Social Studies Department The Green Mountain Union High School Social Studies Department believes that in order to help our students become well-rounded individuals, they need a mixture of Social Sciences, History, and Current Issues / Events classes. Every student is required to complete four credits in Social Studies in both mandatory and elective classes to achieve these goals. Mandatory courses include World Cultures for 9th graders, Western Civilization for 10th graders and US History for 11th graders.  Elective classes include Psychology, Sociology, Contemporary Issues, AP Modern European History, Government and 20th Century Film.  Electives are offered on a yearly rotating basis.  We also offer an Honors section of US History.  In many other social studies courses, students can earn honors or reading intensive credit upon completing an outside assignment.  In Middle School, our social studies curriculum begins with a 3-part 7th Grade course.  They start with a study of geography, maps and culture and continue to they study of Latin America, followed by a journey through North America.  8th graders study US History through Reconstruction.   In GMUHS social studies classes, students learn in interactive classrooms where instructors use a variety of methods and strategies to teach. Teachers also use a number of different assessment strategies and rubrics in order to see how students can demonstrate their knowledge in this subject area.  Social Studies Department Kelley Brennan, Department Chair kbrennan@wswsu.org Anne Kipp akipp@wswsu.org Melissa Palmer mpalmer@wswsu.org Keith Hill khill@wswsu.org