Eighth Graders Present at Third-Annual American Forum
This week, eighth grade students shared months of research and writing as part of the third-annual American Forum presentations in the Auditorium. Held over two mornings, the event featured thoughtful and well-researched speeches on major events in 20th- and early 21st-century American history.
Under the guidance of Upper School Humanities teachers Marshall Johnson and Liz Carroll, students explored topics ranging from the Second World War and the Civil Rights Movement to the Cold War and the evolving landscape of 21st-century America. Each student presented on a pivotal moment in U.S. history, offering both historical context and personal analysis.
Presentations were grouped by historical era, with Monday’s focus on World War II and the Civil Rights Movement, and Tuesday’s on the Cold War and more recent events such as 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis.
The American Forum is a hallmark of the Grade 8 curriculum and reflects the school’s emphasis on academic rigor, research, public speaking, and historical thinking. Students were cheered on by faculty, peers, and family members—many of whom remarked on the poise and depth of knowledge on display.
The Civil Rights Era
Introduction: Roman Massey
Erik Roomet – Jackie Robinson’s Major League Baseball Career (1947–1956)
Ava Lenhard – Emmett Till’s Murder (1955)
James Golden – Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–1956)
Hanna Von Steenburg – Little Rock Nine (1957)
Aiden Grant – Greensboro Sit-Ins & Freedom Riders (1960–1961)
Karl Axelsson – Cesar Chavez & the United Farm Workers of America (1962)
Roman Massey – March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (1963)
Keira Smith – The Birmingham Campaign (1963)
Miloh Diaz – Assassination of Malcolm X & Rise of the Black Panther Party (1965–1966)
Ashley Teles – The National Organization for Women & Roe v. Wade (1966–1973)
Max Snow – The Poor People’s Campaign & Assassination of MLK, Jr. (1968)
Ava Lenhard – Emmett Till’s Murder (1955)
James Golden – Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–1956)
Hanna Von Steenburg – Little Rock Nine (1957)
Aiden Grant – Greensboro Sit-Ins & Freedom Riders (1960–1961)
Karl Axelsson – Cesar Chavez & the United Farm Workers of America (1962)
Roman Massey – March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (1963)
Keira Smith – The Birmingham Campaign (1963)
Miloh Diaz – Assassination of Malcolm X & Rise of the Black Panther Party (1965–1966)
Ashley Teles – The National Organization for Women & Roe v. Wade (1966–1973)
Max Snow – The Poor People’s Campaign & Assassination of MLK, Jr. (1968)
Hudson Sonesson – Woodstock (1969)
Juliet Chattaway – The American Indian Movement (1969–1971)
Conclusion: Ashley Teles
Conclusion: Ashley Teles
Bridge to the Twenty-First Century
Introduction: Cecilia Thompson
Martin Flanagan – The Watergate Scandal (1972–1974)
Daisy Winn – The Rise of the Summer Blockbuster (1975–1980)
Henry Macon – Iran Hostage Crisis & Iran-Contra Affair (1979–1987)
Annie Mallozzi – 1980 Lake Placid Olympics (1980)
Charlotte Tocks – The Cultural Cold War & Rise of MTV (1981)
John Morawa – The Challenger Disaster (1986)
Sammy Wagner – Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (1989)
Sloane LeBaron – Fall of the Berlin Wall & Collapse of U.S.S.R. (1989–1991)
Parker Burt – Operation Desert Storm / The Gulf War (1990–1991)
Annie Mallozzi – 1980 Lake Placid Olympics (1980)
Charlotte Tocks – The Cultural Cold War & Rise of MTV (1981)
John Morawa – The Challenger Disaster (1986)
Sammy Wagner – Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (1989)
Sloane LeBaron – Fall of the Berlin Wall & Collapse of U.S.S.R. (1989–1991)
Parker Burt – Operation Desert Storm / The Gulf War (1990–1991)
Max Tangen – Battle of Mogadishu / Black Hawk Down Incident (1993)
Ellie Ryder – Oklahoma City Bombing (1995)
Cecilia Thompson – 9/11 Terrorist Attacks (2001–2002)
Devon Havens – Hurricane Katrina (2004)
Ellie Ryder – Oklahoma City Bombing (1995)
Cecilia Thompson – 9/11 Terrorist Attacks (2001–2002)
Devon Havens – Hurricane Katrina (2004)
Charlie O’Grady – 2008 Global Financial Crisis (2008)
Conclusion: John Morawa
World War II
Jamie Nickum – The Holocaust & American Inaction (1933–1941)
Charlie Baird – 1936 Berlin Olympics (1936)
Eliza Villari – Attack on Pearl Harbor & U.S. Entry into World War II (1941–1942)
Ansley Gagnier – Tuskegee Airmen and The Double V Campaign (1941–1945)
Oliver Krikorian – The Doolittle Raid & the Battle of Midway (1942)
Emily Jantzen – Island Hopping & the Guadalcanal Campaign (1942–1943)
Olivia Back – Rosie the Riveter & American Women at War (WACs, WAVES & SPARS) (1942–1945)
Olivia Back – Rosie the Riveter & American Women at War (WACs, WAVES & SPARS) (1942–1945)
Maddie Ortiz – Japanese-American Internment Camps (1942–1945)
Charlie Franz – Operation Overlord / D-Day Invasion (1944)
Chase Brooks – Battles of Iwo Jima & Okinawa (1945)
Thacher Williams – Manhattan Project, Atomic Bombings & Japanese Surrender (1945)
Luke Amen – The Nuremberg Trials & Tokyo Trials (1945–1948)
Luke Amen – The Nuremberg Trials & Tokyo Trials (1945–1948)
The Cold War Era
Anna Israelov – Creation of the United Nations & NATO (1945–1949)
Nathan Roth – The Korean War (1950–1953)
Abigail Reilly – The Rosenberg Trial (1951–1953)
Nathan Roth – The Korean War (1950–1953)
Abigail Reilly – The Rosenberg Trial (1951–1953)
Grayson Richards – The Space Race (1957–1969)
Juan-Carlos Bowman – Bay of Pigs Invasion & the Cuban Missile Crisis (1961–1962)Stephen McGovern – The Assassination of JFK (1963)
Topher Kern – Gulf of Tonkin Incident → Tet Offensive & My Lai Massacre (1968)
Ava Dell’Aquila – Rock & Roll, Youth Culture, Anti-Vietnam War Protests (1950–1975)
Oscar Knowles – The Pentagon Papers and The New York Times (1971)
Jackson Falkenstein – Paris Peace Accords & Fall of Saigon (1973–1975)
New Canaan Country School
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