Discover the power of language.
The purpose of the English curriculum at Lincoln Academy is to develop every student’s ability to think, read, write, speak, and listen to the best of his or her ability.
Welcome to the Lincoln Academy English Department. Students in our courses gain the knowledge and skills necessary for successful engagement in college and the workplace beyond Lincoln Academy. We encourage each student to discover the power of language to shape ideas, to convey thoughts, to express personal insight, to persuade, to solve problems, and to make decisions. The English department treats each student individually while also encouraging effective communication in group settings.
Core Courses, Electives, Honors, and Advanced Placement Options
The English Department serves all students at Lincoln Academy in meeting the required four years of English in order to graduate. Within each of these years, the department has core English courses that are heterogeneously grouped and focused on preparing students to meet the needs and challenges of post graduation, whether it be work or college. Having four years of English before graduation is a National requirement. There is a regular course at each level of schooling that serves to provide a solid foundation of all the aspects of English.
There are also pre-accelerated English courses freshman and sophomore years (Honors I and Honors II) that prepare students for Advanced Placement English courses junior and senior years. There is an application process for both Honors and AP courses, and candidates who are accepted are expected to complete summer reading assignments.
Department Contacts
manahan@lincolnacademy.org
Mr. Manahan came to Lincoln Academy in 1999 from a background in experiential education particularly aboard sail training vessels on the coast of Maine. He hoped to bring the same excitement for learning nautical science and maritime studies on the sea to the study of reading and writing in the English classroom. When not growing with students in the classroom, his preference is still to be outside in the woods or on the water with his family and a good book.
Academic Affiliations:
B.A. English and Textual studies - Syracuse University
MAT - Ursuline College
M.Ed. Educational Policy and Management - Harvard University
cannon@lincolnacademy.org
John Cannon joined LA in 2019 after being the 7th and 8th grade Reading teacher at Great Salt Bay School. For six years in the mid-90’s John worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood, where he was a member of the Screenwriters Guild and was optioned by Walt Disney to adapt the novel Jennie into a feature film. A National Board Certified teacher, John earned his BA in English Literature from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is currently working on his Masters in Education at Orono.
Academic Affiliations:
B.A. English Literature, University of Illinois at Chicago
sawyer@lincolnacademy.org
A lifelong Mainer, Brenda grew up in nearby Wiscasset. While earning her BS in Secondary Education with a concentration in English from the University of Maine at Farmington, she fell in love with Western Maine and decided to stay, teaching English at Mt. Blue High School. Marriage and family pulled her back to the midcoast, where she taught at her alma mater, Wiscasset High School, and discovered a passion for adolescent literacy. She returned to school in 2013 and completed a Master’s degree in Literacy Education in 2015. Brenda lives in Dresden with her husband, Jon, and two children, Maggie and Eben.
Academic Affiliations:
B.S. Secondary Education, University of Maine, Farmington
M.S. Literacy Education, University of Southern Maine
smalley@lincolnacademy.org
Raised by wolves in an Indian jungle, Brian Smalley grew up determined to be the best man cub of them all. After slaying his nemesis, Shere Kahn, he traveled to London to learn English in order to pursue his true passion: education, as jungle life lost its appeal to him. He joined Lincoln Academy’s faculty in 2012. In his spare time he can be found stretched out on a tiger-skin rug in the company of Hemingway and Alexi.
Academic Affiliations:
B.A. English Literature, University of Maine, Augusta
deangelis@lincolnacademy.org
Born and raised in southern Connecticut, Jack left New England to study nineteenth century American literature at the University of Richmond in the capital city of Virginia. After graduating, he traveled around the world while working in the outdoor education industry before settling in mid-coast and connecting with LA through the Educator in Residence program sponsored by Kieve Wavus Education. Today, Jack enjoys long distance running, using the Oxford Comma, and gazing over the sun-speckled azures of the Atlantic Ocean. He can leap, pounce, gallop, and weave with incredible accuracy. He is an expert spell caster and an amateur yahtzee champion. He teaches English and co-advises the Talon here at Lincoln Academy.
Sample English Course Offerings
In addition to the core English classes, which students are required to take all four years of high school, here are some examples of English elective offerings.
TRIMESTER
Creative Writing I – Poetry
In this class students read, recognize, understand, and create poetry. After familiarizing themselves with a variety of celebrated texts, students use these as models for writing poetry with similar form and content. Students study the vocabulary of poetry and poetic elements, and use free verse, ballads, haiku, picture poems, sonnets, and others as models for creative inspiration. They practice identifying rhyme, rhythm, and other poetic elements, and practice incorporating those methods in their own poetry.
Students establish a process of writing by maintaining works in progress as inspired by classroom exercises, prompts, games, activities, visualizations, dream journals, paintings, and film. Students frequently share both working drafts and finished pieces in class. At the end of the course, students compile and share a portfolio of their work.
Creative Writing II – Short Story
This course focuses on the writing of short stories. Using classic and contemporary short stories from many genres students examine how various types of stories are constructed. Students write several short stories and one long short story. Two pieces will be developed and polished for their archival portfolio.
Creative Writing III – Screenwriting
Using classic and acclaimed films and screenplays, students will learn formatting techniques and film analysis, then begin the process of exploring stories and characters for their screenplays. These become subjects for exercises and scene studies and are workshopped and critiqued by the class. Students will outline a project, write a pilot (or 1st Act), and shoot a brief segment of their work to practice developing the visual language required for this medium.
Young Adult Contemporary Literature
This course is an introduction to contemporary Young Adult Literature. It is a reading intensive course, but students will have the opportunity to self-select their books from a wide array of current YA titles from multiple genres (fantasy, sci fi, realistic fiction, historical fiction, poetic narrative, etc.) and diverse authors representing a range of identities, genders, ethnicities and social classes. Students will evaluate, discuss and write about texts using contemporary technologies and/or digital media to compose interactive discourse. This course will include a general overview of the history of YA literature, YA book awards and banned books.
English Department News
LA’s Achorn Prize Speaking Competition Sparks New Interest in Oratory
The finalists for this year’s Lincoln Academy Achorn Prize Speaking Competition were, from left: AJ Shepherd, Niko Rice, Amelia Rice, Aowyn Burbank, Maddy Kallin, and Connor Parson. Lincoln Academy’s annual Achorn Prize Speaking contest took place on Friday, April 28 during Lincoln Academy’s weekly community [...]
LA Sophomore Named “Young Writer to Watch” by Maine Magazine
LA sophomore Maeve Tholen has been named one of “Four Young Writers to Watch” by Maine Magazine in their March issue. Lincoln Academy sophomore Maeve Tholen has been named one of “Four Young Writers to Watch'' by Maine Magazine. Tholen, who is featured in the [...]
2020-21 Lincoln Academy Academic Awards
Filip Diakonowicz '21 receiving the Gary Bensen Social Studies Award, Addie Brinkler '22 won an English Department Award, and Maddy Russ '22 was honored with the Junior Math Award. In a normal year Lincoln Academy’s academic awards are announced in a Friday assembly, so [...]
English Department Photos:
