The English department plays an important role at Rockbridge County High School as every student is required to take English every year of high school.

The 2022-23 school year welcomes four new English teachers: Ms. Christine Black, who teaches English 11 and English 11 AP, Mr. Peter Lampman, who teaches English 10 and 12, Ms. Katheryn Sheets, who teaches English 9 and 11, and Ms. Michelle Steiner, who teaches English 9 and 11.

English teacher Ms. Michelle Steiner taught sixth grade at Maury River Middle School and is new to Rockbridge County High School the 2022-23 school year.

“I am actually very happy here,” said Steiner.

Rockbridge County High School’s website states that English classes teach students how the writing process works, how to research, how to communicate and use grammar, and how to do critical reading. All four of these classes have classic books the students are required to read.

During freshman year, English classes focus on an overview of the English courses: American Literature, World Literature, British Literature. Romeo and Juilet and The Odyssey are examples of the classics and epics read in this class.

Romeo and Juliet follows two star-crossed lovers and the book is taught in the early years of English classes so that students can get an understanding on how Shakespeare wrote. 

The Odyssey is an epic poem that is used to introduce the topic of epic heroes. The idea of what it meant to be a hero then and what it means to be a hero now is an idea commonly talked about throughout high school. Heroes are most commonly studied through epic poems.

Sophomore English is the study of world literature. This class does read some American and British works, but it also includes literature outside of those categories. Things Fall Apart and Animal Farm are a couple classics read in this class. 

Things Fall Apart was written about European colonialism and the negative effects colonialism had on a tribe in southeastern Nigeria. 

Animal Farm is a classic highlighting communist Russia’s failure. This classic is about farm animals rebelling against the farmers to create their own equal society, but, as it turns out, not all animals are equal. 

Junior Lee Carter took English 10 Honors during their sophomore year.

“I think reading classics was an enriching part of English class,” said Carter. “I certainly gained new insight and depth of understanding for specific time periods such as African colonization and communist Russia.”

Junior English follows the American History timeline. The Great Gatsby and Fahrenheit 451 are a couple of the books RCHS teaches eleventh grade.

The Great Gatsby is a book that all eleventh grade students are required to read. This book is widely read because of its symbolism, view on social classes, wealth, and literary devices. It tells a story about a man, Gatsby, who wants what he can not have, including a certain type of wealth, a girl, and social status.

Fahrenheit 451 was inspired by the Nazi book burning and the threat of book burning in the United States during the Red Scare. Like how The Great Gatsby warns the reader about corruption, Fahrenheit 451 warns the reader about mass media.

Dual Enrollment English teacher Ms. Ashlee Payne has been teaching juniors for five years.

“I think that the development of our literary time periods is so fascinating and we have so many great options,” said Payne.

Senior English helps prepare students for college and work-readiness, and the class focuses on British Literature, such as Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales, and one of Shakespeare’s plays.

Like the story freshmen read, The Odyssey, Beowulf is an epic poem that follows an epic hero. This epic is used to portray what being a hero meant in that time period versus what being a hero means in current societal standards. 

The Canterbury Tales are read so that students can understand how important the person telling the story is.

English teacher Ms. Ann Knepper has been teaching English 12 for three years and English 12 DE for eight years.

“Spending time with a work of literature generally makes my appreciation of it grow, so even if I didn’t start out loving a piece, I’ve found ways to look at it and talk about it that make it interesting,” said Knepper.

English 10 Honors and English 12 teacher Ms. Sarah Leadbetter studied British Literature during college.

“I love the literature that forces us readers to delve into the paradoxical nature of humans,” said Leadbetter.

To learn more about the English classes offered at Rockbridge County High School, contact Ms. Ann Knepper or any of RCHS’s English teachers.