Meet Hannah Clark, Head of History at Scots College, Wellington
Hannah Clark is Head of History at Scots College; she joined the school in 2020. Alongside leading the Department, she is completing a PhD on the children of Holocaust survivors and refugees in New Zealand at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
A Lifelong Love of History
Q: When did your interest in history begin?
A: History has always been part of my world, largely thanks to my dad, who is a big military enthusiast. I grew up hearing about Anzac Day and World War II, so even as a young child, I was already curious about the past. At school, I was fortunate to have fantastic History teachers who really brought the subject to life, and that passion stayed with me through university and beyond.
Q: Was there a particular teacher or moment that shaped your passion?
A: One teacher in particular made history feel vivid and relevant, and helped me develop skills around questioning and analysing. I still keep in touch with her. At university, my lecturers continued that influence, encouraging deeper thinking about different regions, topics, and perspectives.
How Hannah Found Her Place at Scots
Q: Your pathway into teaching was not entirely direct – can you tell us about that journey?
A: After studying History, Classics, and English, I was not sure what I wanted to do. I worked at university for a while and then moved into archival work at the National Library. But I missed the constant learning environment, so I decided to retrain as a teacher. I started at Wellington College before joining Scots in 2020. The opportunity to teach History again – and the welcoming atmosphere at the school – made it an easy decision.
Q: What made you want to join Scots College?
A: Being able to teach History full-time again was the main draw – at my previous school, timetable changes meant I had not actually been teaching my own subject. But it was the interview itself that sealed it. It did not feel like an interview at all; it felt like sitting down and having a genuine conversation. I felt like I fit into the Department from that very first meeting, and having a brilliant Head of Department at the time made the transition even easier.
Q: You are now Head of History yourself. What has that taught you about the culture at Scots?
A: Leading a Department has been its own learning curve – curriculum has always been my strength, but people management is something I have grown into through trial and error. What has made that possible is the calibre of leaders around me. I have been able to watch colleagues across the school – genuinely excellent leaders – see how they handle different situations, and bring that back into my own role. There are so many strong leaders at this school to learn from.
A New Zealand Story, Told Through PhD Research
Q: You are currently completing a PhD. What is your research about?
A: My PhD focusses on the experiences of Holocaust survivors and refugees who came to New Zealand. More specifically, I am looking at how their children – what we call the second generation – learned about their parents' experiences, and how those stories shaped their identity, worldview, and upbringing.
There is extensive international research, particularly in the United States and Israel, but New Zealand's perspective remains relatively underexplored. Because of our distance from those events, it offers a unique lens on how the effects of the Holocaust have been carried across generations.
Q: What drew you to this topic?
A: I have always had an interest in World War II and the Holocaust. It is a subject that is incredibly difficult to fully comprehend, which makes it all the more important to study. During university, I took a paper on genocide that really highlighted the importance of individual stories and perspectives. That stayed with me.
Originally, I was going to focus on education, but as I developed my ideas, the project evolved into something much more focussed on personal experience and memory – particularly the importance of survivor testimony as we begin to lose the first generation.
Q: What have you found most interesting or moving in your research so far?
A: One of the most fascinating aspects is what prompts survivors to share their stories. Often, it is not immediate – there can be long periods of silence. Key events, such as the Eichmann trial, or even media, such as television programmes, can trigger those conversations. I am also interested in how these stories are passed down, and how they shape the second generation's understanding of identity and history.
Q: How does your research influence your teaching?
A: It works both ways. Teaching helps me sharpen my thinking and writing, while my research gives me real-world examples to bring into the classroom. It also emphasises the importance of evidence, analysis, and understanding perspectives – skills I encourage in my History and IB students every day.
The Reward of Teaching at Scots
Q: What is the most rewarding part of teaching at Scots day-to-day?
A: I am genuinely lucky with the students I get to teach. For the most part, they are inquisitive and curious, and willing to put in the work. What I love is watching it click for them – particularly with my seniors working through their internals, where you can see them realise how everything connects. Watching them come out the other side more confident in how they communicate is, for me, the best part of the job.
Q: What do you hope students take away from studying History?
A: More than anything, I hope they develop empathy and critical thinking. History is not just about events – it is about people, perspectives, and understanding how the past shapes the present. Those are skills that stay with students long after they leave the classroom.