The Ethel Walker School
The mission of the English Department is to develop in every student, every year, in every lesson, the ability to read, write, and speak about what matters — to her — and to the world.
We believe in teaching our students to write creatively, personally, and analytically with brilliance and authenticity, to read for wisdom, strength, and moral citizenship, and to be able to speak truth to power. Our reading, writing, and public speaking curriculum supports that mission every day. Our assignments in these three areas of focus are all designed to hone rhetorical capabilities, and to stimulate the full joy of learning.
Publishing student work here at school, and in other venues is a top priority for us; the best way to understand the power of one’s voice is to use it in the wider world. Our literary magazine, Daemon, regular participation in national and international writing contests such as the Scholastic Writing Awards and The New York Times student contests, and our very own press, The Ethel Walker Every Woman Press, create a literary environment in which student voices are not just heard, but honored and celebrated.
The English Department faculty pledge to help students to become published authors and to be recognized for their excellent writing well beyond the school’s walls. A few of the writing and performance contests our students will participate in this year:
*Contest Walker’s students have won in the past
Dr. David Thacker P'24, '27
English Faculty, English Chair, and Director of Community Partnerships
Dave joined Walker’s in 2018 from Florida State University where he was completing his Ph.D. in Creative Writing and teaching English. He has enjoyed teaching for the past 11 years at the university level but was thrilled to join Walker’s where he spends more time focused on teaching and getting to know his students. A published poet, Dave earned a B.S. in English, summa cum laude, from Weber State University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from The University of Idaho. Dave is passionate about community partnerships and is the director of Walker’s Community Partnerships program.
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Kim Harris-Thacker P'24, '27
Faculty and Archivist
Kim Harris-Thacker P’24, ’27, is The Ethel Walker School’s archivist, as well as a faculty member in the history and English departments. She is a well-published magazine writer and essayist with a keen interest in history and community, and in connecting the past and the present through the medium of story. Born and raised in Wyoming, Kim has retained a love of the outdoors, which she shares with her husband, Walker’s Upper School English teacher Dr. David Thacker, and their two daughters, Molly and Liesel, who are current and former Walker’s students.
Megan Mulhern
Dean of Curriculum and Academics
Megan Mulhern is an experienced English teacher previously holding faculty positions at Westminster School, YK Pao School in Shanghai, China, The Lawrenceville School, and The Emma Willard School. Since joining Walker’s in 2019, she has held the positions of English Faculty, English Department Chair, and Dorm Head. In her current role, Megan oversees our academic program and curriculum. With a focus on student growth and girls’ education, she provides support and guidance to students as they navigate their courses at Walker’s. She also teaches English and serves as an advisor.
Megan holds a B.A. in Literatures and Cultures in English and Education Studies from Brown University and an M.A. from Middlebury’s Breadloaf School of English.
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Erin Ott P'32
English Faculty
Erin holds a Master of Arts in English Literature and Bachelor of Arts in English, Creative Writing and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Hofstra University. She has worked extensively with students on composition and literature, and she has assisted students with honing their skills to write at the college level. Erin is also a Middle School advisor.
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Max Putnam
English Faculty
Maxwell Putnam received an MFA in poetry/non-fiction from Sewanee: The University of the South’s School of Letters. Former Associate Poetry Editor at the Northwest Review, his work can be found in Frontier Poetry, Notch Magazine, American Songwriter, and elsewhere. Prior to his position at The Ethel Walker School, Maxwell taught upper school English and Writing at Friends Seminary in New York City.
Nicole Sellew
English Faculty
Nicole Sellew grew up in Connecticut. She graduated from Dartmouth College in 2021, where she studied English, creative writing, and film and media studies. She received her M.Litt. in creative writing from the University of St Andrews in 2022 and is now studying for her Ph.D. She teaches English and theater, and she is both a novelist and a playwright. Her debut novel will be published by Clash Books in 2025, and her writing for the stage has been performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, among other places.
Read Full ProfileEnglish Faculty Erin Ott discusses girls as learners, what it means to develop voice, Walker’s Capabilities Approach, and things that go bump in the night.
Spring Visiting Writer Rachel Zucker met with Walker's English classes to share her work.
The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards has honored five Walker's students for their outstanding writing.
