English – Xavier College Preparatory

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Experience English at Xavier

Mission and Philosophy

With a reputation as one of Arizona’s premier secondary education programs, the English Department functions as a nexus for Xavier’s academic, spiritual, and cultural communities. We maintain a strong commitment to traditional areas of study such as reading, writing, and critical thinking while employing innovative approaches to the classroom.

Our outstanding faculty offer an integrated array of Honors, Advanced Placement, and Great Books courses that reflect the great diversity of literatures in English and of the global community, while at the same time developing writing and analytical skills. Graduates of Xavier’s English program will enter the college classroom with the foundations to excel in reading, writing, and critical thinking at the world’s leading universities.

Distinguished Faculty

The English Department’s ten distinguished faculty hold multiple master’s degrees, countless professional certificates, and two doctoral degrees. English faculty moderate publication of the Pierian Spring literary magazine, the XPress online newspaper, and the Xavierian yearbook. We coordinate Xavier’s campus-wide Summer Reading program, and moderate clubs such as Mock Trial, Poetry Out Loud, Toastmasters, and Key Club. We organize campus-wide activities ranging from the Creative Writing in Ireland program to the Xavier Fashion Show.

We engage with our students through conventional methods of instruction, as well as the latest student-centered, adaptive technologies that enhance student abilities in vocabulary, grammar, and cognition. In addition to our Honors, AP, and Great Books courses, English faculty teach classes in American Government, Theatre, and Journalism. Four of our courses are eligible for Rio Salado Dual Enrollment Credit.

While we hope to encourage our students as they grow daily in their reading, writing, and analytical thinking, we believe that the greatest treasure our students can gain through our department is a lifelong love of books. Books can instruct us as we learn through life’s experiences, guide us through our emotional growth, and serve as a source of comfort in times of distress. Books offer us access to history’s greatest minds and concepts. According to a 2016 issue of Social Science and Medicine, people who read books even live longer than those who read only periodicals, or do not read at all.

We look forward to helping Xavier Gators find their love of books in the English Department at Xavier College Preparatory.

Our Classroom Reading List

Freshwomen

English 1:

Honors English I:

English I Great Books:

Sophomore

English II:

Honors:

English II Great Books:

Junior

English III Honors:

Tradition
The Scarlet Letter
Ethan Frome
The Great Gatsby
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and The Crucible
Getting Started with High School Sentence Composing

AP English Language & Composition:

The Scarlet Letter
Our Town
The Red Badge of Courage
The Great Gatsby
The House of Mirth
Getting Started with High School Sentence Composing

AP English Language & Composition Great Books:

Mirrors and Windows: The American Tradition
The Scarlet Letter
Our Town
The Red Badge of Courage
Daisy Miller
The Great Gatsby
The Sun Also Rises
The Grapes of Wrath
The Sound and the Fury
The House of Mirth
Getting Started with High School Sentence Composing

Senior

AP English Literature & Composition:

AP English Literature & Composition Great Books:

Department Highlights

Mock Trial

Xavier's Elias Romley Mock Trial team competes every year in the Arizona High School Mock Trial Regional and State Competitions. One of the top teams in the Valley, Xavier often places in the top four in competition. Students learn real courtroom procedure and legal concepts with the help of volunteer attorney coaches and judges, as well as skills to succeed in competitive, fast-paced environments. Most years, a select team of Xavier mockies also travels to New York to compete in the Empire Mock Trial Invitational along with teams from around the country and around the world!

Mock Trial Website

Pierian Spring

Summer Reading

Journalism - XPress

Xavier's XPress is our school's and community's news outlet. We serve to communicate all news in all of its forms to better tell Xavier's, the community's, and the world's story. Students are introduced to and utilize different mediums on our online platform. We are both a class and a club - everyone can get involved in the ever- changing and fascinating world of journalism.

The course is structured in a workshop format, is conducted during a class period, and requires time outside of class to finish assignments which often include attending events and activities.This is an amazing opportunity for our students to learn and grow.

Sample Student Project

Department Faculty

Kate Boehm, J.D., ’03

Honors English I | Honors English II | Mock Trial

WAX Club Moderator
Shannon Donaldson, M.A.

English Teacher

Honors English II | Aachen Germany Chaperone | AP Capstone-Seminar | Poetry Out Loud Moderator
Elizabeth Galbreath, M.A.

English Teacher

AP English III | ENH 110-111 for Rio Salado | National English Honor Society
Kelly Hubbard, M.Ed., M.A.

English Teacher

AP English IV | ENG 101-102 for Rio Salado | English II Great Books | International Studies Writing in Ireland Program Chair | Summer Reading Program Co-Chair | National English Honor Society
Denise Macrina, M.A., M.Ed.

Dean of Students | English Department Chair | Assistant Coach Soccer

Mothers Guild Liaison | National Honor Society
Alison Mead, M.Ed.

English Teacher

AP English IV | AP English IV Great Books Seminar | AP Capstone Research | ENG 101-102 for Rio Salado | Key Club Moderator | Toastmasters Moderator | Summer Reading Program Co-Director
Brian Mostoller, M.S.

English Teacher

English I | Adviser XPress Newspaper | Adviser XPress Journalism Club
Dani Richter, J.D. ’03

English Teacher | AP Capstone Chair

English I Great Books | English II | American Government | AP Capstone Seminar/Research | Political Science POS 110 for Rio Salado | Mock Trial Moderator | Summer Reading Co-Chair | WAX Club Moderator
Clay Zuba, Ph.D.

English Teacher

ENH 110-111 for Rio Salado | AP English Language III – Great Books | Pierian Springs Moderator | Video Club Moderator