This year, three new teachers are joining the BSM community and English department: Jason Schwalen, Nick Henderson, and Emily Anderson. These teachers are all excited to meet their students and to help them improve their English skills.

Jason Schwalen is excited to join the English teachers and comes to BSM after teaching at Totino Grace, Mounds Park Academy, Stillwater High School, and Breck. “I was really looking forward to the team atmosphere, and the English department here [has] a lot of fun with each other, and that hasn’t always been the case at the other schools that I’ve been in,” Schwalen said.

Schwalen hopes to create bonds with his students and wants them to enjoy his class. “I think there should be a balance between focused, intellectual content and fun. So sometimes in a class, you have to buckle down, and you have to get something either written or evaluated. And then there are times when you get to relate [what you’re learning] to the world or a contemporary experience,” Schwalen said.

In addition to teaching 9th-grade English classes and creative writing classes, Schwalen will be teaching AP Language and Composition. He will be working with two other teachers to plan the class, as there are many sections of students. “Working with a team will be a new challenge. I’ve usually taught singletons, where I was in charge of creating the curriculum and teaching the curriculum and keeping it on pace. When three or four [teachers] work together, we’re all keeping on pace with a curriculum that is both set but also open to creativity and so we’re all probably putting our own little spin on things,” Schwalen said.

Teaching AP Language and Composition along with Jason Schwalen is Nick Henderson. Henderson will also be teaching some sections of English 9 and English 10.

Henderson comes to BSM from teaching sixth graders at Blake Middle School and prior to that, teaching undergrads at the University of Minnesota. This will be his first time teaching high school students. “I chose to come to work at BSM because I heard it was a great school, and I was interested in what it would be like to work at a school where faith was part of the environment,” Henderson said.

Henderson hopes his students will learn a lot from his class and wants them to feel comfortable. “I want my students to feel seen. I want them to feel like they can make the classroom their own, to some extent, I want them to be able to pursue what interests them through the material. I also want it to be fun,” Henderson said.

Henderson has enjoyed his time at BSM so far and is eager to get to know everyone better. “So far, it’s been really welcoming. Everyone on the faculty has been really supportive, and my students are awesome,” Henderson said.

The final addition to the English department this year is Dr. Emily Anderson, who earned her PhD in American Literature from the University of Minnesota. Previously, Anderson has taught students from middle school up to university levels. She has found that teaching high school students has been her favorite. “What I like about high school is that you are both teaching content and also getting to know kids, sort of what they’re like in and outside of the classroom,” Anderson said.

Anderson comes to BSM after teaching college students at the University of Minnesota and St. Olaf College. When teaching middle and high school students, she taught at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, a private K-12 school in St. Paul. She has also taught at schools in Pennsylvania, California, and Virginia.

Anderson will only be at BSM for part of the school year, as she is filling in for Paul Canavati, who is currently on paternity leave. Canavati has taught mostly English 10 and Advanced Composition in the past and will be returning to his position in the winter. Anderson will teach Advanced Composition and Creative Writing, as well as managing the Yearbook class. “This is my first time teaching creative writing. I’m a creative writer myself, so I’ve taken a lot of creative writing classes, but I’ve never taught one. I know what I like and don’t like from a student perspective, and so I’m trying to incorporate things I liked when I was a creative writing student,” Anderson said.

Even though she won’t be here the whole school year, Anderson is just as excited as other teachers to be a part of the BSM community and to build relationships with her students. “I’m excited to get to know my students better. Even though I’m only here until November, there will be improvements in their writing, and that’s one thing I’m excited to see,” Anderson said.