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 works in the English department, teaching IB English HL year one, and IB English SL year two. He also serves as the English Department Chair. 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. Luke is now the head of Lewis house and the head coach for the competitive snowboard team.
He also enjoys hiking, camping, snowboarding, surfing, longboarding, mountain biking, tennis, and writing poetry. He is grateful to be working at NHS, which 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
Assistant Director of Athletics & Co-Curriculars, English Faculty
Niagara University - BA National University of Ireland Maynooth - MA
Before New Hampton, Jamie was selected to the Sport Changes Life Program in Ireland, where she played and coached basketball, along with earning her master’s degree at Maynooth University. She directed basketball clinics in schools around Dublin, while also working with elite players on the Irish national team. At the collegiate level she played at Niagara University, where she was a three-year starter and two year captain; leading the team in assists and minutes played. In the summers, Jamie was a personal trainer and assisted local club teams in southern NH. Jamie attended Bishop Guertin High School where she was a 1000th point scorer & NH Gatorade Player of the Year; leading her team to its first girls' basketball state title.
In addition to being the head coach of the women's basketball program, Jamie is also the Assistant Director of Athletics & Co-Curriculars. She is the House Head of Ebbels, teaches in the English department and is involved with our Student-Athlete Advisory and Equity and Inclusivity committees. In the summers, she enjoys hiking with her husband, Matt, and spending quality time with family and friends.
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.
Scott LeBrun brings over 18 years of experience working in education. Most recently, Scott served as the Dean of Students at Episcopal School of Baton Rouge, a pre-kindergarten through grade 12 independent school in Louisiana. Prior to that, Scott spent 14 years at Fay School in Southborough, MA in various roles including Dean of Students, Director of Student Life, Secondary School Placement Counselor, Director of Summer Programs, and Founding Chair of the Wellness Department. He is passionate about developing student leaders, shaping positive school culture and promoting diversity initiatives for students.
Scott holds a BA in Criminal Justice from Saint Anselm College, a MA in Criminal Justice Administration from Western New England College, and a Masters of School Counseling from Boston University. While at Saint Anselm, he was a three-year team captain of the tennis team and still loves to play. Scott lives on campus with his Wife Erica and their two children Ryan and Mia.
Sara earned her BA from University of Maine, Orono and has gone back to school twice since then to earn her M.Ed. in Counselor Education and most recently completed her CAGS in Educational Leadership at Plymouth State University.
At New Hampton School for almost two decades, Sara teaches in both the Academic Support Program and Science Department. As a coach, she led the cross-country team for 10 years and currently works with our equestrian team and offers mindfulness and yoga practice to our varsity athletes.
Passionate about mindfulness in education, Sara is a certified yoga instructor, has received training from Harvard Medical Schools Continuing Ed program in the Relaxation Response, UMass MBSR, and most recently completed the Mindful Schools Essentials course. Sara lives on campus with her husband Adam, their son Gabriel ’21 and their 9-year old shih tzu, Tebow. When not in the classroom, Sara enjoys training for marathons, teaching yoga on the beach and reading Rumi.