Voices Ringing Blog /

Carroll English Department with their favorite novels

Ann (Calderone) Bertke ‘88 

I’m starting my 28th year as a teacher at Carroll (the first 20 in the math department). Currently, I am the English Department Chair and testing coordinator, and I teach English IV, Theater Arts, and Public Speaking. One of my favorite quotes is from Man’s Search for Meaning: “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”

Mary Kate Caserta 

I teach Introduction to Literature and English II. My favorite author to teach is Shakespeare because as soon as I say his name, the students groan, but reinventing Shakespeare for freshmen and sophomores and discussing the themes that apply to their own lives is always rewarding. My students laugh when Capulet calls Tybalt a “saucy boy” in Romeo and Juliet. 

Lindsay Herrmann 

I teach Honors English I and II. Teaching writing, especially in ways that are creative, and having students rediscover reading and writing for pleasure are two of my favorite things. A quote from my favorite book, Pride and Prejudice, is “I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.”

Marcy (Hemmert) Hughes ‘83 

I teach Honors Composition and Literature College Credit Plus and Theatre Arts I and II . Many students do not know the impact their words can have on others. Students find their voices enriched by the literature we breathe at Carroll. We connect with written memories. Daphne du Mauier writes in Rebecca, “If only there could be an invention that bottled up a memory, like scent. And it never faded, and it never got stale. And then, when one wanted it, the bottle could be uncorked, and it would be like living the moment all over again.” With these words, we connect.

Ben Joplin

I teach Reading Lab, Experiences in Literature, English III, and Public Speaking. I absolutely love Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Our students are fortunate enough to have an entire English Department that cares deeply about not only their academic successes but their development as bright and caring individuals. Steinbeck writes "I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit."

Claire O’Malley 

I teach AP Literature, AP Language, and English Honors III. I teach Pride and Prejudice in my AP Literature class, and it is such a wonderful experience to be able to share the beauty of that novel with my students. The thing I love most about Austen is that she makes you laugh and causes your heart to beat a little faster at any mention of Mr. Darcy, but her novels are much more philosophically and historically thought-provoking if you give it time and really pay attention.”

Molly Stanifer 

I teach Classic Literature and Writing and co-teach English I. One of my favorite authors and poets to discuss is Maya Angelou. Her ideas of self-love and respecting others is a universal voice that our students echo. A favorite Angelou quote is, ”‘I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Ben Swick 

I am an Intervention Specialist and co-teach English I. My favorite book is Wonder by R.J. Palacio.  Wonder teaches valuable lessons about friendship, courage, character, and kindness. It is through this book where I learned that differences among people should be celebrated and looked at in a positive light. My favorite quote from the book is, “When given the choice between being right and being kind, choose kind.”