As the 2025-2026 school year draws past the halfway point, students and teachers have begun mapping out the structure and schedules for next year. For the upcoming 2026-2027 school year, one major change that will occur is the replacement of sophomore history course AP European History to AP Modern World, which will focus on different countries and how they have interacted from 1200 C.E. to modern day.
Current social science teacher Christine Byerley is one of many on campus who believe the change in curriculum will be beneficial to students.
“One of the big reasons why both Ms. Schmale and I really pushed for this is that it better reflects our population, our students, our students’ interests, and it better pairs with world history,” Byerley said. “You’re learning about more than just this one part of the world, Europe, and you’re learning about the whole world and how all parts are interconnected.”
As the U.S. grows more diverse in religion and culture, individuals including freshman Chrisel Sarah Roche feel having a curriculum that directly impacts SCHS students is necessary.
“Right now, we are at a turning point in our society and in our world,” Roche said. “To have a class that is relevant to society and today is essential in educating the students of SCHS and educating the students around the world.”
Though some encourage the switch from AP Euro to AP Modern World, others are sad to see it leave the school curriculum. Sophomore Idan Kestenbom is currently taking AP Euro and believes there are positives and negatives of the transition.
“With the sections that correlate with the American Revolution, I think that AP Euro might be a better fit for the curriculum just because U.S. History comes after it,” Kestenbom said.
Sophomore Akriti Shetty, however, noted that the change might lead to a more interesting curriculum than the current topics she is learning in AP Euro.
“I feel like if it’s all around the world, then I’ll actually be interested because I’m learning different things every time I read because it’s different religions,” Shetty said.
Like Shetty, Roche hopes the new topics that will be taught in AP Modern World will be more interesting and beneficial to students.
“I’d love to hear more about the world’s perspectives on history rather than simply what’s going on in the European colonies and stuff,” Roche said.
Many incoming sophomores are excited to see what the fresh and broader curriculum will have in store for them next school year and how it will impact their learning. Alongside the students, teachers are also looking forward to integrating AP Modern World and the potential advantages that will stem from it.
“I think that students should see themselves in what they learn. They need to be able to see how it relates to them. They need to be able to see not just themselves but also other parts of the world to gain an appreciation and understanding for why the world operates the way it does,” Byerley said. “If we want to understand how the world works today, we have to understand the unique histories of all the different parts of the world.”