Nicole Leonard

2025 Yale & Slavery Teachers Institute Cohort Member

I teach high school Social Studies at Wolcott High School in Wolcott, CT. The courses I teach are Modern US History, US History I (Westward Expansion to Reconstruction), and Black and Latino Studies. We discuss race relations in all of these courses, but there is a particular emphasis on slavery in US History I and Black and Latino Studies. While there is a lot of focus on southern slavery in most history courses, I would like to include more about slavery in New England in general, but also incorporate more personal narratives to make the students feel connected to the material and encourage empathy. My goal through this program is to become more knowledgeable about slavery in New England so that I can utilize what I learn to improve the lessons I already have and create new, better lessons that will be engaging and informative for students.