By Bailey Otto, Ste. Genevieve School Disrict R-II
STE. GENEVIEVE – Ste. Genevieve County R-II School District has announced that Dr. Rhett Oldham has been selected as the new Director of Social Studies Curriculum at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) effective at the end of the 2023-2024 school year.
Dr. Oldham is an educator at SGMS where he teaches World History and American History. This new position with DESE oversees improving curriculum, instruction, and student performance in the Social Studies PK-12 content area, as well as provides technical assistance to school districts and regional staff in developing and implementing more effective Social Studies instruction. This role also organizes and conducts high-quality professional development for teachers in implementing various strategies for teaching and evaluating content area competencies.
Dr. Oldham shared that his purpose in taking this new position is to seek how the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) can best support educators and districts. He is already in discussions with directors of other content areas and is ready to get started. “I think the number one goal of DESE is to support the 518 school districts in the state of Missouri and to let them know that they do have support at the state level,” he said. “I will go into this job with that number one goal in mind.”
While his first year in this new role will be focused on learning the new position, making connections and building relationships with educators around the state, Dr. Oldham has a few areas where he wants to focus. One of these is building further collaboration with various stakeholders around the state to enhance learning among all Missouri students. For example, this could include launching or building upon partnerships with museums around the state to create a bridge of learning for all Missouri schools, and to further supplement and facilitate students’ learning both in and out of the classrooms.
While he is a veteran of 28 years in the classroom, Dr. Oldham believes in a growth mindset—that we are all lifelong learners—and he learns something new every day from his students and fellow educators to add to his ever-expanding teacher toolbox. Not only does Dr. Oldham offer his students lessons that strengthen their understanding of their hometown, such as visiting the Ste. Genevieve Catholic Church to study Gothic Revival architecture as part of a Reformation unit, but he also prioritizes building connections globally. His students meet foreign diplomats through the Adopt an Embassy program and get to know students in other countries, such as Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom. When students leave his classes, they leave with a better understanding of the world around them, and how lessons can then be applied outside of the classroom.
While Dr. Oldham still has plenty of time to make memories at SG R-II this semester, this time will be bittersweet for him.
“One of the greatest things about the Ste. Genevieve R-II district is that here—and this is what I love—it’s always about the people,” he said. “And we never lose sight of this. It’s about students; it’s about parents; it’s about teachers; it’s about bus drivers and cafeteria workers and school board members— it’s always about people. What happens when you’re focused on people? You invest in people. That’s why this district is such a phenomenal place to teach, and I will really miss that. I’m going to miss my kids in the classroom, and I’m going to miss those relationships, because at the end of the day, SG R-II is always about people.”
Dr. Oldham credited Ste. Genevieve County R-II for continually supporting him in growing as an educator over the years. During his time with SG R-II, Dr. Oldham has achieved several accomplishments, including: 2020 Missouri History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, Missouri Teacher of the Year Finalist in 2019, a Fulbright-Teacher for Global Classroom Fellow (Morocco), a QFI-GEEO Award Recipient (Jordan), and a University of Illinois-Transatlantic Educator Dialogue Program Fellow. Dr. Oldham uses technology extensively in his classroom and is an EdPuzzle Certified Coach, an eMints Certified Educator, and is a White House Historical Association Fellow.
In addition, this past school year, Dr. Oldham reached out to the Jefferson Barracks POW-MIA Museum to launch a collaboration with the district, which culminated in the district being recognized as a POW-MIA campus. The District is appreciative to Dr. Oldham for his initiative to undertake this project and is extremely excited to be collaborating with the Jefferson Barracks POW/MIA Museum to raise awareness of the POW/MIAs who have proudly served and fought for our freedoms.
Dr. Oldham earned his Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, his master’s degree in Secondary Administration from Southwest Baptist University and his doctorate in Education from Missouri Baptist University.