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Academics

A Saint Ignatius Education

English Department

A message from English Department Chair Ayanna King...

A study of literature and the practice of composition at Saint Ignatius College Prep balances content with our grad at grad values calling on students to be loving, open to growth, committed to doing social justice, religious, and intellectually competent. Throughout their four years, students will hone their reading, interpretation, analysis, inquiry, critical thinking, and speaking skills in order to determine what literature reveals about the world in which we live. Through collaboration and a commitment to literary scholarship, our department's approach to literature is thematic and chronological combining breadth with depth. By the end of their senior year, students will have read and analyzed canonical and contemporary works; written literary analysis, research essays, and personal narratives; and used philosophical approaches to discussion to understand how history informs the future.

Robert Louis Stevenson, Author

"I always kept two books in my pocket, one to read, one to write in."

Resources

Meet the English Department

List of 15 members.

Mrs. Ayanna King

Department Chair

Bio
“My class is a verb,” says Mrs. Ayanna King, English teacher at Saint Ignatius College Prep. “That means when we’re in class, we all do something. We move. We listen. We discuss.”

Mrs. King is the Chair of the English Department and her educational philosophy embodies the student-centered approach that resonates through the department. “Sure, I’m the teacher. But the class belongs to the students. Their perspectives and development are prioritized in my classroom.”

Mrs. King’s ultimate goal is for students to master the vital skills they will need throughout their academic and professional careers. She understands that sometimes students struggle to read difficult texts or organize their writing. “But then, one day, a student will have an a-ha moment. Something clicks and their skills and confidence rocket up. I’ll see them next year or after they graduate, and I can tell they’re using what they learned to continue to succeed.”

To see the lightbulb go off is the ultimate professional fulfillment for Mrs. King, whose dedication reaches beyond the classroom. She is an active leader and key voice in student organizations at Saint Ignatius. She co-leads BOSS, the Black Organization of Successful Students. The club is a gathering place for students that grows and empowers our Black community on campus.

Mrs. King also founded the Step Club this year. She describes stepping as a rhythmic group dance popularized by black fraternities and sororities. Mrs. King became fascinated with stepping as a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority at the University of Indiana. “It’s an essential part of Black fraternity and sorority culture. I want to share stepping with the wider Saint Ignatius community to showcase Black culture and the diversity of the school.”
Dr. Jane Delaney EdD

Writing Lab Coordinator
Ms. Megan Doherty 85

English Teacher

Bio
When she was considering high schools, her parents pointed her in the direction of Saint Ignatius College Prep. That guidance ultimately gave Megan Doherty ‘85 her life’s work.

She says, “When I was a student here, I loved my English teachers. They were so impassioned by the literature they were sharing with us that I was going to be a high school English teacher…No question about it.”

In her years on that path, Doherty, like the people who inspired her, has made sure to share her literary passion points. Her favorite book in the current curriculum is Voltaire’s Candide.

“The students receive it well,” she says, “It’s a very good life lesson. You can spin out the end line, ‘We must cultivate our garden,’ in a number of ways.”

One interpretation: Own your space. Doherty helps her students do that every day.

She says, “I am most proud of the reflections my seniors make in their critical reading journal conferences, where they see their personal growth in reading and writing based on skill advice we adopted.”

Doherty, who’s own children followed in her Ignatius footsteps, says the student who became the teacher is still learning at 1076 West Roosevelt Road.

“My students teach me to view them as whole humans and not just English students…whole humans who need to be cared for.”
Mrs. Cara Doyle

English Teacher & Head Girls Basketball Coach

Bio
Hang out in English teacher Cara Doyle’s family room, and you’ll see something on the bookshelves few people have: Two Emmy awards.

Before her time at Saint Ignatius College Prep, Doyle was a long-format TV producer for ESPN. The statues that sit on her shelves with her kids’ little league and school trophies, honor her outstanding work on two separate sports series.

It’s work that she says has real relatability to teaching - especially her journalism classes.

“Working in journalism, there are so many skills you pick up that are transferable, including writing…In class, I tell my students how important it is to be accurate and factual. I help them discern how to read the news; how to become informed when everything seems like an opinion,” Doyle says.

Her classroom experience actually has roots in the five years she and her husband spent in England. She taught media and English while she was there.

After they returned to the United States, Doyle made her way to 1076 West Roosevelt Road. In 2012 she started coaching the Wolfpack. Having played basketball in college, she wanted to share that energy.

“I think what I love about basketball is how I felt as a student in the gym,” says Doyle, “ I want our kids to have that same feeling. It’s a place where they can exhale and be themselves.”

All the while she led our Girls Basketball program, Doyle knew she wanted to teach again, too. There was an opening in 2020. She applied. The rest is history, and she says she couldn’t be happier.

“My biggest takeaway from being in the classroom is how amazing the students are. They bring value and depth and make you think…It’s a privilege to be on this part of their journey with them.”
Mr. Chris Hatem

English Teacher

Bio
Chris Hatem knows the classroom experience matters.

When he was a student at Whitney Young High School, he had an English teacher who was a Saint Ignatius College Prep alum. Hatem says that teacher was so engaging and compelling it made him explore literature as a passion. And now it’s his turn to inspire bright young minds.

Hatem, who focuses on modernist British literature, says, “The similar joy I take in movies and music, I also get out of literature, being able to teach that to kids, and seeing them take joy in that.” He's been teaching at Saint Ignatius for more than a decade, and has much praise for the people who work alongside him.

“I’ve never worked in a situation where every single member of a department…is a homerun hitter. It keeps you on your game.”

Speaking of “game,” Hatem coaches freshman boys basketball, a sport he loves and played. He’s also a moderator for Club Vinyl which taps into music, another one of his joys. When he’s not on campus you might just find him playing the drums in his rented practice space.

His message to students: Pursue passions and really make sure you don’t leave things on the table.
Mr. John Hoarty

English Teacher

Bio
Since his junior year in high school, John Hoarty knew he wanted to be a teacher.

“I really admired the people who were teaching my classes,” says Hoarty. “And my parents thought it was a good profession, a worthwhile pursuit.”

Hoarty attended Catholic schools all his life, which fueled his desire to teach at one.

“My teachers at Creighton Preparatory School and Marquette University, many of whom were Jesuits, instilled in me a deep love for Jesuit, Catholic schools,” says Hoarty.

His commitment to Catholic education ultimately led him to Saint Ignatius College Prep, where he formed a deep bond with the community.

“Everyone relies on each other and deeply cares about one another,” says Hoarty. “We’re all here to ensure the well-being of our students.”

He hopes the overall Ignatius experience will give young people here confidence to be comfortable with the unknown. He also hopes they know they’ve built skills to help them tackle life’s challenges, and that when they make a mistake, it’s an opportunity to learn.

“Making errors is such a critical part of the process,” says Hoarty. “Students should never fear being wrong because their mistakes can put them on the right path.”

Beyond the classroom, Hoarty has been involved in a variety of programs here at Saint Ignatius. He has served as a director for Kairos retreats, and he’s completed the Spiritual Exercises numerous times.

One of his favorite Wolfpack memories: Leading a group of students on a service immersion trip to Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Mexico. The goal was to deepen their understanding of the situation at the U.S. - Mexico border.

Hoarty hopes to continue accompanying students on retreats and social justice journeys because both are expressions of our Jesuit, Catholic mission.
Mrs. Margaret Kelliher

English Teacher
Mr. Thomas McKenna

English Teacher & Girls Basketball Coach
Ms. Ali Meehan

English Teacher
Mr. Brennan Roche

English Teacher
Ms. Wendy Schmiedeler

English Teacher
Ms. Kathleen Shapiro

English Teacher
Mr. Douglas Straka

English Teacher
Ms. Rachel Turkowski

English Teacher
Mr. Michael Vermylen

English Teacher

Saint Ignatius College Prep

Saint Ignatius College Prep, a Jesuit Catholic school in the heart of Chicago, is a diverse community dedicated to educating young men and women for lives of faith, love, service and leadership.

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