English

Literature discussions and the analysis of poetry, drama, short stories, and novels are central to every English class at Salesianum.  Our goal is the development of critical thinking skills and the advancement of clear articulation of ideas.  By graduation, each Salesianum student will have read two Shakespearean plays (or more), a variety of American and World short story classics, a wide range of poetry, and an array of classic and modern novels and dramas.  In addition to the readings in class, there are summer reading requirements each year.

Naturally, writing is an integral part of every English class, and there is no doubt that Salesianum students will be well-prepared for the demands of college writing courses.  Our returning alumni tell us consistently that they found writing to be one of their strengths at the university level because they were so well prepared in high school. The composition program is a progressive one that focuses on individual paragraph development from the beginning of the freshman year, developing into multi-paragraph writing assignments during the latter part of the first year and onward.  All juniors and seniors do a formal research paper.  Students have additional opportunities for writing by taking courses in basic and advanced journalism where they can write for the school newspaper and the yearbook. 

Grammar and usage study comprises part of each curriculum with emphasis on the basics of grammar during the first two years and the detection and correction of all types of usage errors.  Teachers use a textbook for the first two years but focus on problems in usage as they arise in student writing samples during the junior and senior years.  All students use a handbook to facilitate the study of correct research techniques and form.

With the exception of seniors, all classes at all levels use a vocabulary book regularly.  We consider the study of vocabulary to be a valuable academic discipline and an important preparation for standardized testing required for college admission. 

Faculty:
Mrs. MaryAnn Sianni- Department Chair  - View Homepage
masianni@salesianum.org / ext. 206

Mr. Brandon Bailey '97
bbailey@salesianum.org / ext. 255

Mr. Charles Crawford – View Homepage
ccrawfor@salesianum.org / ext. 231

Mrs. Elizabeth Diemer – View Homepage
ediemer@salesianum.org / ext. 131

Mrs. Carol Dignan – View Homepage
cdignan@salesianum.org / ext. 205

Mrs. Juliane Longo – View Homepage
jlongo@salesianum.org / ext. 259

Mr. Robert Longo '87 – View Homepage
rlongo@saleisanum.org / ext. 244

Mrs. Amanda McMillan - View Homepage
amcmilla@salesianum.org / ext. 238

Mr. Mark Quinn – View Homepage
mquinn@salesianum.org / ext. 257

Mr. Nicholas Vavala '96
nvavala@salesianum.org / ext. 261