Latest News
Kitchen Chat and more…
Kitchen Chat and more…
As the school year comes to and end and summer break begins for most of you, the words of
“Uncle” Walt Whitman seem especially appropriate:
“This is what you shall do; Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body.”
Have a wonderful summer. Experience dirt between your toes, sunlight on your faces, and wisdom in your minds.
The final house race of 2016-17 was fiercely contested before being settled on a day of flying eggs, chased freshmyn and sophomores, and lovely poetry.
4. House Shakesharp: 446
3. House Thortoi: 574
2. House Abbey: 607
1. House Marrowdill: 668.5
Each student should read at least five of the essays in The New Kings of Non-Fiction, edited by Ira Glass, ISBN 9781594482670. In addition, each student should read at least one more work from this list of texts. When you return to school in the fall, you should be able to write intelligently about the ideas, arguments, concepts, and writing style of each work. Pay particular attention to the central argument(s) of each work, and how the author connects with her audience. Some of these works are very challenging; make sure to read carefully and consider finding a partner to read and discuss the text with you.
Enjoy the reading! Don’t treat it as a chore, but an opportunity to read something interesting and engaging.
A final suggestion would be to read as many articles from quality magazines like The Atlantic, The New Yorker, and/or Harper’s Magazine during the summer as you can, paying attention to argument, style, and structure.
The reading assignment for students in AP Lit is located here.