United in the goal of sending out
graduates who love the Lord and who possess strong foundations in both writing
and literature, the English department begins its focus with the junior high.
In a world of autocorrecting and texting, Mrs. Heun’s students review
capitalization and punctuation as they strive to increase writing proficiency. Moving into literature, which is taught
through the filter of God’s Word, pupils extend their range of literary terms
and read material from a variety of authors including Kipling, Bradbury, Soto,
and O. Henry. Classes participate in writing newspaper articles, drawing comic
strips, and creating puppet plays with the use of ipads. While seventh graders
produce puppet shows, Mrs. Smith’s classes construct portfolios consisting of
original poetry as well as samples of published works by favorite poets. Complete
with illustrations, these colorful creations often become a favorite assignment
for eighth graders. In Ms. Holbrook’s classes, a different genre is the focal
point as ninth graders read Our Town and
write research papers relating to various elements of the play. As a wonderful
culmination to this unit, Our Town,
the theater department’s fall play, will be performed for the freshman class at
a special time during school hours.
Whether poetry, drama, or novels, literature
in its many forms presents the primary component for the upper grades as Mrs.
Humble’s sophomores write about Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Mrs. Anderson’s eleventh graders construct
character analyses based upon To Kill a
Mockingbird. In addition to these essays, the juniors utilize laptops to
access the new Naviance program for the purpose of submitting resumes toward
$500.00 scholarships; these scholarships are available through the Get2College
Scholarship Program and are awarded to high school juniors living in
Mississippi. College bound as well, Ms. DeFrehn’s and Mrs. Smith’s seniors study William Shakespeare and present video
skits, eulogies, oral reports, cookbooks, cross-stitch projects, essays, and
posters relating to Hamlet, Macbeth, and other Shakespearean works. Ms. Holland’s AP 12 English class engages a
more contemporary view as students read The
Awakening and produce oral and visual presentations regarding current events.
While this information undoubtedly assists in writing scholarship essays for
college, the assignment often reveals to students the importance of knowing
about their world. The English department prays that our graduates will be
fully-equipped to go out into the world, exercising their talents and
abilities- for His glory.
Tommie Holbrook
English Department
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