English

Our English Department offers a rich program of reading and writing, a journey that not only draws on some of the best known throughout the ages but also equips you to address the challenges of modern life, fostering your personal growth and development.

Prepare to embark on a journey of critical reading and thinking, essential life skills in a world filled with multimedia messages. You’ll not just engage with great literature, but also explore the profound human questions it raises. Our program is designed to keep you on your toes with creative, dynamic assignments, such as critically examining a podcast or even making an animated film based on a scene from “Hamlet.”

We’ll challenge you to formulate arguments, weigh and select evidence, reason logically and effectively, write a clear narrative, express personal views, use language imaginatively and present all of the above in clear, grammatically correct prose.

You’ll find yourself in a vibrant learning environment, surrounded by intellectually and emotionally engaged peers. Our classrooms are a space where your love for language and ideas is not just respected, but celebrated, fostering a sense of belonging and value.

Our dynamic curriculum includes courses in humanities and classical and contemporary literature. We offer advanced placement classes and the Creative Writing Signature Experience, a unique opportunity to develop your passion for creative writing through elective classes and extracurricular activities. This experience includes workshops with published authors, open mic nights, and the chance to publish your work in our annual literary magazine.

This is the best time in human history to be in an English class. There are more ways to access texts, more ways to connect with literature to experience and more ways to share and refine your ideas about a text. We take full advantage of that opportunity.”

Matthew Roach – English Department Chair

chart your course

The possibilities are (almost) endless. Download the English Curriculum Pathway to guide your academic journey from beginning to end.

download the pdf
Jenate Brown sitting on the steps of Longstreet Hall teaching students English class outside

OUR FACULTY

Alexa Beckstein

Alexa Beckstein

Teacher
Assistant Coach, Girls Varsity Soccer and Girls Junior Varsity Basketball
B.A., Conneticut College
abeckstein@peddie.org
609-944-7528
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Drew Davis

Drew Davis

Teacher
Assistant Coach, Indoor Track
M.Ed., University of Pennsylvania
BA, Lafayette College
ddavis@peddie.org
609-944-7528
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Grant Edwards

Grant Edwards

Assistant Director of College Counseling
Head Coach, Boys Varsity Cross Country
Assistant Coach, Girls Varsity Basketball
B.A., Princeton University
M.A., Dartmouth College
gedwards@peddie.org
609-944-7528
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Jan Denise Loughran

Jan Denise Loughran

Teacher
Dean of Students, 9th Grade
A.B., Princeton University
J.D., Villanova University School of Law
M.A., Middlebury College
jloughran@peddie.org
609-944-7621
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Emily Munch

Emily Munch

Teacher
Assistant Coach, Girls Cross Country and Girls Varsity Softball
B.E., University of Michigan
emunch@peddie.org
609-944-7528
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Joseph Murtaugh

Joseph Murtaugh

Teacher
Assistant Coach, Varsity Rowing
B.A., University of Virginia
M.Ed., University of Virginia
jmurtaugh@peddie.org
609-944-7528
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Matthew Roach

Matthew Roach

Director of Teaching and Learning for Citizenship and Scholarship
Head Coach, Girls Varsity Soccer
B.A., Williams College
M.A., Bread Loaf School of English
mroach@peddie.org
609-944-7542
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Ami Shah

Ami Shah

Teacher
B.A., Columbia College
Ph.D., University of California
M.A., University of California
ashah@peddie.org
609-944-7528
Leigh Wood

Leigh Wood

Teacher
B.A., Denison University
M.A., University of Idaho
lwood@peddie.org
609-944-7528
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Catherine Rodrigue

Catherine Rodrigue

Associate Head of School
Assistant Coach, Cross Country
B.A., University of Georgia
M.A., University of Virginia
crodrigue@peddie.org
609-944-7579
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Tristram Wood

Tristram Wood

Director of Academic Support
Head Coach, Girls Junior Varsity Lacrosse
B.A., Hartwick College
M.Ed., University of Idaho
twood@peddie.org
609-944-7526
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Kurt Bennett

Kurt Bennett

Department Chair
Assistant Coach, Boys Junior Varsity Basketball
B.A., Amherst College
M.A., Middlebury College
kbennett@peddie.org
609-944-7528
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