The Thacher School

Deep learning is at the core of a Thacher education. Our History Department is no different.

Here, you’ll find students engaged in rigorous class discussions and tackling analytical writing assignments more often than you’ll find them memorizing dates and discrete facts for a test. This approach is tied to the belief that gaining a deep understanding of complex historical issues can and should allow our students to become more empathetic global citizens, with the tools to effect positive change in our diverse and evolving world.

Our Courses

When it comes to curriculum, our history faculty regularly reshape core courses and electives to ensure they continue to be engaging, authentic, and relevant. This emphasis on flexibility is a win-win, allowing faculty to focus on areas of expertise and interest, and students to have a say in the topics they study. The department routinely polls students about which junior and senior electives they would like to see, and sophomores can choose from a diverse selection of courses, including the histories of Africa, China, Latin America, the Middle East, and the Pacific Rim.

Contemporary Context

Thacher’s history department strives to connect the past to the most pressing contemporary issues, integrating examinations of diversity, citizenship, race, sustainability, and social justice leadership into its courses. In this way, we aim to prepare students for global citizenship in the 21st century.

- Alice

“From the rigorous analysis of primary sources to discussing paper writing strategies to in-class debates…the history faculty taught me how to think beyond the easy and to seek out more complex analyses of the past. That history at Thacher prepared me so tremendously to tackle college courses with a sense of confidence in my analytical abilities is a testament to the strength and rigor of the program as well as the teachers who enact it.”

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Academics at Thacher

History Department Faculty

List of 8 members.

Dr. Sarah DelVecchio

History Teacher

Colby College - BA
University of Pennsylvania - MA
Brandeis University - PhD

Bio
Sarah graduated from Northfield-Mt. Hermon School, then headed north to Colby College for her undergraduate work, then to University of Pennsylvania for her masters, then north again to Brandeis University for her doctoral work. She began her teaching career at Phillips Academy, Andover, before joining the Thacher faculty. Sarah is currently the chair of the History Department, advises junior girls, and coaches cross country and track and field. When not spending time with her husband and three children, Sarah enjoys running.
Mr. Jason Carney

Afternoon Program Director, History Teacher

805-640-3201

Villanova University - BA
University of Hawaii - MEd

Bio
Jason teaches two sections of history, advises junior boys, and chairs the School's Voices and Perspectives Committee. While at Thacher, Jason has served as History Department chair, dormitory head for three dorms, a senior admission officer, and dean of faculty. He has also developed curriculum for many history courses, including Honors U.S. History and Honors Contemporary Ethical Issues. Additionally, Jason has coached the varsity boys’ basketball team since 2002 and,along with receiving league honors, was a CIF Coach-of-the-Year recipient. He lives on campus with his wife, Megan, their three children, and their dog, Bruce.
Mr. Jake Conway

Bio
After graduating from Yale with a degree in history, Jake headed west to start his career in Silicon Valley where he worked at Google and Square. At Thacher, Jake teaches advanced economics and modern Middle Eastern history, advises juniors and coaches basketball, tennis and debate. Before joining the Thacher faculty, he taught at School Year Abroad in Beijing and Buckingham Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Jake has completed coursework in microeconomic theory at the London School of Economics. He is from West Hartford, Connecticut.
Dr. Gina Greene

History Teacher

Harvard University - BA
California College of Arts and Crafts - BFA
University of California, Riverside - MA
Princeton University - PhD

Bio

Gina’s love of history, literature, art, and writing were all forged while growing up in Los Angeles, where she spent her spare time painting, reading, and plotting her escape. After graduating from Harvard, where she studied English and American literature, she returned to California to pursue postgraduate studies in painting and an MA in art and architectural history. Her MA thesis on late 19th century French luxury brothels allowed her to explore historical issues of gender, space, and architecture. In 2012, she received her PhD in architectural history from Princeton University and has been teaching courses in urban history, history of science, art and architectural history, and politics ever since. At Thacher, Gina is a member of the History Department faculty, serves as an advisor, and works with students in the BSU, the yearbook, and the Writing Center. She lives on campus with her husband, Jake, and their two young children, Luke and Greta.
Ms. Katherine Gregory
Dr. Russell Spinney

Chair of the History Department, History Teacher

Pennsylvania State University - PhD
Middlebury College - MA
Colgate University - BA

Bio
Russell is a professional historian and published author with over 25 years of teaching experience. He hails from New York City and spent most of his childhood growing up in rural north-central Pennsylvania. Russell graduated from Colgate University with a bachelor’s degree in history, German and Japanese studies - magna cum laude. He earned his master’s degree from Middlebury College in German studies and his PhD in modern German history from Pennsylvania State University with additional academic work at the Humboldt University in Berlin, fellowships at Erfurt University, Germany, the USC Shoah Foundation in LA, and the US Holocaust Museum’s Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies in Washington, DC. Professionally, he continues to co-facilitate the Emotions Studies Network that he founded within the German Studies Association and publish his research on emotions and politics in modern German history, including a recently co-authored book, Feelings Materialized: Emotions, Bodies, and Things in Germany, 1500-1950.

Russell started teaching history and English at his high school alma mater, Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania. He has also lectured at Pennsylvania State University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, taught in the Berlin German public school system, worked with at-risk youth in the Baltimore public school and juvenile justice systems, taught US and world history at Santa Fe Prep in Santa Fe, NM, where he chaired their history department. At Thacher, Russell is the chair of the history department and director of the Marvin Shagam Program for Ethics and Global Citizenship, and teaches the ninth grade world history and junior Honors US history courses. He also serves as an academic advisor for sophomores, coaches soccer, oversees The Asian Student Society (TASS), mycology club, and Model UN club, co-advises the school’s journalism program, and offers xBlocks in journalism, German language, Japanese culture, and other areas of historical expertise. In his free time, Russell loves gardening, singing, playing guitar, biking, hiking, camping, almost any sport, and spending time with his wife Nicole, son Sequoia, and daughter Maya.
Mr. Miguel Wise
Ms. Christina Yuan

Chinese Language Instructor

Principia College - BA
Chinese University of Hong Kong - MA
University of California, Santa Barbara - MA

Bio
Christina teaches History and Mandarin Chinese at Thacher. A native of southern California, she has spent the last 5 years teaching Chinese on the east coast. She has an MA from the University of California, Santa Barbara in East Asian studies, as well as an MA in Chinese studies from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She and her wife Joy are looking forward to being part of Thacher's close-knit community. Christina is especially excited to share with students three of her biggest loves: horses, Chinese, and basketball.