The English curriculum promotes logical thinking, analytical writing, and articulate speaking as it encourages students to read broadly. We believe that literature teaches perspective and empathy and serves as an entry point for exploration of the world and its variety of experiences. Throughout the Upper School English experience, students engage both modern and classic texts, within and beyond Western culture, in the form of novels, poetry, short fiction, and occasionally, graphic novels.

 

With weekly Monday writing and frequent thesis-driven essays, students translate their ideas into intelligent, rhythmic, and crisp writing as they master grammar and punctuation, vocabulary, research techniques, and literary analysis. The English Department works in an interdisciplinary manner when appropriate, and we stress the interrelationships among the arts.

 

All sections of English are college preparatory, and all include an element of public speaking, and combine honors and non-honors students. The honors designation remains up to the individual student, and all students meet together in combined classes. Honors students will be held to more rigorous grading and will complete an extra assignment each quarter. Honors designation is not available during the first semester of English 9. Violation of the Honor Code as determined by the Honor Council, including plagiarism, will result in revocation of the Honors designation for that year.