Corinth High Mississippi Writers Class Visits Rowan Oak

A new English elective at Corinth High School took its lessons on the road this month. The Corinth High Rowan Oak field trip took 38 students to Oxford to tour William Faulkner’s historic home, the Corinth School District reported.

The students are enrolled in Mississippi Writers, a new half-credit English elective taught by Brandi Davis. They come from three class sections and span grades 9 through 12.

A Class Built Around Mississippi Authors

According to the district, the course covers the work of three of the state’s best-known writers:

• William Faulkner, the Nobel Prize winner who lived and wrote at Rowan Oak
• Eudora Welty, the Jackson author known for her short stories
• Jesmyn Ward, the DeLisle native and two-time National Book Award winner

The class looks at themes that run through their work, including family, identity, poverty, resilience, and Southern life.

Inside the Corinth High Rowan Oak Visit

In Oxford, students took a guided tour of the Faulkner house and walked the estate grounds. The group also toured the University of Mississippi campus and had lunch at the Rebel Market.

Students told the district what stood out to them. Eleventh-grader Dallas Barnes said the Rowan Oak tour guide was the best part of the trip.

Tenth-grader Robert Gaston got to use a typewriter for the first time. “It was amazing to type on what my great grandpa used to type on,” he said.

Eleventh-grader Brynlee Mosier noticed the setting, especially the Eastern Red Cedar trees that line the entrance to the property. She said the books and class discussions are what bring the course to life.

Barnes also named a favorite author from the class so far: Jesmyn Ward.

Foundation Support

The Corinth School District Foundation helped pay for the trip, according to the district. The foundation regularly supports classroom projects and learning opportunities beyond what the regular school budget covers.

Rowan Oak is owned and operated by the University of Mississippi. Faulkner lived there from the 1930s until his death in 1962. It’s about a 90-minute drive from Corinth, which makes it one of the region’s most accessible literary landmarks for school groups.

More Corinth school news: Corinth High Alumnus of the Year: Dr. Joseph Pratt and Crossroads Marching Classic returns to Corinth.

Source: Corinth School District