Last spring, Darlington School’s Parents’ Association awarded Faculty Development Grants to five deserving faculty members and donated interactive TurningPoint Audience Response systems to the Upper School history and math departments. Together, the grants and technology donation totaled $7,500.
Each year, faculty members who have made a commitment to return to Darlington in the fall are invited to apply for grants funded by the school’s Parents’ Association. This program is designed to enhance faculty effectiveness in the classroom, in campus activities and in the community; to encourage faculty to plan creatively for their own continuing professional development; to provide an incentive to aid in the retention of excellent faculty; and to involve department chairs in enhancing the faculty members’ enthusiasm in their particular area of education and involvement.
U.S. History and Government teacher Brant Evans used his grant to travel to Washington, D.C., in preparation for this year’s courses. “I saw all the major memorials, visited museums and toured the White House, but the most beneficial location I visited was the Library of Congress,” he said. “There, they provided a ‘fake passport,’ with which I was able to collect copies of various primary documents to be downloaded at home. I now have access to hundreds of documents that relate to subjects from the discovery of the Americas to the Constitutional Convention, many of which will be perfect for the classroom.”
Lower School Librarian Ann Glass spent two weeks at the Modern Archives Institute in Washington, D.C., in preparation for her role as Darlington’s official school archivist. “Along with 30 others, I learned how to set up and maintain an archive,” she said. “I was surprised to find myself the only school librarian among some very intriguing people and fields. The group was comprised mostly of historians from all around the country. I am so excited to have had this amazing experience and to incorporate the things I learned into Darlington’s J. Daniel Hanks (’27) Sr. Archives.”
Bookstore manager Renee Healy will use her grant in February to attend the National Association of College Stores’ Campus Market Expo (CAMEX), the largest trade show in the industry. This event will take place in Houston, Texas. “The proceeds we collect in Darlington’s bookstore go directly back into supporting our school and programs,” she said. “Therefore, I hope to get some ideas on how to make Darlington’s bookstore more profitable and gain insight into the new trends for bookstores.”
Sixth-grade science teacher Randy Smith’s grant was used to purchase materials for the Middle School Garden Project, which he hopes will eventually expand to include grades 5-8. “Students will build, plant, grow, maintain and harvest crops; develop environmentally sound irrigation systems; and construct and use erosion control features,” he explained. “Our goal is for the items we grow to be useful in real-life situations. For instance, we’ll grow herbs for use in the dining hall, flowers for the hospitality needs of the school and produce for donation to the local homeless shelters. It’s my hope that this hands-on approach to learning will allow students to develop lifelong skills for attacking problems and developing solutions.”
U.S. History teacher Kelly McDurmon used his faculty grant to attend the American Studies Institute at Lovett School in Atlanta. “I had the great pleasure of studying with the author of our current U.S. History text, Dr. David Shi of Furman University,” he said. “He shared with us the impact of the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, thus opening my eyes to the significance of an event that had formerly been inconsequential in my teaching of the ‘Age of Empire.’ I am looking forward to providing my students with a new lens to view the accomplishments of American Industrialization. This support from the Parents’ Association serves as motivation to continue improving my skills in order to provide a better education for Darlington students.”
