Darlington is pleased to welcome the following new faculty and staff members for the 2023-2024 school year:
Christy Archer will teach middle grades science and will help with athletics. She holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from LaGrange College and has over 30 years experience in independent schools, including Augusta Prep and, most recently, Lakeview Academy.
Drew Besson will teach math at the Upper School and serve as assistant wrestling coach. He holds a B.S. in Industrial Systems Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an M.A. in Teaching from Mercer University. Besson has been teaching for five years, most recently at Kell High School.
Mario Cantin will teach Spanish at the Upper School. He holds a B.A. in English and French from University of Nariño and a double M.A in TESOL and Linguistics from Southern Illinois University of Carbondale. He is a native Spanish speaker and served as a Spanish teaching assistant in France for two years before most recently serving as a teaching assistant (T.A.) during his master's program.
Betina Fuentes will teaching English at the Upper School and serve as head tennis coach. She holds a B.A. in Secondary English Education from the University of South Florida, an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with specialization in differentiated learning and ESOL from the University of Tampa, and is currently finishing up her Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at American College of Education. Fuentes has more than 15 years of teaching experience in the United States and abroad in the United Arab Emirates, Cambodia, Hungary, and Morocco. Most recently, she served as middle school vice principal at George Washington Academy in Morocco.
Travis Gaug will teach history at the Upper School and serve as an assistant basketball coach. He holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Vermont and an M.A. in American Studies from the University of Regensburg in Germany. With more than 15 years of experience in education, much of it in Germany, Gaug has served most recently as ESOL department chair at Hebron Academy.
Wayne Groves will be head football coach and director of strength and conditioning. He holds a B.S. in Health and Physical Education from the University of West Georgia and has nearly two decades of experience teaching and coaching. Most recently, Groves served as defensive coordinator and strength and conditioning coordinator at Rome High School. Prior to his work at Rome, he was the defensive coordinator at Valdosta High, where his 2014 defensive unit was ranked No. 1 in AAAAAA in points allowed.
Elizabeth Hammontree will teach Spanish at the Upper School. She holds a B.S. in Communications from the University of Monterrey. A native Spanish speaker and artist, she has taught art in both Mexico and the United States. She also led student ministry at “Dios de Pactos” Church in Monterrey, Mexico.
Keegan Hinsley will teach middle grades English and help with athletics. He holds a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Literature from the University of Alabama, where he taught composition and literature courses as part of his master's program.
John Hintermaier will teach history at the Upper School and serve as an assistant coach for volleyball and lacrosse. He holds an A.B. in. History and Political Science from Indiana Wesleyan University, an M.A. in Early Modern and Modern European History from Purdue University and a Ph.D. in British/Early Modern European History from Princeton University. Hintermaier has nearly two decades of experience as an educator and coach, most recently teaching social studies and coaching volleyball and lacrosse at Mount de Sales Academy in Macon, Ga.
Jason King will teach P.E. and serve as an assistant football coach. He holds a B.A. in Criminology from Auburn University, an M.Ed. in Special Education from Grand Canyon University and an Ed.S. in Special Education from Georgia Southern University. King has eight years of experience teaching and coaching, most recently as a special education and ISS interventionist at Rome High School, where he also worked with the football and baseball programs.
Mark Loudermilk will teach P.E. and serve as an assistant football coach. He holds a B.S. Physical Education & Health from West Georgia College, an M.S. in Educational Leadership from Jacksonville State University and an Ed.S. in Educational Leadership from Lincoln Memorial University. Loudermilk has more than three decades of experience teaching and coaching, most recently serving as strength coordinator and assistant head football coach at Brookstone School.
Leah Lynn will serve as technology integration coordinator. She holds a B.S. in Mathematics Education from Jacksonville State University, an M.S. in Education from Nova Southeastern University, and an Ed.S. from the University of West Georgia. Lynn has 15 years of experience in education. The former math and STEM instructor has most recently been serving as distance learning curriclum developer and eCampus liaison at Georgia Northwestern Technical College.
Celeste Rivers will be a Pre-K to 8 learning specialist. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Talledega University, an M.S. in Special Education from Touro College and an Ed.D. from North Central University. Rivers has more than 17 years of experience in education, serving in a variety of academic support and instructional coach roles, primarily in New York. After working outside a traditional school setting as a freelance educational consultant, she is excited to get back to a school community.
Reilly Thomas will teach middle grades science in addition to working with robotics and athletics. She holds a B.S. in Biochemistry from Berry College, where she was also head resident assistant. She also tutored high school students in chemistry and biology.
Kaleigh Tutorow will be a Pre-K to 8 learning specialist. She holds a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders and an M.S.Ed. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Valdosta State University. She has five years of experience as a speech language pathologist, most recently serving as director of rehabilitation and speech language pathologist at The Spires at Berry College. She will be starting her certification in Orton-Gillingham this summer.
The following current faculty and staff members will move into new roles in 2023-2024:
Kevin Hunt has been named assistant athletic director and will continue to serve as head track and field coach. He has taught P.E. and coached football and track at Darlington since 2007. He is a graduate of the University of West Georgia, where he played football, and coached previously at Cass and Rockmart.
This page will be updated as new employees are hired. Click here to see the most up-to-date list of employment opportunities at Darlington.
