The English curriculum is designed to help students broaden their experiences through reading, writing, and presentation. Various levels of Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Honors (H), and standard courses allow each student to be challenged at his or her own pace. All genres are offered in these disciplines, affording students the opportunity to experience the differences between fiction, non-fiction, novel, short story, drama, poetry, and essay. Process writing is used to encourage students to revise material, to refine their understanding of grammar and mechanics, and to place an emphasis on mastery. Classes are discussion based and assignments are often individually crafted, allowing students to express their own creativity and insights while honing their skills in critical analysis of literature.
What can contemporary genre fiction teach us about life in the 21st century? In this course, students will examine their daily lives through the lens of current SF and fantasy literature. Themes will include self-representation in online environments, how we make and identify our friends when we never see them face to face, how we define happiness, and how we make choices about what to do with the power to which we have access. Over the course of the semester, students will analyze the texts we read through discussions and persuasive essays. The class will culminate in an independent short story writing project.
What does it mean to be contemporary? What is the work of a writer in the 21st century? What is your own project as a writer of this period? As a reader? These are some of the questions that will guide students’ progress through this course. Reading the work of contemporary women writers in a variety of genres and producing their own creative pieces simultaneously, students will begin to articulate for themselves what they value in writing that is of their time. The format of the class will be evenly split between literary discussion and writing workshop. Readings may include material from current literary magazines and from collections published within the last decade. Assessments will involve creative work, analytical writing, oral expression, and collaboration.
Literature, art, film, and music are outlets for society to express how they feel about current events. As a reader, listener, or viewer, we may turn to these mediums to escape the world. As the creator, we may find relief in producing a poem or song that candidly describes how we feel about the world we live in. Senior and postgraduate students in “The Beat Goes On” will uncover how young people reacted to significant world events to leave an enduring message that still resonates with individuals today. The preservation of their voice, both literally and figuratively, will be an important point of class discussion throughout our semester of study in this one term elective. Engaging in interdisciplinary learning, students will develop a comprehensive understanding of the origins of the Beatniks in the United States and why this group developed as an important voice in America. As we chronologically read and listen to the poetry and novels of such prominent figures as Jack Kerouac, Joyce Johnson, Allen Ginsberg, LeRoi Jones (Amiri Baraka), Tom Wolfe, and Ken Kesey, we will simultaneously listen to the emerging jazz music and bebop of this era (Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie) and draw connections between song lyrics, text, and the art of the 1950s-1970s. We will record our own reactions to these texts and songs through free writes, also working to write our own creative piece as a reaction to current events. By completing this course, students will understand how literature captures the response of society to particular historical events. Students will see that we can further our understanding of how people felt during a specific time period by listening to their voices as preserved in music and literature.
This course is an interdisciplinary requirement for IB Diploma Candidates intended to stimulate critical reflection on knowledge and experience gained outside the classroom.
As a culmination of a student's experience in the classroom while at New Hampton School, World Literature and Composition offers students the opportunity to demonstrate and hone their critical thinking and analytical processing skills. Students use literature from around the world as a foundation for discussion and writing prompts that seek to prepare students for college-level discourse. Throughout the course of both semesters, students will pursue an intensive study of the writing process, addressing the four rhetorical modes of discourse: description, narration, exposition, and argument. Literary analysis skills are developed in conjunction with close, focused reading of multiple texts. Attention will also be given to the college essay and SAT/ACT preparation. Assignments will work to reinforce appropriate use of structure, syntax, audience, tone, personal voice, and point of view.
Luke Tobin joined the New Hampton School community in 2010 and is the English Department Chair, teaching seniors in IB English 2. He is a graduate of St. Lawrence University and earned a Master's Degree in the Science of Education: Curriculum and Instruction, from S.U.N.Y. Potsdam. Luke grew up in the Adirondacks of New York state. The lakes, mountains, and beautiful scenery surrounding New Hampton School remind Luke of home.
Growing up, Luke spent his time playing hockey, soccer, and lacrosse. He continued his passion for sports at St. Lawrence University, playing soccer and club hockey. During the winter season he is the head coach for the competitive snowboard team. He also enjoys hiking, camping, motorcycles, fishing, longboarding, and writing poetry. He is grateful to be working at NHS, what he believes to be "such a positive, welcoming, and helpful community."
Meghan is originally from Maryland and has gradually made her way up the coast to New Hampshire. Meghan attended Gettysburg College for her BA in English (Phi Beta Kappa) and Dartmouth College for her MALS degree with a concentration in Cultural Studies. Meghan always envisioned living in New England and has made that dream a reality through her love of education as both a student and educator.
Meghan teaches in the English Department and especially enjoys helping her students hone their skills as writers. When she isn’t teaching, Meghan enjoys hiking with her dog and daughter, running, and practicing yoga. Meghan lives with her family in O’Connor House.
JamieBavaro
English Faculty
Niagara University - BA National University of Ireland Maynooth - MA
A New Hampshire native, Jamie graduated cum laude from Niagara University where she earned a BA in Secondary Education and was a member of the International Honor Society of Education, Kappa Delta Pi. After graduation, Jamie went on to teach English and Religion at Niagara Catholic Jr./Sr. High School.
While working on her master’s degree in Ireland, Jamie played professional basketball and was both a coach and mentor for elementary through high school youth. Jamie is currently an English instructor, head women’s basketball coach and assistant coach for women’s soccer.
Kevin Driscoll '10 comes to New Hampton after graduating from Plymouth State University with a BS in English, where he also played three seasons on the varsity lacrosse team. Prior to his faculty appointment, Kevin served as a dorm parent at New Hampton in Draper House and as a substitute teacher at Thornton Elementary School. Kevin is from Holderness, New Hampshire. As a student at New Hampton, he played varsity soccer and was a captain of the men’s varsity lacrosse team. Kevin enjoys spending time on Squam Lake, engaging with the local community, snowboarding and spending time with coworkers and friends. Kevin works in the Academic Support Program, coaches soccer and basketball, and lives in Draper House where he is also a house parent.