Meet your English teachers!
Mr. Matthew Boswell (IB Film, TV Production, Yearbook) “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” ­­T. S. Eliot ­­inspirational reads: ​
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance​
by Robert Pirsig and "On Morality" by Joan Didion and "A Hanging" by George Orwell and "All Day Permanent Red" by Christopher Logue ­­inspirational films: ​
Koyaanisqatsi​
by Godfrey Reggio and ​
8 ½​
by Federico Fellini ­­recent reads: Twee: ​
The Gentle Revolution in Music, Books, Television, Fashion, and Film​
by Marc Spitz, ​
The Best American Travel Writing 2014 and ​
Culture and Anarchy​
by Matthew Arnold ­­recent watches: Asghar Farhadi’s thriller, ​
About Elly​
, and Noah Baumbach's comedy, ​
Mistress America ­­recent accomplishments: finalized the curriculum for the Production and Performance class, which will be recommended to the BOE this fall Mr. Jon Brammer (English 10, IB English 11, Resource Teacher) Life­changing books: ​
Dharma Bums​
by Jack Kerouac, ​
The Brothers Karamazov​
by Fyodor Dostoevsky, ​
Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes, ​
The Variety of Religious Experience​
by William James, ​
A Brief History of Time​
by Stephen Hawking Places I have lived (in order): Indiana, New Jersey, Virginia, London, Japan, DC, Bulgaria, Silver Spring! Recent life­changing experience: Hiking the Cordillera Blanca mountain range in Peru Ms. Dawn Charles (AP Language, Chips, English 9) Ms. Michelle Dean (English 9, IB 12) My favorite books: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (same as Ms. Frank!), and Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut My favorite things to do: Travelling­ I love Thailand, Croatia, and Greece, reading, spending time with my husband and cats, exploring D.C. My life: is consumed by coaching Varsity cheerleading. You can find me at pretty much every B­CC sporting event. Ms. Leayne Dempsey (Theater 1 and 2, IB Theater 1 and 2, English 10)
Mr. Daniel Engler (English 12, IB English 12, TOK 2 / Extended Essay) Ms. Claudia Frank (AP Literature, English 9, Leadership) I love to read:​
​
The Alchemist ​
by Paulo Coelho, T​
he Art of Racing in the Rain​
by Garth Stein, and ​
Unbroken​
by Laura Hillenbrand If I could be anywhere else, I would be:​
floating in the Dead Sea, riding a rollercoaster down the Great Wall, anywhere in Paris, teaching Leadership class My closest friend would say that I am:​
creative, innovative, and energetic In Bethesda, you can find me:​
relaxing at Starbucks, taking bar method classes, coaching cheerleaders at some event, dining on a patio somewhere. Please say hi! Mr. Adam Graham (English 10, English 11)
Dr. Peter Haupt (English 10 ,TOK 1, TOK 2 / Extended Essay, Philosophy) Ms. Anna Hays (English 9 and 10) It is a truth universally acknowledged that an English teacher in possession of an imagination must have wanted to be Elizabeth Bennet. An army brat used to moving every 3 years, I didn't quite marry into the landed gentry, but I did find my own Darcy and eventually landed in Maryland. I hold an MA in English Literature, as well as an MAT. When I'm not teaching or reading, I'm coaching cross country and track, which gets me in shape for running after my two daughters. Ms. Laura Jappé (English 9 and 10) I am from San Diego and graduated undergraduate from SDSU. I have two Masters and have taught in five countries. I live a truly international life and am grateful for that. I like to read, watch films, and to hang out with friends and my two dogs. I have four children, ages 12­21. Ms. Diana Holmes (IB 11, English 12) Mrs. Mara Koplowitz​
​
(English 10, English 11)​
is joining the B­CC staff after a decade of working with student in DC Public Schools and Montgomery County Public Schools. She is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher of English. Favorite Books: Maya Angelou’s ​
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings​
, William Faulkner’s ​
Go Down Moses ​
, Michael Pollan’s ​
The Omnivore’s Dilemma Favorite Media: Anything by David Simon especially ​
The Wire​
. NPR’s ​
Serial ​
and The Moth Radio Hour​
. Favorite down time activities: Long walks, good coffee, cooking and snuggling with my dog. Ms. Liz Kontos (IB 11) Defining reads ​
(to mention just a few): Childhood​
­ ​
The Story of Ferdinand​
by Munro Leaf Adolescence ​
­ ​
The Pigman​
by Paul Zindel ​
Young Adulthood ­ J.D. Salinger’s ​
Franny and Zooey​
​
Adulthood (aka the age of poetry) ­ ​
Emily Dickinson, e.e. cummings, Adrienne Rich, Allen Ginsberg (followed those Beat poets like a groupie) and Charles Olson (particularly,”Maximus, to himself”) Favorite pastimes ​
(to mention just a few):​
dancing (badly) with my kids, singing (badly) whenever the mood strikes, making dinner for close friends, gardening, traveling, rearranging furniture, hiking, and learning languages Outlook on life ​
(borrowed from the bard)​
: “​
With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.” ­William Shakespeare Ms. Kai Logan (AP English Language & Composition, Journalism 1) “Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A few of my favorite things: Documentary films, nonfiction, npr radio, neuropsychology/health/healing, road trips. A few inspiring reads: ​
Dancing the Dream: The Seven Sacred Paths of Human Transformation​
, by Jamie Sams; ​
Mountains Beyond Mountains​
, by Tracy Kidder; “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; The Deluxe Transitive Vampire: The Ultimate Handbook of Grammar for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed​
, by Karen Elizabeth Gordon Mr. David Lopilato (Tattler) Ms. Sarah Mahoney (AP Lang, AP Lit, Creative Writing) I love to read. I love to write. I love to question. I love to talk. Teaching allows me to do all these things with people who also love to do all those things. Teaching also allows me to try new things. Because of teaching, I have climbed the Great Wall of China, met Vietnam Vets, decorated a Christmas tree at the White House, been on stage with professional actors, modelled a mascot’s costume, moved furniture with a Kennedy, eaten pizza with Kerry Washington and taught some of the most amazing students in the world­ all in just 15 years. I am most certainly looking forward to the next 15. Ms. Kerri Mauer (English 9) Not a day goes by that I don’t miss the crisp California air and the Sierra Nevada mountains of my childhood. The most meaningful learning I have ever taken part in was my graduate institute with the National Writing Project. My favorite literary memory: Staring out at the Caribbean as I read the final lines of ​
East of Eden​
reminded me that words are art and have the power to connect us all. My top book rec: ​
The Glass Castle ​
by Jeannette Walls. I love concerts with my boyfriend (best show The Avett Brothers). Some of my favorite memories: watching my son pitch a baseball, watching my daughter perform spoken word poetry, and kayaking class 5 rapids with my brother in California. I love exploring visual rhetoric (check out Chip Kidd’s TED talk) and walking my 110­pound yellow lab named California in my backyard, just off the Rock Creek park trail. Ms. Ann O’Donoghue (Composition Assistant) Born in Washington, D.C.. Graduated from Santa Clara University (B.A. English). University College Galway (Ireland) post graduate year. Three more years in Galway working as a fine book binder. PADI certified diver. Married with three children. Favorite books​
: So Long, See You Tomorrow​
by William Maxwell, ​
Barchester Chronicles​
by Anthony Trollope, and Kazuo Ishiguro’s​
The Remains of the Day (before Downton Abbey was Downton Abbey). English Composition Assistant at B­CC since 2006. Ms. Rosana Pagán (English 10, AP Literature) “Differences between habits and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.” ­­Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling Favorite Books: ​
The Great Gatsby​
by F. Scott Fitzgerald, ​
The Alchemist ​
by Paulo Coelho, ​
Harry Potter​
(all) by J.K. Rowling, ​
The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao​
by Junot Diaz, ​
A Short History of Nearly Everything ​
by Bill Bryson, ​
1984​
by George Orwell, Don Quixote de la Mancha ​
by Miguel de Cervantes, ​
Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair​
by Pablo Neruda… and many more, but I’ll stop. Loves: ​
Travel, Bikram yoga, Reading, Writing, Spending time with my nephew, Music, Art, Coaching, Sarcasm Some items on the To Do List of Life:​
go sky­diving, visit an elephant sanctuary in Thailand, learn Portuguese, get my doctorate, learn to play the ukulele, become a certified yoga instructor Ms. Candace Port­Hull (Composition Assistant) Ms. Caitlyn Trimble (English 9, English 10) Some Favorite Reads: ​
A Moveable Feast​
by Ernest Hemingway, ​
The Catcher in the Rye​
by J.D. Salinger, ​
The Bell Jar​
by Sylvia Plath, and ​
The End of the Affair​
by Graham Greene. Pablo Neruda’s poetry. I am an avid (somewhat obnoxious) Maryland Basketball fan. Go Terps! I love to spend my summers and weekends reading and hanging out at the beach! Fenwick Island, DE is my second home. I’m currently working on my masters in Instructional Technology. Oh, and I love teaching.