About the Teacher

Hello!

My name is Andrew (Andy) Frisk and I will be teaching Early College English 101 and 102 as well as AP Language and Composition and AP Literature and Composition at Blue Ridge High School this year. This is going to be a very exciting year for my students and myself, as one of my passions in college was literature and rhetoric! Since college I have been writing creatively, reviewing graphic novels, live concerts, and albums for various websites. My love of music, writing, and literature have finally melded into a teaching role that I cherish and love. There are few things in life more exciting than seeing young minds grow and begin to think critically while developing healthy reading and writing habits that will benefit them not just in their post-high school academic endeavors, but in their post-high school career endeavors as well. 

As for my educational background, I attended Winthrop University earning a BA in English/Political Science and an MA in English. I am in my 6th year of teaching and have 20 plus years of experience managing young adults as employees when I was in operations management. The biggest joy in that previous job was the opportunity to engage and help develop and instill tried and true workaday skills in young people and see them get promoted to higher positions and achieve their goals both in their jobs and in their schooling. Now I am thrilled to be able to continue doing both in a classroom setting. 

In the past I sponsored BRHS Poets' Society, a club for creative writers. Four years ago we published the first literary magazine the school has had comprised of student work in two decades! While the Poet's Society isn't as active as it was, we still publish a digital and print version of the magazine in conjunction with The Literary ROAR Society of The Ridge (more on this below). 

I am proud to continue to be the lead sponosor of the BRHS Chapter of the National English Honor Society: The Literary ROAR Society of The Ridge, BRHS's first NEHS chapter. I am more than excited to be contributing to student development outside the classroom through a sponsorship of both clubs! 

Finally, this year I will be living a long term dream and goal of mine by starting a Model United Nations and Debate Club at BRHS! MUN was a formative experience for me in my undergrad career and I can't wait to see BRHS students get the opportunity to experience the unique opportunity that is MUN!

As Benjamin Franklin, one of my favorite historical American figures stated, "Reading makes a full man, meditation a profound man, discourse a clear man." Reading, critical thinking, and strong writing and communication stills will make one (man or woman) well rounded, thoughtful and intelligent, and well articulated. My goal is for all students to attain this goal. 

I am always available and willing to talk with students and parents about anything related to their success in class! The best way to reach me initially is though email as it is always open on my phone and laptop and near my person. I look forward to working with every one of you to help your students achieve the highest levels of success this year!

Sincerely,

Andy Frisk, MA

BRHS English Department