Welcome to Ms. Olivas' History classes

“We are not makers of history. We are made by history.”

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dear Students and Families,

Welcome to new school year!

My name is Ms. Lola Olivas and I teach 6th, 7th, and 8th grade History. In class, we will explore the various civilizations, governments, and cultures from Ancient times (6th grade Ancient World History), to the Medieval period (7th grade Medieval World History), and to the formation and expansion of the United States (8th grade US History).

I have been teaching with LAUSD since 2001 and have been at Thomas Starr King Middle School Film and Media Magnet since the 2014/15 school year. I received my BA degree in History from the University of California, Los Angeles and a graduate degree in Film & Media Studies from The New School in New York City. I received my teaching credential from the LAUSD District Intern Program. I love teaching history and look forward to studying these different civilizations and time periods with my students.

I was born and raised in Los Angeles. Aside from teaching, I have many obsessions. I enjoy traveling, basketball, music, dance, film, food, animals and I just love a good laugh! Travel is one of my main passions and I normally travel during our summer and winter breaks. I believe that travel is so important and feel very fortunate that I have the opportunity to do so. In my opinion, visiting other places, opening ourselves up to different languages, cultures, and people just helps us to understand the world a little better. Aside from traveling to other places, I have also resided outside of the City of Angels. I have lived in New York City, Tokyo, London, Mexico City, and I have spent a lot of time in Portugal. Being a native Angeleno, I am a huge Lakers fan...Purple and Gold forever!!!

I look forward to working with my students and their families this year. I believe that together we can make this a great year! On this page, I have included the syllabus for each grade level as well as instructional videos for the different online platforms we will be using. Please look over the different materials at your own convenience. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] or via Schoology.

Looking forward to this year!

Your teacher,

Ms. Lola Olivas