ENGLISH DEPT. FACULTY
Upper School
Heather Cantrall
Patricia Crouch-Cook
Creighton King (Co-Chair)
Steven Matson
Barbara Smith (Chair)
Sue Tjardes
Middle School
Alyssa Baker
Rachel Rippl
Rob Scotlan
Lydia Valentine
The English curriculum at CWA centers on literary reading, process writing and critical thinking. Effective writing (analytical and creative) is a keystone of the scope and sequence with each grade advancing skill levels in a developmentally appropriate manner. Competence in grammar is a major goal of the 9th and 10th grade. The literature read over the four years of high school is a balance of the classical Western Civilization canon (Homer, Sophocles, Shakespeare, etc.) and contemporary women ( Mary Shelley, Margaret Atwood), minority (Maxine Hong Kingston, Langston Hughes) and non-Western writers (Louise Erdrich, Athol Fugard). Note: Seniors have the opportunity to take AP English to prepare for the AP Literature exam. In addition to the required four-year curriculum, students may also take electives in the department: Newsmagazine Journalism, Yearbook Journalism and Creative Writing.
