Memoirs: an essential class

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Jonathan Brunkhart

The cabinet housing just some of the memoirs books students can expect to read in the class.

Jonathan Brunkhart, Staff Writer

English is often considered one of the most important core areas of study within our curriculum as high school students. Here at Hollis Brookline High School, four and a half years of English credits allows you to graduate, and Hollis Brookline offers a variety of English courses to help students fulfill this requirement. In the years prior to senior year, students don’t have much freedom regarding which English classes they can take. Senior year, however, students have a variety choices in classes they can take, ranging from Sci-Fi to Journalism. One of the most overlooked and underrated classes in this bunch is Memoirs.

Memoirs course material is pretty self explanatory. Students read true, real life novels written by people who want to share their stories. The novels give the students a perspective on life and the real world that they perhaps otherwise would never have had access to. Some of the reading material includes books such as: “Glass Castle”, “All Souls”, and “Unbroken”.

Current student in memoirs, Devin Philbrook ‘18, is happy she took the class stating, “It is interesting and you learn more information you wouldn’t know before, and overall it is just a fun class.” In memoirs, you are able to speak your mind in full-class discussions about serious topics revolving around the story you are reading, but you are also able to have fun while doing so. At the helm of the class is English teacher Ann Melim.If you haven’t heard of her, you’re missing out. Melim is a serious yet fun teacher, who you can often catch walking around the second floor hallway with coffee in hand. She truly takes Memoirs to another level. She is able to engage all of her students and help them relate to the often pressing topics within these memoirs. Melim stated that her favorite part of the class is, “the discussion of the different adversities that people face and being able to expose kids to situations that they probably would have never thought existed.” Melim takes pride in the fact that students will walk out of this class with more of an open mind to adversities that normal people face in their everyday lives.

If you are currently a junior who is tossed up on what English credit to take, Memoirs would be a great choice. If all of this information still hasn’t won you over, take it from one of your fellow classmates. Cassidy Pigott ‘19 is planning on taking Memoirs next, in large part because of the kind of teacher Melim is. Pigott wants to take the course next year because “Melim really cares about her students and if they succeed. You can also tell that she has so much passion and love for her job.” Melim truly makes Memoirs a class worth taking.

This poll taken in Period 2 memoirs of 18 students shows their favorite books read in Memoirs so far this year.