We study history to learn how we arrived to where we are now; to understand what worked for people in the past, and to attempt not to make mistakes made in the past.

The Social Studies Department at Jonathan Dayton High School addresses the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Social Studies. Our program combines and integrates various fields such as Western Civilization, United States History, Geography, Economics, Civics, and Government. All students are required to take three years of Social Studies. They may elect to fill their programs during their senior year with the many elective class offered, such as, Psychology, Sociology, the Holocaust, Diversity Studies, Contemporary Global Studies, and Economics. There are also several Advanced Placement classes available to the students throughout their high school experience.

The guiding principle of the social studies program is to emphasize the individuality of the students while connecting their lives to the past and present.  Students will learn historical explanations for the differences among individuals and people. They will be provided with the essential skills and attitudes for living in the 21st century, and acquire the abilities to learn for themselves, to deliberate responsibly on local, national, and international issues, and to avail themselves to the many historical and cultural resources.

At the completion of their high school career, students will be prepared with the knowledge and skills necessary to become contributing citizens in our society.

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Social Studies

“Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today.’ -- Abraham Lincoln	“Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” -- John Fitzgerald Kennedy
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”  -- Barack Obama	“Children are our most valuable natural resources." -- Herbert Hoover
“It is hard to fail. But it is worse never to have tried to succeed.” -- Theodore Roosevelt	“A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.”  -- Harry S. Truman
“When you are in any contest you should work as if there were to the very last minute a chance to lose it.”  -- Dwight D. Eisenhower	“A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits.” -- Richard Nixon