From Our High School English Department

Considered one of SBEC’s more colorful departments, our high school English instructors continually involve their students in a wide range of studies and activities. Currently, Mrs. Turner’s seventh graders are concentrating on the modes of writing. Placed in teams, the students are assigned persuasive paragraphs to write regarding the topic of school uniforms.  They then share these paragraphs for the purpose of persuading classmates to accept their viewpoints.  While our seventh graders are engaged in writing, Mrs. Smith’s eighth graders are constructing poetry portfolios.  A favorite project of many, this portfolio contains a variety of selected poems gathered from diverse sources.  Original pieces written by the student are also included, and the entire portfolio is then illustrated.  Similarly, Ms. Holbrook’s freshmen find themselves in the midst of poetry as they voyage with Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey, the blind minstrel’s second epic. During this unit the classes will construct collages representing the tremendous impact of this work upon modern society, as well as maps of the famous journey, family trees of the Greek gods, and travel agency brochures showcasing legendary sites. While Ms. Holbrook’s freshmen are immersed in literature set in 1200 B.C., Miss Holland’s sophomores venture to the 1800s, completing Alexander Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo and taking part in a mock trial, complete with personally designed period costumes.  A return to writing occurs in Mrs. Anderson’s AP English class as her juniors practice writing synthesis essays in preparation for the AP exam later in the year.  At the same time, Honors 11 students are in the middle of a short story unit that includes Southern writers William Faulkner, Flannery O’ Conner, and Eudora Welty. Finally, Mrs. Turner’s AP English 12 students are producing poetry power point projects while Mrs. Smith’s and Ms. DeFrehn’s seniors write their own “modest proposals” based upon the Jonathan Swift satire.  Obviously, the SBEC English department is a favorite among students, who know these teachers are committed to the success of each one of their students.

Tommie Holbrook

English Department