Working from a 1945 primary source document,, the Lab is developing What We Stand For and Against: What the U.S. Army Wanted Every World War II Soldier to Know—a classroom-friendly edition that includes comics to provide historical context, a glossary, archival photographs, and student activities. As we design accompanying classroom workshops, the only way to know whether they are working is to get them in the classroom and try things out.
Thanks to support from the Vermont Arts Council and Vermont Humanities, we are visiting schools across the state, developing and refining our workshops in collaboration with teachers and students. A few weeks ago, we visited our first partner school, St. Johnsbury Academy, in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. We conducted three workshops with 9th- and 11th-grade students, in both a humanities class and a combined history/English course. Workshop leaders Grace Caldwell, Meg Richardson, Noah Jodice, and James Sturm facilitated sessions that introduced key vocabulary related to fascism and civil liberties, while demonstrating how cartooning techniques can be used to explore complex ideas.
Through brainstorming, breaking concepts into panels, and developing core story elements — setting, character, conflict, and dialogue — students learned how to translate abstract political ideas into visual narratives. What might have been a traditional lecture on fascism and the erosion of civil liberties instead became an interactive exploration. Through collaborative drawing, discussion, and on-the-spot revision, the team continually adapted and reshaped the sessions in real time alongside the students.
The team worked with over 65 students and 3 teachers. A recurring theme in student responses was a desire for EVEN MORE cartooning time, reinforcing one of the Lab’s central goals: in classrooms, cartooning can be an essential tool for engagement, analysis, and civic understanding. The work will continue in Vermont throughout the Spring, with additional pilot workshops planned in classrooms across the United States.