) programs particularly emphasize the global dimension of social studies and prepare students to participate in shaping the future of our world.  St. Scholastica Academy also provides courses in World Geography, U.S. History, and World History for students who need more help, practice, and review.  Our students do well on various national tests, including the ACT, the SAT, Advanced Placement exams, and the I.B. assessments.

The Social Studies Department integrates technology into teaching and into the students' research and participation.  Our resources are chosen to provide a multimedia approach to social studies and to anticipate the different ways that students learn.  The department continues to make connections across disciplinary lines between what is taught in social studies and what is taught in other subjects and in other departments.  Social justice is emphasized to encourage students to see themselves in the situations that they study and to become responsible citizens of this country and of the world.

Sr. Mary Ann O'Ryan, OSB
Sr. Mary Ann O'Ryan is the Chair of the Social Studies Department.  Her B. A. is from Mundelein College and she earned an M.A. in History and an M.Ed. from Loyola University of Chicago.  Sr. Mary Ann has been Dean of Students at St. Scholastica Academy and is a former elementary school teacher and principal.  She has also taught at Loyola University of Chicago and at the College of Lake County.  Sr. Mary Ann has attended numerous workshops and has been the recipient of several recent summer grants, including one to study multicultural education at the College of St. Mary in South Bend, Indiana, another to study East Asian literature at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, and another to tour China and visit schools in China with a group of teachers.

Ms. Currency Kerndt
Ms. Currency Kerndt, a St. Scholastica Academy alumna, has been teaching social studies at St. Scholastica Academy since 1977.  She earned both her B.A. and M.A. degrees from Northeastern University.  In recent summers, Ms. Kerndt has received grants to attend several Gilda Lerhman institutes in U.S. History, including ones at Princeton University, Yale University, and Johns Hopkins University, as well as grants from the National Endowment of the Humanities for summer workshops.

Ms. Kathleen Tynan
Ms. Kathleen Tynan received her B.S. in History from Illinois State University.  She is working on an M.A. in Liberal Studies at Lake Forest College.  Ms. Tynan joined the St. Scholastica Academy faculty in 2007 coming from Glenbrook High School, where she was a job coach in the Special Education Department.  She also worked as a substitute, teaching World Civilizations, and as a summer school U.S. History teacher at Deerfield High School.  Ms. Tynan is a member of the National Council of the Social Studies.