Department

English

World Literature I

World History and Themes in World Literature, though different courses covering unique material, have been designed to reinforce the similarities between English and history. In World History, students will be introduced to various cultures and civilizations of the past to consider how their rise and fall resulted in the world we know today. Students will identify historical trends, themes, and concepts as they are introduced to “historical thinking,” which is the process of sourcing, contextualizing, corroborating, and closely analyzing historical evidence. Students will learn how to evaluate multiple perspectives on historical events to evaluate accuracy and to make evidence based

claims.

In the English half of this course, students will read novels, stories, plays, religious texts, essays, and poetry from a variety of cultures written about concepts of human understanding of relationships, the structure of society, and existence. We will consider the themes, arguments, and tropes these works share as well as the insights they provide into culture and history. Because the course is designed to cover a wide range of literary traditions, we unfortunately cannot be totally comprehensive, but ultimately the goal is to be exposed to and familiar with writing from places beyond the borders of the United States, particularly as they relate to each other and to political, social, and literary movements.
World Literature II

World History and Themes in World Literature, though different courses covering unique material, have been designed to reinforce the similarities between English and history. In World History, students will be introduced to various cultures and civilizations of the past to consider how their rise and fall resulted in the world we know today. Students will identify historical trends, themes, and concepts as they are introduced to “historical thinking,” which is the process of sourcing, contextualizing, corroborating, and closely analyzing historical evidence. Students will learn how to evaluate multiple perspectives on historical events to evaluate accuracy and to make evidence based claims.

In the English half of this course, students will read novels, stories, plays, religious texts, essays, and poetry from a variety of cultures written about concepts of human understanding of relationships, the structure of society, and existence. We will consider the themes, arguments, and tropes these works share as well as the insights they provide into culture and history. Because the course is designed to cover a wide range of literary traditions, we unfortunately cannot be totally comprehensive, but ultimately the goal is to be exposed to and familiar with writing from places beyond the borders of the United States, particularly as they relate to each other and to political, social, and literary movements.
American Literature

This American literature course comprises the literary component of an overarching American Studies framework experienced by all 11th graders at Tandem Friends School. We believe that by studying American literature in combination with American history, students will gain a deeper and richer understanding of the evolution of American culture. The course is designed to be a rigorous study of the diverse literature of our nation, one that will prepare students to become active members in the democratic dialogue of the United States. Throughout the junior year, short stories, non fiction, poetry, drama, speaking and writing will all be integrated to offer many opportunities for students to grasp terms and concepts. In addition, the reading, writing and research skills acquired in this course will serve the students well beyond high school, preparing them for life in college and the world.
Senior Composition

Senior Composition is a year long class designed to create effective, confident readers and writers. There will be lots of writing practice – a composition each week, give or take. Vocabulary, grammar, and reading will be studied all year. Using The Bedford Reader as our primary writing text, students will work through at least six types of essays: Analysis, Narration, Description, Definition, Persuasion, and Cause and Effect. Students also read and analyze many modern literary works of merit such as: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote; Exit West, by Mosin Hamid; One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey; and The Kite Runner, by Kahlid Hosseini . We’ll also experiment with many forms of creative writing, and students will end the year by writing their own autobiography as a culminating project.
AP English Literature & Composition

Open to 12th graders WITH teacher recommendation. Prerequisite is American Literature.

AP English Literature & Composition is designed to be a university level course which provides students with the intellectual challenges and workload typical of an undergraduate English course. As a culmination to the course, students will take the AP English Literature & Composition Exam given in May. The main goals of this class encompass careful, articulate writing and close, critical reading. All forms of student writing have the common goal of working towards deeper understanding, of cultivating a more sensitive appreciation for literature, of unearthing important discoveries about the texts they read and the ideas we entertain as a class. Students will read widely; while the class focuses on some texts considered essential to the Western canon, we also read modern works reflecting diverse cultural perspectives. Our literary analysis will look at style and structure as well as diction, imagery, use of detail, language and syntax. We will ask questions about how literature helps us understand others and ourselves more deeply.
English Studies

English Studies is a full-year required course designed to meet the needs of English language learners. The guiding goal of the course is to promote students’ English language fluency and literacy. Toward this end, students will undertake focused work reading high-level fiction and nonfiction texts, learning and practicing strategies for reading comprehension. Students will read a variety of texts, including novels, short stories, poetry, plays and articles/essays. In addition to being the context for literary analysis and terminology, the texts will be the basis for discussion and building vocabulary. Students will also practice word study with Membean and engage in targeted grammar mini-lessons.

Students will write extensively, from paragraphs to essays, formal to informal, and for a variety of audiences, purposes and styles, including narrative, persuasive, expository, and descriptive. They will keep an interactive journal. During the second half of the school year, students will be guided through the process of writing an extended research paper, from refining a topic to crafting a thesis statement to outlining and research to editing and revision. Sophomores in the class will present their papers as part of the Sophomore Seminar Capstone event.
Writing for Change

In this course, students will read, discuss, and analyze work from a variety of genres - with an emphasis on poetry - to explore how an author crafts a piece of writing with a sense of purpose or desired outcome in mind. In addition to the required reading and analysis, students will also be expected to take on writing projects of their own - in poetry and other genres - with the goal of creating positive change through the written word. Students should expect to share their work publicly over the course of the semester. Readings will include handouts provided by the instructor, and students will be required to purchase or borrow texts from a local library in support of some of the independent assignments.

List of 21 members.

Nathaniel Adkins

Washington and Lee University - B.S.

2019
Sonia Brandon

Tandem Friends School

Upper School Faculty - Spanish, French

Mississippi State University, - M.A., Foreign Languages
Mississippi State University, - B.S.

2019
Tim Brannelly

Tandem Friends School

Upper School Faculty - Latin, Tutor - Learning Resource Center

University of Virginia - Ph.D.
University of Virginia - M.A.
Cornell University - B.A.

2019
Susan Brodie

Tandem Friends School

Upper School Faculty - Visual Arts

Colby College - BA
University of Kentucky - MA

2018
Claire Buisseret

Tandem Friends School

Upper School Faculty - French

University of Virginia - ELL endorsement
Northwestern University - MS -- Education
Loyola University of Chicago - BA
Loyola University of Chicago - School Administration certificate

2014
Jocelyn Camarata

Tandem Friends School

Dean of Student Life; Upper School Faculty - Science

434-296-1303

Hobart and William Smith Colleges - BS
Lesley University - MEd

2006
Trefor Davies

Tandem Friends School

Upper School Faculty - Math

Oberlin College - BA
Teachers College, Columbia University - MA

2017
Jason Farr

Tandem Friends School

Upper School Faculty - History; Coach - V Cross Country & Track

University of Tennessee - BA
Western Carolina University - MAEd
College of Charleston - MA
University of Virginia - MA (ABD)

2011
Peter Gaines

Tandem Friends School

Assistant Head of School for Mission & Values, Director of Major Giving

434-951-9306

Colby College - BA
Warren Wilson College - MFA

2016
Sarah Gillespie

Middlebury College - M.A.
James Madison University - B.A.

2019
Mark Goldstein

Tandem Friends School

Upper School Faculty - Music

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Cornell University - BA

2014
Perry Medlin

Elon University - BFA

2016
Maria Morrell

434-296-1303 x352

Middlebury College - BA
Tulane University - MA
Tulane University - PhD

2003
Alex Siragy

Tandem Friends School

Upper School Faculty - Science; Coach - Science Olympiad

University of Virginia - BS
Johns Hopkins University - MA

2016
Melissa Winder

Tandem Friends School

Upper School Faculty - History; Coach - MS Cross Country

Texas A&M University - BA/Teacher Certification

2014
Tucker Winter

Tandem Friends School

Upper School Faculty - English

434-296-1303

University of Virginia - BA
University of Michigan - MA

2010
Sampson Dale

Tandem Friends School

Middle School Faculty - PE Teacher, PE Mentor; Coach, Varsity Boys Basketball

West Virginia University - Masters
Green Mountain College - Bachelor of Arts

2019
Gordon Fields

Tandem Friends School

Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, Belonging (DEIJB)

Winston-Salem State University

2001
Sarah Mensah

Tandem Friends School

Upper School Faculty - Math

Carnegie Mellon University - B.A.

2020
Casey Reed

Tandem Friends School

Upper School Faculty - Science; Coach - Ultimate Frisbee; Assistant Coach - MS Cross Country

Teachers College of Columbia University - M.A.
Swarthmore College - B.A.

2021
Robert Schuster

Tandem Friends School

Upper School Faculty - English

George Mason University - M.F.A.
Oberlin College - B.A.

2020