History teacher Tyson Luneau in class at Upper Campus.
By Fred Alvarez
Until a few years ago, OVS history teacher Tyson Luneau admittedly knew little about the study of environmental history.
But graduate school changed all that, plunging him deep into a discipline that examines in a multitude of ways the relationship between humans and the natural world. That study has become one of his greatest passions, taking him across the globe in recent years, including this summer where he is conducting research in North Africa in support of his Ph.D. dissertation exploring the impacts, environmental and otherwise, of French colonialism.
Next school year, his affinity for the subject will hit closer to home when he launches two new semester-long courses open to juniors and seniors at the Upper Campus: Environmental History and Environmental Justice.
“I’ve told the students [the classes are] going to be radically different than any other history classes they have taken,” said Luneau, who plans to create a series of college-style seminars aimed at prompting students to read, research, discuss and write about the ways the environment has shaped human history.
“I want us to more directly emulate the work that historians actually do,” Luneau added. “It is an area of history that has real-world ramifications for what we’re dealing with regarding climate change and other forms of environmental degradation.”
Creation of the new courses was sparked in large part by the school’s ambitious Land and Climate initiative, a campaign launched this past school year aimed at making students and staff true stewards of the land by having them engage in forward-thinking education on climate and sustainability.
That campaign builds on programs and curriculum already in place, including the school’s renowned Outdoor Education program and existing initiatives that focus on everything from sustainable energy production to environmental restoration work. The goal is to identify opportunities to expand on current practices, providing a path for OVS to position itself as a national leader in Land and Climate education.
As part of that effort, a push is underway to make the school’s curriculum more deeply reflect its commitment to Land and Climate. At the Upper Campus, that includes the introduction of new courses such as those created by Luneau. But it also includes the introduction of a new requirement that students take at least one course in Land and Climate to receive a high school diploma.
Beginning with the Class of 2026, students will need a minimum of 18 units (the current minimum is 17) to meet graduation requirements. Students can meet the new Land and Climate requirement through a range of offerings, from hard sciences such as Geology, Marine Science, and AP Environmental Science, to social science courses such as Literature of the Wilderness and History and Science of the Channel Islands.
AP Art, AP Seminar and AP Research — which comprise the AP Capstone diploma — could also fulfill the requirement if the projects in those courses focus on sustainability or climate change.
“A committee of teachers came together to talk about why this is an important and relevant addition to the graduation requirements,” said Laurel Colborn, assistant head of campus for academics. “The committee felt that it is one thing to say you are a sustainable school, but quite another to build it into your curriculum and make it a requirement for students graduating from your program.”
Luneau’s new courses certainly fit the bill.
The Environmental History course, for example, examines the evolution of the relationship between humans and the natural environment in the modern era. That relationship cuts two ways — just as humans have had a significant and increasing impact on their environments over the last several centuries, the natural world also has played a key role in shaping the trajectory of human civilizations.
The second semester Environmental Justice course builds off the fall semester course in Environmental History, examining the relationship between environmental change and social justice. Though the course will examine developments around the globe, there will be a strong focus on environmental issues in the United States, especially in California, including air and water pollution, drought and wildfires, food waste, agriculture, industrial waste cleanup, and climate change.
“I try to build an environmental focus into all of my classes,” Luneau said. “But having the opportunity to dive deeper into these issues, and also to dive into a more localized version of them, will be so good for our students.”
A student at heart, Luneau knows what he is talking about.
A Native of New England, he holds a Masters degree in French Colonial History, Imperial Russian History and Latin American Environmental History from the University at Albany, and he is nearing the end of his research work for his Ph.D from the same institution. His doctoral dissertation focuses on the environment, infrastructure and construction of the French and Russian colonial empires.
Ask him about any of this work and he will speak at length and with passion. Ask him about what he plans to teach at OVS next year and he will do the same.
For example, he is particularly excited about a field study component of one of his new classes that will have students examine and visit the Salton Sea, an environmental mishap that subsequently spurred a now-defunct tourist industry. In the last quarter century, the Salton Sea has become California’s most polluted lake, as water loss, due to drought and other factors, has resulted in a variety of environmental problems.
“We’re going to do the discussion, but then we’re going to actually go and see it,” said Luneau, who just completed his first year of teaching at OVS. “Actually being there and experiencing the place for yourself makes such a phenomenal difference on your understanding and interpretation.”
In the end, Luneau said he is thankful for the school’s new emphasis on Land and Climate, noting that it is allowing him to incorporate his own academic and environmental pursuits into his teaching.
At the same time, he said it is providing a much-needed expansion of the social studies curriculum and a timely exploration for students of pressing issues they will face for years to come.
“When I saw this push on Land and Climate, I said, ‘Ok, now’s the time, let’s pitch it and make it happen,’” Luneau said of the new course offerings. “It’s something I had hoped to do once I got here, and I’m happy that it happened so soon.”
