As the world enters a new age of political, social and economic reality, the Upper School’s English Department seeks to enrich Hackley students with useful knowledge derived from literature. Members of the Upper School’s ninth, tenth and eleventh grades were recently granted the opportunity to vote for the English courses they will take during their senior year on the Hilltop.

The courses found in the survey cover a wide range of topics, from mental health to the surveillance state. While this method of polling the student body for its choice of senior English courses is not new to the English Department, the 2017 survey has revealed interesting  results. “The course that we created concerning the environment, while topical, did not do well in surveys of years past. This year, however, it has not received overwhelming support, but its standing has improved greatly,” stated English Department Chair, Dr. Richard Robinson.

The courses that have been designed by English faculty members all seek to challenge seniors in their ability to think critically. “I think that all of the courses we try to provide need to allow students the opportunity to unpack and clarify, through writing and discussion, the confusing or contradictory elements of a text. This skill will help our students throughout the rest of their lives, whatever paths they may take,” noted Dr. Robinson

Hackley students have responded enthusiastically to the English Department’s decision to allow them the responsibility of determining their senior year English courses. “I think they gave us a good amount of diversity in the choices. We all have the opportunity to study what we like and what we’re interested in,” said sophomore Rami Sumaida.

Dr. Robinson described how the courses covering topics that may appear the most relevant to our current reality often do not receive much support from the student body. Examples include courses focusing on crossing borders and exploring nationalism. That said, however, students have conveyed pleasure with some of the choices’ relevance to the current state of our world, and more specifically, our country. “Given the society we have today, with our most recent election and our new President, studying relatable texts is so important,” said junior Daniel Hernandez.

The voting process clearly reflects the faculty’s respect and appreciation for the students’ input. “The survey allows [English Department members] to really gain an understanding of what we all are interested in as students, instead of forcing us to study a particular text or subject,” said sophomore Lilly Yerkes.Surely Hackley seniors will find these twelfth grade English courses welcoming, enriching and pleasurable for years to come.