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At Dunham, we are preparing students for jobs that are yet to exist in this ever-changing world. Our teachers understand the need to empower students to create, design, and problem solve.  

Matt Smith, 8th grade Ancient Civilizations teacher, assigned an open-ended project that required students to select an event in Greek history, choose a research topic of interest, and present it to the class creatively. Some students created slide shows, while others created movies.

Samuel Jeter ’25 took the project to the next level, challenging himself by creating an original music video about the Trojan War. Not only did Samuel write lyrics about the Trojan War, he also composed and played the song. Using a third party, he found a male singer to actually sing the song which he then added to a movie video he created.

"I started the song with a guitar riff, then it all came together with four chords. The project was fun, and I learned a lot about my topic,” Samuel said.

Smith and Samuel's classmates were very impressed with the quality of the project.

"I have had students create songs in the past, but no one has gone so far as to write and record all of the music and lyrics,” Smith explained.  “I knew Samuel was musically gifted, but I was in awe when he presented the video in class.  All of the elements are great! The music is so catchy and the lyrics follow the story of the Trojan War, but they are also clever and fun to sing along with."

Not only did Samuel have an opportunity to share his passion for music while learning about Greek history, but he has also posted his project to YouTube  as a resource for others to access. Smith also has it on his YouTube playlist and can't help but feel proud when he hears it. To see Samuel’s project, go to bit.ly/SamuelJeter

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