Summer Reading is HOT, HOT, HOT!

We are pleased to present the W.C. Mepham Summer Reading Program 2013. 

Summer should be filled with joyful times, and we hope that reading will be an important part of your summer plans. Below is a required reading list from which you can select a book.  Students who are having difficulty choosing a book should ask their teachers, a librarian, or the English Department Chair for help.

Please note, each Regents and Honors level student entering grades 9-12 is required to read one of the books on the list.  All students will be assessed on their summer reading in September.  

Students entering English 2 Honors, Senior Experience, and Advanced Placement English courses have different requirements. They will read the books that are designated for their courses.  AP and Senior Experience students will also be given a writing assignment to complete over the summer. Enjoy the summer with a good book!

Incoming Ninth Grade (E1) - select one

Alexie, Sherman – The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian 

Defore, Daniel - Robinson Crusoe

Green, John - The Fault in Our Stars

Hoffman, Alice – Green Angel

Lupica, Mike – Million-Dollar Throw

Swanson, James L. - Chasing Lincoln's Killer

 

Incoming Tenth Grade Honors (E2H) - required reading 

Salinger, J.D. – The Catcher in the Rye

Incoming Tenth Grade (E2) - select one 

Green, John – Paper Towns

Haddon, Mark – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time*

Picoult, Jodi – Handle with Care

Smithson, Ryan – Ghosts of War: The True Story of a 19-year-old GI

Stein, Garth – The Art of Racing in the Rain

Twain, Mark – The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

* The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel  is not to be confused with Racing in the Rain: My Life as a Dog, which is a special adaptation for younger people.

Incoming Eleventh Grade Advanced Placement (11AP) - read both 

Hosseini, Khaled – The Kite Runner

Skloot, Rebecca - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Incoming Eleventh Grade (E3) - select one 

Anderson, Laurie Halse – Twisted

Grisham, John – Playing for Pizza 

Larson, Erik – The Devil in the White City

Picoult, Jodi – House Rules

Satrapi, Marjane – Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

Incoming Twelfth Grade Advanced Placement (12AP) - read both

Foster, Thomas C. – How to Read Literature Like a Professor
Proulx, Annie – The Shipping News

Incoming Senior Experience - required reading 

Ferguson, Andrew – Crazy U: One Dad's Crash Course in Getting His Kid Into College

Incoming Twelfth Grade (E4) - select one

Albom, Mitch – For One More Day

Boyle, T.C. – The Tortilla Curtain

Donnelly Jennifer, – Revolution

Hosseini, Khaled – A Thousand Splendid Suns 

Pausch, Randy – The Last Lecture

Vonnegut, Kurt – Cat’s Cradle

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The end of the year is almost here!

As you start to clean out your lockers remember... all books and calculators need to be returned to the library. Not sure if you returned that book? You can come into the library and ask a librarian or click here to log into Destiny to see your library account.

Locker clean-out will take place on the following dates:

3rd Floor – Friday, May 24th

2nd Floor – Tuesday, May 28th

1st Floor – Thursday, May 30th

All students will have the entire school day to empty the contents of their lockers. Any books, clothing or other miscellaneous items remaining in the locker, after the scheduled clean-out time, will be disposed of by the custodial staff. It is EXTREMELY important that you collect all of your text books as you will be responsible to hand them in to your respective teachers at the end of the school year. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN A BOOK FINE(S)! All current Juniors (soon to be Seniors) – if you have an outstanding book fine(s), you will not be permitted to obtain a parking sticker for next year. Please make every effort to clean out your lockers during the scheduled date and time indicated. Thank you.

Creative Writing in the Courtyard

Creative Writing in the Courtyard took place on Wednesday, May 22, 2013.  Students from Creative Writing discussed Ekphrasis and Inspirational Poetry. Participants had the opportunity to craft original pieces while enjoying the beauty of the courtyard on bamboo mats.  Jen Calonita stopped by and led a group of students in a writing activity. She also signed copies of Belles for students who were interested in getting started on a little summer reading.  Many students had questions for her and sought her advice on writing and getting work published.  It was yet another successful ELITE event!  Thanks to Ms. Maresca and Ms. Correa for arranging this program, Ms. Netto for supporting our teachers and Mr. Harrington for his continued support of our discipline.

The New Portfolio

Recently, I sat on an interview committee and out of ten interviewees one of them had an online portfolio instead of a hard copy portfolio. Is this the way of the future? Indeed, I think it is. She had this digital portfolio on an iPad which she passed around to the committee. It contained everything that you would put into a binder, including lesson plans, photos, student work, etc.  Have you heard of LiveBinders? It’s the online replacement to those bulky binders.

“Physical 3-ring binders used to be the easiest way to organize all your educational resources. But now so much of what you want to organize is online. LiveBinders not only replaces the old 3-ring binder, but also opens up new opportunities for collaborating, organizing, and sharing that were never possible before.

Student Use: ePortfolios

Help students showcase their work while sharing it with parents and potential schools. Give them the opportunity to reflect on everything they have learned and how they have grown.

• Update in real-time
• Collaborate with multiple people
• Deliver instantly
• Keep binders private or make them public"

The Ghost on the Wind

The Ghost on the Wind was originally written in 2005 by Alfred H. Lockamy for the East Carolina Pirates, which are the intercollegiate sports teams representing East Carolina University (ECU) in Greenville, North Carolina. According to the ECU website, "This poem, composed by Alfred H. Lockamy, is read as as a welcome message prior to the start of ECU home sporting events." The poem was read by Ms. Geller's Leadership Class in honor of Poem in Your Pocket Day, which is a sponsored ELITE event.

The Ghost on The Wind

Like a ghost on the wind
He comes from the sea,
And trembles the foe
Like a storm on the lee.

With swashbuckling swagger
And a Jolly Roger laugh,
He flies the black flag
On a whalebone staff.

He has a black-patched eye
And a ring in his ear,
And on his wind-burned face,
A crusty-grizzled beard.

With a bone-cold glare
And a sneer on his lip,
He has a cannon by his side
And a cutlass in his grip.

With a thunderous blast
From his cannon's might,
He shivers the strong
And cripples their fight.

He takes what he's lost
And turns it to gold,
For He's crafty and shrewd
And He's fearless and bold.

He's dashing and daring,
A fierce buccaneer,
For the sight of his plunder
Pales many with fear.

From East Carolina (changed to "From Bellmore, New York")
Victories are told (changed to "The stories they say")
Of the Spirit of the Pirate
And his purple and gold! (changed to "And his garnet and gray!")

Read with Andrew

The Belle Between Bells

Author, Jen Calonita was the belle between bells when she visited Ms. Maresca's Creative Writing class on Thursday, May 16th during 8th period. Ms. Calonita had our students entranced with tales of her life as an entertainment magazine journalist, for the now defunct Teen People and Mademoiselle, before becoming a full-time young adult author. She spoke about her path to writing novels and how she creates characters and develops the plot to her stories. Our students are starting to write their own short stories and Ms. Calonita has certainly given them a few new tools to add to their repertoire. We raffled off 10 paperback copies of her novel, Belles.  This event was sponsored by the National English Honor Society. Ms. Calonita will be back next week after school on Wednesday, May 22nd for Creative Writing in the Courtyard. Students will discuss Ekphrasis and Inspirational Poetry. Participants will have the opportunity to craft original pieces while enjoying the beauty of the courtyard on a bamboo mat.