The Comprehensive High School English Department has a faculty committed to excellence.  All members of the department hold English certifications and have or are actively engaged in working toward their Master's degrees.  Three department members have two Masters' degrees, and one has a doctorate in English and is nationally certified, the only nationally certified teacher in the school district.

The members participate in regular curriculum revision to insure students receive an excellent education.  The scores on the MCAS English Language Arts test reflect the department's diligence since, for the last two years in a row, all seniors have passed the English portion of that state-mandated test.

Students have the opportunity to choose courses commensurate with their abilities.  All course offerings are aligned with State-mandated English Language Arts Frameworks; students engage in project-based learning regularly.  The High Schools That Work Initiative is the basis for Tech Prep English I and II, providing opportunities for students to correlate their Career Tech course work with their academic class work.  The strong Advanced Placement English program, additionally, permits students to earn college credits while they are still in high school.

SUMMER READING MEMO

To:       All Parents and Students

From:  The Chicopee Comprehensive High School English Department

Re:       Summer reading

We are assigning two books for summer reading this year for all students entering grade 9, 10, 11, and 12, respectively.   The purpose of the summer reading is

• To engage students in reading works appropriate to their age and ability level

• To establish reading as an enjoyable pastime

• To reinforce what colleges require, namely, reading a wide variety of works across the disciplines To continue to address reading skills that students learn in their English classrooms during the school year

Currently, students who are taking pre-AP English 10, AP English 1, and AP English 2 receive reading assignments during the summer; these students have been engaged in this kind of reading for several years. 

All businesses and every phase of industry require reading.  If a student plans to further his or her education at a technical school or in any college or university, reading forms the core of a student’s preparation for post-secondary education and is an essential part of any post-secondary education curriculum. 

Students will also receive study guides to assist them with the reading if they need further assistance.  We ask that all students take notes on the reading and bring their notes or the books themselves to class on the first day of school.  All books are available at any of the Chicopee Public Libraries (main library and all branches) free of charge, but students who wish to purchase their own copies will find them at Barnes & Noble at Holyoke Crossing, at the Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, or on-line at Amazon.com (used copies are very inexpensive and are usually in good condition). 

If you have any questions about this program, please do not hesitate to contact Judith S. Chelte, Ph.D., English Department Supervisor, Chicopee Comprehensive High School, 594-3534 or via e-mail at jchelte@chicopee.k12.ma.us.

We look forward to your cooperation in helping us to improve our students’ appreciation for reading as a pleasurable activity, one that provides life-long rewards.    

Summer reading selections for students entering English 9 (standard, honors):

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and I Have Lived a Thousand Years by Livia Bitton-Jackson

Summer reading selections for students entering English 10 (standard, honors):

And Then There Were Noneby Agatha Christie and Night by Elie Wiesel

Summer reading selections for students entering English 11 (standard, honors, Tech Prep English I):

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold or Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison and Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich

(Students will read one of the two fictional selections; all grade 11 students will read the nonfictional selection by Ehrenreich.)

Summer reading selections for students entering English 12 (standard, honors, Tech Prep English II):

The Color of Water by James McBride and The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien