English

The English Department strives to create an environment that is conducive to prolonged learning and the development of each student as a reader, writer, thinker and speaker.

Each year we spend a great deal of time re-evaluating the needs of our students and making the necessary curriculum changes that will benefit them.

By the time our students graduate, they will be socially conscious, inquisitive young adults who are capable of problem solving in an ever-changing social climate.

Focusing on the Individual

We understand that the world is much larger than our classrooms. We develop a strong rapport with each student, because we believe that a scholastic atmosphere must be built on trust and mutual respect.

Our standards-aligned, skills-based curriculum fosters student growth within a variety of media and differentiated instructional methods.

We understand that each student learns differently. Because of this, we offer a wide variety of resources to ensure the progression of every individual.

Our curriculum ranges from English I-IV to electives in creative writing, public speaking, journalism, theater studies, music and film studies, and gender and multicultural studies.

It Is Our Vision …  

Perhaps the best way to understand how we envision our role as a department is to hear directly from our faculty members:

"Our vision is to curate an appreciation for complexity, and in the process, create active listeners and effective communicators who will contribute to the development of our society."
— Ms. Kendal Ahlmann

"It is our vision to make our English students critical readers, writers and thinkers."
— Mr. Martin Blake

"Our vision is for all students to develop a universal understanding of key writing elements and forms, as well as a common vocabulary for discussing them."
— Ms. Christina Heinen

"Our vision is to encourage our students to be lifelong learners who read critically, write concisely, and speak conscientiously about the subjects that matter to them as individuals and to us as a community."
— Ms. Kathryn Merkouris