2026 Humanities Night

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The image shows a classroom setting with a large projection screen and two women standing in front of it, presenting to an audience of students seated in the room.
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The image shows two people, a man and a woman, standing in front of a bookshelf filled with various books.

By Dan O'Reilly

Scores of parents, family members and classmates flocked to Pelham Memorial High School to see English and Social Studies students bring their expertise to life at the 2nd annual Humanities Showcase held on February 12. 

The event featured the presentation of projects and research from a variety of different classes, including the brand-new AP Seminar class, students from which showed off their in-depth knowledge on topics of their choosing. In this class, students conduct extensive research into issues ranging from the diagnosis and accommodation of ADHD to body image representation in online spaces and much more. This student-driven course allows students to read and cite research on their topics before presenting their findings from memory, fielding questions and developing solutions based on real-world policy and scientific findings.

“The second annual Humanities night was an incredible success,” said Dr. Suzanne Short, Director of Humanities. “The meaningful student work and presentations that filled the library was a testament to the hard work and creativity of our students as well as our dedicated and knowledgeable teachers.” 

As part of the class, students must explain why and how they learned from, used or excluded other research from their classmates.

Another highlight featured the PMHS Sociology Class, taught by Gregory Kopstien. As an example, student Sahana Ganapathy led visitors on a tour of her "30 Years in 30 Days" project, which challenged students to plan for the future, exploring everything from finances to education and career planning. Students like Ganapathy researched important topics like student loans, mortgage rates and even the impacts of the price of oil.

“Mr. Kopstein has never had somebody do this during this project,” said Ganapathy. “But I got my oil bill down by $40,000 because I researched the price of oil, how much it would cost to have it delivered, and how much I would need for the house. I got a better deal because I did the research and I negotiated.”

Students also presented projects on historical topics, such as the senior and AP European History student Rami Kamal’s research on the Marshall Plan.

“My thesis is that the Marshall Plan had a positive effect on Europe after World War II, Kamal said. “There was an increase in industrial output of 55% in Marshall Plan recipients between 1947 and 1951. Agricultural output increased by 37% in the same period.” 

Students’ passion at Humanities Night was evident from the smiles on their faces and the excitement in their voices as they engaged with peers, parents, staff and community members. The freedom to choose the direction of their projects allowed students to enjoy and take pride in the process of researching and presenting.