English

Faculty:

Ben Gilliam

Ben earned his B.A. in English Literature from Fort Lewis College in 2007 and his teaching credentials from Western State College a year later. He began teaching in 2009 at the Gunnison Valley School in Gunnison, CO. There, he learned the transformative power of experiential and outdoor education, because much of the curriculum took place outside of the traditional classroom. Then, in 2012, he moved to Florissant, CO and began teaching English at Manitou Springs High School. In 2016, Ben started the Manitou Abound Program (MAP) as a way to bring experiential and outdoor learning to MSHS and has since helped students find success by connecting their in-classroom learning with meaningful experiences outside of the classroom (including camping trips, whitewater rafting, mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking, nature journaling, and more). Outside of his role as teacher, Ben enjoys whitewater kayaking, photography, swimming, hiking, skiing, camping, reading and writing poetry, drawing, painting, and spending as much time as possible with his family: his park ranger/artist wife, Whitney, and their two adventure-loving dogs, Milo and Tobin.


Amanda Kerrigan
Educational Background. I graduate from La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1998. I followed in my father's footsteps and attended college at the University of Kansas, where I earned by BA in English, my BS in Secondary Education, and my MA in Education. (...and attended MANY basketball games).

Professional History. This is my 17th year as a professional educator. I did my student teaching for 1 year in inner city Kansas City, Kansas, working with kids impacted by poverty and gang violence. This experience was incredibly positive and growth inspiring. I spend my next 8 years at Mesa Ridge High School in Widefield School District 3 in southern Colorado Springs teaching everything from remedial reading courses to AP English Literature & Composition and CU Succeed English courses, serving as department chair, PLC leader, basketball coach, and in leadership in programs like AVID. My husband and I moved to La Veta, Colorado for the next 4 years for his job with Colorado Parks & Wildlife. I taught for this 4 years at La Veta Jr./Sr. High, a rural school with 50 students. When we returned to the Pike's Peak region, I spent another year at Mesa Ridge before accepting a position at Manitou Springs High School for the 2016-2017 school year. I teach both AP English courses, English 3, and Career Readiness English 3 at MSHS. I am also the National Honor Society Adviser, the Gay Straight Trans Alliance Co-sponsor, and a member of the District Accountability Committee. Manitou has become my forever home. My boys attend MSES, and we moved to Divide to be close to my husband's job as Park Manager at Mueller State Park.

Riley Walker
Riley Walker was born and raised in Colorado Springs and graduated from Air Academy High School. He studied Literature at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. During his time at Puget Sound, Riley published two poem and a short story, worked on the editorial staff at Crosscurrents Literary and Arts Journal, was the Poetry Editor at the Wetlands Magazine, and was a DJ for three years at the campus radio station, KUPS the Sound. During his time at the Sound, he had hip hop, punk rock, and classical music shows, and won the Graveyard Shift award for his midnight show Lingering Concerns that showcased scary and ominous music across genres. He completed his undergraduate thesis, graduated, and moved to Seattle for a year before returning to Colorado Springs. He has worked as a library aide at Cheyenne Mountain High School, helped to add academic intervention and restorative justice to the ISS program at Palmer High School, and taught English for two years at Mitchell High School. Following this, he briefly left the profession to manage special metropolitan districts, and during this two year period he was a CSHBA Emerging Leader. He returned to education, getting his Master of Arts in Teaching degree at Colorado College, doing his student teaching at Manitou Springs High School. Following this, he was brought on board at Manitou Springs High School.He is married, and lives in the Springs with his spouse and two cats, Fred and Leonard.

Pierce Gillard
Pierce Gillard is an English teacher at Manitou Springs High School. Bornand raised in Colorado Springs, Pierce graduated from the University ofWyoming in 2016, whereafter he happily returned home to colorful Colorado and began his teaching career at Manitou Springs High School.In the classroom he has taught multiple levels of English curricula,including English I, English I Honors, English II, AP Language andComposition, Creative Writing, and Mythology and Classics. He continuesto be excited to continue learning alongside the other teachers andstudents he gets to interact within our uniquely Manitou community.Outside of school, Pierce enjoys spending time with his wife hiking, biking, reading good books, going to see movies, watching far too muchtelevision, and playing with their dog.

Jessica Moen
Educational Background. I attended high school in Torrance, California and attended college during the fall immediately after high school. I earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education in 1998 and a Master of Arts Degree in Multicultural Education in 1999. After years of teaching, I decided to pursue a Doctorate of Education, which I earned in 2009. I believe in continuous learning and constant curiosity, which translates to continued education, oh and some student-loans. Most recently I completed an Administrative Credential, providing me with valuable insight into school administration and leadership.

Professional History. This is my 20th year as a public school teacher. I started teaching in Los Angeles Unified School District in 1999. When I first started teaching, I was drawn to elementary education and initially taught second grade! Before moving beyond elementary school, I taught second-sixth grades at Carson Street Elementary School in Carson, California before moving to Colorado. Once in Colorado, I initially taught in Jefferson County School District at Lasley Elementary School (an International Baccalaureate (IB) School), where I fell in love with six grade curriculum and the developmental stages of the students.

However, as I was looking to deepen my experiences as an educator, I decided to transition to middle school and found a home in Douglas County Schools at Mountain Ridge Middle School, where I taught seventh grade social studies. Oh, history...I love it! I was fortunate enough to gain access to an amazing campus, Sky Vista Middle School, in Cherry Creek Schools, where I taught sixth and eighth grade history. The curriculum model was so refreshing, engaging, and effective that my time at that school has forever changed how I plan curriculum. However, the drive to Sky Vista Middle School as too cumbersome once I moved to Manitou Springs, so I had to find a new place of employ, which led me to Discovery Canyon Campus in District 2 (also an IB school), where I taught middle school humanities.
While I enjoyed parts of being of the Thunder-hood, I believed that my truest love would be found closer to my front door, which is why I looked to become a Manitou Mustang and my final transition into high school English. Teaching English has allowed me to explore why I think English is a vital subject in school. I believe that we are all searching for the meaning of life and stories, both fiction and non-fiction, hold the power to show what it means to be human. Stories hold the opportunity to share the broad spectrum of our experiences, to show us that we are not alone or to prove there is always hope, no matter how dark the current moment seems. Stories have the power to give perspective to our triumphs and our trials. Stories can be a mirror to the brightest parts of our souls, as well as for the darkest sections of our secret selves. Words are powerful catalysts and can inspire change from within and change from without. Stories are life. Stories are magic.


ENGLISH I: Prerequisite: None
This course focuses on the study of literary genres and techniques through which the students will develop an understanding of both the structure and the meaning of a work of literature, including literary elements. Students will develop an understanding of how the form of a work of literature affects the meaning of the work and of the process of interpretation of a text. Students will read thoughtfully and purposefully, constantly checking for understanding of the author’s intent and meaning in order to determine a sound analysis. Students will also learn how to effectively communicate their thoughts and opinions to others in speech and in writing, in both formal and informal situations, and using grammar and mechanics appropriate to each task, as well as practicing literary analysis strategies and skills appropriate to their level of study.
A typical unit in this course includes both fiction and nonfiction reading selections, media study, poetry, comparing across genres, vocabulary and grammar instruction, speaking and listening, writing and preliminary research, and assessment practice according to the standards, which have been aligned with the Common Core State Standards. Students will have daily grammar and vocabulary instruction and assignments. Students should expect to complete reading, writing, and research outside of class. *NCAA Approved Course

ENGLISH I HONORS: Prerequisite: None
The focus for this class is in self-reflection through literature. So many of people’s thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and cultural expectations are formed through the exploration and consumption of literature, from the early childhood stories, to mythical tales, to deeper, complex texts. Authors seek to build discourse through the development of characters, plot, and conflict. Throughout this class, all textual selections will be a source of reflection and relevance. Formal and informal assessment practices, according to the standards, which have been aligned with the Common Core State Standards, are embedded throughout the course.
A typical unit of study includes both fiction and nonfiction reading selections, including the juxtaposition of varied genre, such as primary sources, to fully analyze the focal text. Students will learn how to craft authentic literary analysis and MLA-formatted research papers. Students are expected to develop the practice of literary analysis through the dissection of related choice books. This course is intended to be initial preparation for the AP curriculum of the junior and senior levels, as a foundation for college-readiness.
Summer reading is required. *NCAA Approved Course

ENGLISH II:
Prerequisite: English I
This course focuses on the study of literary genres and techniques through which the students will develop an understanding of both the structure and the meaning of a work of literature. He or she will develop an understanding of how the form of a work of literature, including the use of literary elements, affects the meaning of the work and of the process of interpretation of a text. Emphasis in English II will be placed on group work, oral presentation, and the information gathering of the research cycle for MLA-formatted research papers.
A typical unit in this course includes both fiction and nonfiction reading selections, media study, poetry, comparing across genres, vocabulary and grammar instruction, speaking and listening, writing and/or research practices, and assessment practice according to the standards, which have been aligned with the Common Core State Standards. Students will have daily grammar and vocabulary instruction and assignments. Students should expect to complete reading, writing and research outside of class. *NCAA Approved

ENGLISH II HONORS:
Prerequisite: English I Honors or English I
Over the course of the semester, students will explore the Human Experience through an analysis of the a variety of literature. Students will read a variety of texts, from historic, primary documents, to plays, from fiction to nonfiction, and even poetry. All of this textual analysis takes students on a quest to discover how authors capture the Human Experience through the nuances of literary elements, and then to practice creating students’ own explorations and explanations of what it means to be human. Formal and informal assessment practices, according to the standards, which have been aligned with the Common Core State Standards, are embedded throughout the course.
Focus of study will include both fiction and nonfiction reading selections, including parallel, and simultaneous, analysis of novels related through theme and/or genre. Students will hone their literary analysis through relevant literature analysis, develop their understanding of rhetorical analysis through the analysis of a collection of short stories and novellas, and increase their prowess in MLA-formatted research. Students are expected to deepen their analysis of literature through journaling for choice books. This course is intended to be initial preparation for the AP curriculum of the junior and senior levels, as a foundation for college-readiness.
Summer reading is required. *NCAA Approved

CREATIVE WRITING:
Prerequisite: English I or English I Honors and English II or English II Honors
This course focuses on the skills and art of writing creatively. The focus of this course is to guide students in creative writing through varied genres: fiction, memoir, plays and scripts, and science fiction. The course includes analysis of model texts, individual and class criticism of work in a workshop mode, and instruction on and discussion of literary techniques in each genre. This is a Core elective, 2-credit class; it satisfies English Graduation Credit. *NCAA Approved

POETRY:

Prerequisite: English I or English I Honors and English II or English II Honors
This course is designed to build a foundation of the poetic devices (figurative and rhetorical) used by classic and contemporary poets through a literary and rhetorical analysis of poetry, replication of masterful styles, and the thoughtful and purposeful crafting of original poetry (imaginative, personal, and evocative) indicative of the desired theme and style and reflective of appropriate performance (spoken-word) style. This class focuses on the analysis of poetry and the creation of original poetic works. This is a Core elective, 2-credit class; it satisfies English Graduation Credit. *NCAA Approved

MYTHOLOGY & THE CLASSICS:
Prerequisite: English I or English I Honors and English II or English II Honors
This course focuses on the earliest writing & oral expression of the human experience known as The Classics. Students will read epic poetry, plays, and traditional mythology, which lay the foundation for contemporary literary tropes and schemes. This course will include a study of Greek and Latin roots. Students will connect The Classics and Mythology to their study of more contemporary literature, and they will conduct formal literary analysis as well as studying the rhetorical consequences of this literature on cultural and foundational values. This is a Core elective 2-credit class; it satisfies English Graduation Credit. *NCAA Approved Course


PHILOSOPHY, RHETORIC, AND DISCOURSE:
Prerequisite: English I or English I Honors and English II or English II Honors
This course is designed as an introduction to philosophy through topics found in classical philosophical writings, such as the nature of truth and knowledge, mind and body, freedom and determinism, right and wrong, quality of thought, morality and ethics. This course introduces and explores the main principles and methods of Critical Thinking: distinguishing between good and bad arguments; identifying common fallacies; developing strong and persuasive arguments; the difference between deductive and inductive reasoning; constructing logical proofs; the nature of scientific, moral, and legal reasoning; evaluating polls and statistical hypotheses; understanding probability; deciding how to act under uncertainty. Students will apply these principles and methods to numerous academic and ‘everyday’ contexts, including journals, the print press, blogs, political rhetoric, advertising and documentaries. This is a Core elective 2-credit class; it satisfies English Graduation Credit.
Students will regularly reflect upon more broadly philosophical matters related to Critical Thinking - such as the nature of truth and objectivity and the distinction between science and pseudo-science - and examine a number of intriguing philosophical paradoxes. Students will improve their skills in writing clear and compelling analytical and argumentative papers and critically analyzing the writings of others. This is a Core elective 2-credit class; it satisfies English Graduation Credit. *NCAA Approved

FILM & PROPAGANDA:
Prerequisite: English I or English I Honors and English II or English II Honors
This course focuses on the impact of film and cultural propaganda presented in American Popular Culture. Students will analyze selected media including advertisements, debates, speeches, television programming, films and novel-adaptations, and various pieces of writing for the cultural values, traditions, and biases reinforced through the medium. Students will practice analyzing media through literary and rhetorical analysis, including written analytical arguments. This is a Core elective 2-credit class; it satisfies English Graduation Credit. *NCAA Approved

MULTICULTURAL AMERICAN LITERATURE:
Prerequisite: English I and English II
This is a college-prep class.This course focuses on the study of argument, rhetoric, and composition through which the student will develop an understanding of both the structure and the meaning of a text in a variety of mediums. Readings will center on the American experience and the ways in which literature can be a catalyst for social change. Literary and rhetorical analysis of selected literature will investigate and evaluate the access of publication for a variety of voices and how representation in literature impacts society and culture off of the page. Emphasis will be placed on the writing process, building reading stamina for college, group work, oral presentations, and the information gathering and writing process for research.
This course includes both fiction and nonfiction reading selections, media study, poetry, comparing across genres, vocabulary instruction, grammar instruction, speaking and listening, writing and research workshop, and practice for college readiness assessments. Students will have grammar and vocabulary instruction and assignments. Students should expect to complete reading, writing, and research outside of class. This course is intended to prepare students for college coursework.

SURVIVALIST LITERATURE:
Prerequisite: English I or English I Honors and English II or English II Honors
This is a college-preparatory class.This course focuses on stories of adversity and resilience in varied situations as a means to build a cohesive understanding of real-world the role of resilience in surviving adversity. Students will engage in critical inquiry of varied sources to establish not only keys to survival, but also effective tenets of leadership necessary for success in different aspects of adult life.
This course includes nonfiction reading selections, media study, vocabulary instruction, grammar instruction, speaking and listening, writing and/or research workshop, and assessment practice according to the standards which have been aligned with the Colorado State State Standards. Students will have grammar and vocabulary instruction and assignments. Students should expect to complete reading, writing and research outside of class.This class is intended to prepare students for college coursework at two-year and four-year colleges and universities.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION:
Prerequisite: Successful completion of English I and English II or English I Honors and English II Honors
An AP English Language and Composition course cultivates the reading and writing skills that students need for college success and for intellectually responsible civic engagement. The course guides students in becoming curious, critical, and responsive readers of diverse texts, and becoming flexible, reflective writers of texts addressed to diverse audiences for diverse purposes. The reading and writing students do in the course should deepen and expand their understanding of how written language functions rhetorically: to communicate writers’ intentions and elicit readers’ responses in particular situations. The course cultivates the rhetorical understanding and use of written language by directing students’ attention to writer/reader interactions in their reading and writing of various formal and informal genres (e.g., memos, letters, advertisements, political satires, personal narratives, scientific arguments, cultural critiques, research reports).
Reading and writing activities in the course also deepen students’ knowledge and control of formal conventions of written language (e.g., vocabulary, diction, syntax, spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, genre). The course helps students understand that formal conventions of the English language in its many written and spoken dialects are historically, culturally, and socially produced; that the use of these conventions may intentionally or unintentionally contribute to the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of a piece of writing in a particular rhetorical context; and that a particular set of language conventions defines Standard Written English, the preferred dialect for academic discourse.
*Students who earn a qualifying score on the AP exam may earn college credit.
*Summer reading is required.
*This course is intended to prepare students for the Advanced Placement (AP) exam in Language and Composition.
*This class is intended to prepare students for college coursework at four-year colleges and universities.
*NCAA Approved

ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION:

Prerequisite: Successful completion of English I, II, or AP Language
An AP English Literature and Composition course engages students in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, students deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. As they read, students consider a work’s structure, style and themes, as well as such smaller-scale elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism and tone.Summer reading is required.
*Students who earn a qualifying score on the AP exam may earn college credit.
*This course is intended to prepare students for the Advanced Placement (AP) exam in Literature and Composition.
*This course is also intended to prepare students for college coursework at four-year colleges and universities.
*NCAA Approved Course

English Electives

INTRODUCTION TO JOURNALISM:
Prerequisite: None
This course is the prerequisite for joining the yearbook or newspaper staff. This course focuses on the language arts skills necessary to write comprehensive journalistic articles using journalistic writing styles. Students will produce stories for publication in the school online newspaper and learn skills applicable to working on a yearbook. Students will study legal and ethical implications in journalism and will also learn a variety of publishing related skills such as marketing and advertising, distribution, and interviewing. This is a general elective, 2-credit class; this is not an English elective class.

ADVANCED JOURNALISM:
Prerequisite: Introduction to Journalism (or Dept. approval) and Application
This is the production course for the award winning student run online newspaper, The Prospector. Students in this course are considered senior contributors to student media and the expectations are significantly increased from Intro to Journalism. Students are required to spend time outside of class to attend school functions such as plays, concerts, and sporting events in order to report on and take photos for The Prospector. This course focuses on the language arts skills necessary to write comprehensive journalistic articles using a variety of writing styles. Students will incorporate photography and news, feature, and opinion writing for publication for The Prospector. Students will also learn a variety of publishing related skills such as marketing and advertising, interviewing, and Adobe Photoshop/IndDesign. This is a general elective, 2-credit class; this is not an English elective class. Can be repeated for elective credit.

YEARBOOK:
Prerequisite: Introduction to Journalism (or Dept. approval) and Application
This is the production course for the MSHS yearbook, The Warhorse. Students in this course are considered senior contributors to student media and the expectations are significantly increased from Intro to Journalism. Students are required to spend time outside of class to attend school functions such as plays, concerts, and sporting events in order to report on and take photos for The Warhorse. Occasional “work days’’ may be required after school or on the weekend in order to meet yearbook deadlines. Students will organize written content for publication and coordinate production of online content. Students will be responsible for successfully developing marketing and advertising plans, increasing distribution, and monitoring journalistic standards. This is a general elective, not an English elective. Can be repeated for elective credit.