After the release of the local history textbook “StaniStory: Change and Continuity in Stanislaus County” last year, authors David Seymour and Keith Highiet anticipated its adoption by most area school districts. While some districts implemented the book, Modesto City Schools requested revisions to ensure compliance with the California FAIR Education Act. The FAIR Act requires social studies curricula to reflect the histories and cultures of underrepresented groups.
Updating the textbook, which builds on Joseph Burton Vasché’s 1941 work and its subsequent editions in 1950, 1971, and 1981, took more time than Seymour and Highiet expected. Highiet commented on the importance of inclusivity: “The impetus of that act is to have a more inclusive historical understanding and have different groups represented. You have blind spots on and you don’t realize groups aren’t really represented until you look for them, because you’re reporting the history that you know, or what you can find,” Highiet said. “We’ve done something that we’re really much more proud of now.”
The revised edition is now available in all Modesto City Schools third-grade classrooms. Highiet noted the district’s aim: “We want the children to open the book and see themselves.” He added, “And that really stuck with me — that if you open the book, you, your family, your heritage is part of the rich tapestry of our history.”
Sherwood Elementary in the Sylvan Union School District also received a set of the new edition through a donation from Garrad and Dallas Marsh in memory of their sister, Dianne Marsh King.
Seymour said their objective is broader distribution: “Our goal is to continue [fundraising] so that all 88 elementary schools in Stanislaus County receive a classroom set.” They also plan future Spanish-language and audiobook versions.
Janet Lancaster, one of the editors who passed away in 2024, was praised by Seymour as an important contributor. “She was actually doing research for us on her deathbed,” he said.
The new edition features stories such as that of Odessa Johnson, recognized as Modesto High School’s first Black teacher in the 1960s. Johnson later served on the Modesto City Schools Board of Education, became Modesto Junior College’s first Black professor in 1970, and joined the University of California Board of Regents. The book also highlights Becky Campo, who became Patterson’s mayor in 2006 as both the first Latina and person with a physical disability to hold county office.
Seymour reported that Merced County and Contra Costa County used “StaniStory” as a reference when updating their own local history curricula. “We would love for this book to inspire all of the other counties in California to follow suit and update their local history,” Seymour said.
Highiet emphasized his motivation behind updating the textbook: “We know more about New England because we study the Civil War in school than we know about where we live. And I don’t find that acceptable to me,” Highiet said. “We deserve to have a shared historical story and that’s what this book is … If you live here, you’re a product in some way of the history that came before you here.”
