History teacher John Kerby has been teaching at North for eight years, but there always been something more he wanted to do with the subject. This year he is teaching a one semester class over Global Conflicts, covering genocides all over the world. It is the first history elective approved by the district.

“I teach history because I love it – it’s applicable to everyone’s life,” Kerby said. “This is a pilot elective class, so if it’s successful they will add it to the course catalog for the district.”

Kerby has had the idea of teaching a class about history’s genocides since he start of his career at North, “When I interviewed with Mr.  Padgett to get this job in May of 2011, I told him I wanted to teach a class like this eventually. There should be more electives in history.”

The class will cover the Armenian Genocide, the Ukraine famine and the Holocaust. “Mass slaughter of people has happened throughout all of human history– how can we honor the people of the Holocaust without learning it?” Kerby said.

Senior Rosalia Salazar, who is taking the class, said, “It’s very interesting. I’m glad he’s teaching a class like this. I think it is very important to learn about these events and how they’ve happened.”

It is Kerby’s hope that by offering this class students will become more aware of past events that have occurred around the world. “History repeats itself because people don’t remember or consider it applicable,” he said.