New elective sparks curiosity about Mason history

Olivia Zellner | The Chronicle 

Skyline Chili, pig statues and Graeter’s ice cream — a new course takes a deep dive into Cincinnati culture and gives students the opportunity to learn from their community’s history.

As the 2024-2025 school year kicks off, various new electives are making their debut, offering fresh opportunities for students looking to bring excitement to their course load. Rachel Pansing, a social studies teacher at Mason High School (MHS), created one of these courses. Dubbed “Queen City Studies”, the class delves into the rich history of the Mason and Cincinnati areas, featuring field trips to historical locations all over the city.

The class stemmed from Pansing’s childhood in Virginia, where she passed time by exploring historical sights such as Jamestown and Colonial Williamsburg. After moving to Mason, Pansing says she sought to bring that same enthusiasm for the past to her students’ lives.

“When I started teaching American History here, I thought it would be really cool if we could go out into the community and take field trips,” Pansing said. “I wanted to explore what American history looks like in our backyard.”

With the help of student feedback, Pansing was granted permission to begin teaching Queen City Studies. The elective offers students a chance to learn the history behind the seemingly ordinary places they pass by every day and to experience firsthand the stories of the people who came before them.

“I thought it would be great to take the students to a place they’ve probably never been, although they walk and drive through Mason every day,” Pansing said.

Having moved to Mason from out-of-state, Pansing understands what it feels like to get to know a new and foreign place. Pansing said the class is not just about the grades and coursework, but rather educating students about the community they live in.

“Even if you didn’t grow up here, but you’ve adopted the Mason and Cincinnati area as your new home, you’ll hopefully grow a deeper connection with an unfamiliar place,” Pansing said.

Not only does the class help Pansing connect to her new home, but it also encourages her students to see the community in a new light. Kristeen Rafey, a senior at MHS, joined Pansing’s Queen City Studies course this school year. A self-proclaimed history buff, Rafey said that the course allowed her to experience history in a way she never had before.

“I took Queen City Studies because there’s no other class like it at the high school,” Rafey said. “[The class] is still studying history, but with something that’s so relevant to my life.”

Although many of the history courses at MHS focus on global or national studies, Rafey said Queen City Studies has proven to be different. The students, along with Pansing, planned hands-on activities like “Cincy Day”, a potluck to which students brought classic Cincinnati foods like Skyline Chili, Grippos, and Graeters to class while participating in Queen City-themed activities. Rafey said opportunities like these give students a chance to make a real-life connection between Mason and Cincinnati culture.

“I love that we get to do activities that bring Mason into the classroom,” Rafey said. “It’s so much more fun to learn about things that apply to my everyday life.”

Following “Cincy Day”, the class took their first field trip on September 5 to the Alverta Green Museum, the home of the Mason Historical Society. The building is in the heart of downtown Mason, a place many MHS students pass through each day. Ryan Peppard, another MHS senior, said the experience was an insightful and informative one.

“The field trip did an amazing job of making history relevant to our lives,” Peppard said. “It’s hard to find that in another history class, and it’s been really great.”

Not only does Peppard enjoy Cincinnati history, but Mason history as well. He said that educating himself about the MHS and Alverta Green Museum history has been an amazing learning experience that hits close to home.

“It’s a cool topic, learning how Mason came to be,” Peppard said. “[Mason] has played a bigger role than people think in history, and it’s important to understand where we came from in order to [understand] where we are now.”

For MHS students like Rafey and Peppard, Queen City Studies has offered them opportunities to explore parts of their community they may have never discovered on their own. Pansing said educating her students on Mason’s hidden history and the buildings they see each day allows them to bridge the gap between the present and the past.

“For the students, I think the class gives them a deep appreciation and even deeper connection to the community,” Pansing said. “It brings them a valuable understanding of who came before them.”