Our Time 1998

T hough IMSA is known for its superiority in the maths and sciences, the English department here was one devoted to the increasing the students' awareness of literature, both modern and historical. IMSA's vigorous and interesting classes, including African American Literature and Mode rn American Poetry, were some of the best classes on campus. Through them, students were able to understand the importance of literature and English in their academic lives and their futures by making connections to their own lives from the texts. When asked how she felt about the English department, Senior Arati Shroff leaped upon the subject of the teachers: "The English Department has some of the best teachers. Without it, IMSA wou l dn 't be nearly as good as it is." Many students excelled in English due to the fact that IMSA had a program unique to many other schools because of its diverse reading options and creative teachers who were passionate about sharing with students their knowledge of literature. A teacher of sophomore English and the popular senior elective Utopia/Anti-Utopia, Mr. Patrick McWilliams was quite enthusiastic about his work. He compared what he taught to that of other science teachers. "In English class, students learn to work with a poet or writer to create metaphors. And, just as in science class, they learn to create similar models in their sentences." This freedom to explore the writing given was one of the things Sophomore Louis Kazaglis liked best about his Sophomore English class. "I like the freedom to do what I like to learn." English, as well as the sciences, were a focus at IMSA because, as assistant to the English Department Sandy Gustafson said, "Some– one can know all there is to know about science, but when he/she is presenting his/her work, he/she better know how to communicate. Without a solid background in English, students won 't be able to convey their ideas, and that is wha t 's really important." Above: Brian Longtin spends hisfree time readingfor pleasure instead of poring through the required literature. ^Academics/ \127