Rye Country Day’s Humanities Department offers an “Economics & Politics” course, which gives students the space to explore economic choices about education, employment, savings, and spending, as well as ways in which they can exercise their right to vote once they come of age to the fullest. After spending time earlier in the year studying economics and political science/government, the final third of the course focuses on current events and issues.

Upon returning from Spring Break in March,  students conducted a simulation of a National Security Council meeting debating how the U.S. should approach global climate change policy and the Paris Agreement. ​​Students were assigned a role (president, vice president, cabinet positions, and other executive branch administrators) and conducted research on what their priorities and concerns should be. They prepared a policy memo outlining their ideas, which they brought to the in-class simulation to share their perspectives. 

In April, students worked in groups to create a podcast on current events. Topics included genetic privacy and 23andMe, relations between Greenland and Canada and the United States, the price of eggs, and the state of the U.S. Department of Education. 

Another exciting unit was the walking trip to Downtown Rye, where students conducted a business analysis. They examined different businesses in Rye, assessing the viability of each enterprise.  Following the trip, students worked in groups to put together a business plan for their own hypothetical company and created pitch for funding presentations. Some of the proposed ideas included an AI-driven drivers’ ed app, a South Indian restaurant, a pickleball club, a dance club, and many others!

In the final weeks of school, students will work on personal finance projects that will include a spending journal/reflection, an investigation of banking options in prospective college towns, and the creation of a long-term stock market portfolio.