Nine of the presentations on the docket for the Georgia Independent Schools Association’s annual conference will be led by Darlington faculty and staff members. The conference will be hosted Nov. 1-2 at Darlington.
Counselors Jill Pate and Chris Allen will lead a session titled “One School’s Response to Tragic Loss: Lessons Learned,” focusing on how Darlington coped with the loss of five students and two parents during a nine-month period in 2009.
Beth Wilson, chairperson of the English department, and Melinda Holmes, director of library services, will lead a session titled “Summer Reading: A Student-Centered Approach.” It will focus on Darlington’s unique approach to summer reading, which engenders buy-in, crosses boundaries between the English department and other disciplines and assesses reading based on what really matters – student engagement with literature.
Gordon Hight (’94), director of Upper School, will lead a session titled “Backwards Design: Planning and Assessment,” which aims to help teachers balance the enormous amount of material they need to cover in class with the specific information they want their students to understand and retain. He will focus on identifying the essential understandings and developing lesson plans and assessments that evaluate this knowledge.
Debra Myrick, chairperson of the math department, will lead a session titled “Sketchpad for All,” focusing on the use of the Geometer’s Sketchpad and ways that the teacher can use this tool to save time, increase student interest and participation, and provide depth of understanding.
Julia Dodd, chemistry teacher, will lead a session titled “Teaching Introductory Organic Chemistry to Seniors,” in which she will discuss the benefits of bridging the gap between high school chemistry during the sophomore year and college organic chemistry. Her presentation will include course prerequisites, selection of textbooks, course organization and information about laboratory activities.
Mitchell Maddox, English teacher, will lead a session titled “Writing a New Experience,” in which he will discuss the ways people have used writing to understand the world and how teachers can pass those skills along to their students.
Rob Hall, reading specialist, will lead a session titled, “Reading Specialists: A Paradigm Shift from Tutor to School-Wide Literacy Improvement.” He will focus on the expanding and ever-changing world of literacy and the role of the reading specialist – to integrate a comprehensive K-12 literacy program by developing programs, assessing struggling and advanced students, evaluating programming, and providing inexpensive professional development on site.
Craig Schmidt, chairman of the history department, and history teachers Brian Inman and Bailey Duncan (’98) will lead a session titled “Making History Interesting: Incorporating Technology in the History Classroom.” They will specifically look at the use of YouTube, Google Earth, Sketchup 7, OneNote, online forums and assessments and other programs that help bring learning to life.
Joe Montgomery, chief advancement officer, and Julie Lucas (’97), regional director of the Second Century Campaign, will lead a session titled “Executing a Successful Capital Campaign,” which will focus on planning and implementation as well as how to work with different constituents of the school community.
Darlington School is pleased to announce the winners of the school-wide Environmental Impact Contest, which was made possible by the generosity of an anonymous donor. The first and second place student winners are senior Jawad Mazhir and sophomore Will Thoms. The first and second place faculty winners are Ashley Evans and Debra Myrick. All will receive a cash prize in recognition of their innovative ideas.
The six-member judging committee reviewed over 160 entries from Lower, Middle and Upper School students as well as faculty and staff. In their evaluation, they considered several factors including probability of implementation, potential savings, initial investment costs, ease of implementation, environmental impact and quality of the entry.
“The committee reviewed entries, like composting, that scored high in many of our categories but had almost no budget impact,” said committee chairman James Hutchins, dean of Middle School studies. “We also had other great ideas, like window replacement, where high initial investment costs and long payback period knocked them out of contention.”
Mazhir’s winning suggestion involves upgrading the school’s fluorescent lighting to a more efficient system of T-8 bulbs.
“This is the single biggest cost-saving measure we could take to positively impact our budget,” said Keith Raker, director of facilities. “Jawad had an extremely well thought out and detailed plan, and while his idea would necessitate a considerable initial investment, it would save the school tens of thousands of dollars per year. Studies have shown that payback on the initial investment costs would be two to three years.”
Thoms suggested the school install motion detector lighting in various rooms around campus, such as restrooms and closets, to save energy when these rooms are not in use.
“We have already installed motion detectors in the first floor of Wilcox Hall and in the restrooms of the boys’ houses that were renovated last year,” Raker said. “This is a much more energy efficient application of this technology than leaving the light switch on all day long.”
For the faculty, Evans’ winning idea focused on saving paper by tracking and reducing copying expenses. Not only would this reduce our paper costs, but it would also save money on toner and copier maintenance and repairs. The committee felt like this idea could be implemented quickly with very little, if any, investment and managed by department heads.
“Our main printer in the McCallie-Kennedy Library uses an ink cartridge that prints 40,000 copies, and we have to replace this cartridge approximately every two months. Multiply that by the number of months in the academic year, and you will see that we print about 200,000 copies in the library alone,” said Melinda Holmes, director of library services. “Dividing that number in half by doing something as easy as printing on both sides of a sheet of paper would have a great impact on the amount of paper we consume. What a win for the environment and for Darlington’s pocketbook!”
Hutchins agreed, “Ashley’s idea really hits home in regards to the amount of paper that’s wasted on a daily basis. The 21st Century classroom is being transformed into a learning environment that is focused more on technology and electronic exchanges. I don’t believe we’ll ever completely get away from using paper, but we can all be more responsible with the way we use it.”
Myrick suggested the installation of programmable thermostats in faculty and student housing that can be set to energy-saving temperatures during unoccupied hours just like the classrooms and offices on campus.
“This is yet another great way Darlington can cut costs and, at the same time, lessen our carbon footprint,” Hutchins said. “In our evaluation, the areas of the highest importance were probability of implementation and budget savings. We focused on ideas that would save the school money and could be implemented in the near future. After much deliberation, we all felt these four winning entries best exemplified the spirit of the contest.”
Darlington School honored outstanding faculty and staff members at the annual Brown Faculty Appreciation Dinner, hosted by the Board of Trustees on Thursday, May 8.
James Douglas Brown Jr. Faculty Awards were presented to Rebekah Kinney, kindergarten teacher; Kim Tunnell, Lower and Middle School music teacher; and Libbie Zimmer, director of the Learning Center. Nominated by colleagues and selected by the president, headmaster and principals of the Lower and Middle Schools, a Brown Award recipient is one who has served the School well, in a competent and skillful manner, and one who has an interest in and a dedication to his or her work with the School and with the students. Brown Awards are endowed by Mr. And Mrs. James Douglas Brown of Ozark, Ala., in memory of their son, James Douglas Brown Jr.
This year’s Beachum Master Teaching Award was presented to Upper School science teacher Owen Kinney, who was nominated by faculty and selected by the president, headmaster and principals of the Lower and Middle Schools. The Beachum Award honors a member of the faculty who has accomplished something exceptional in his or her teaching, devoting time beyond the call of duty to students and to the teaching profession. This accomplishment may be in the form of extraordinary efforts to build student character or in the form of innovative programs. Established in 2004 by Mary McCamy Beachum (’63T), Robert A. Beachum (’94) and Julia Beachum, the Edward N. Beachum ’63 Master Teacher Award honors the Darlington alumnus and faculty member (1972-1989).
The George W. Awsumb Faculty Award was presented to Debra Myrick, Upper School math teacher. Established anonymously in June 1999 by a Darlington alumnus, the Awsumb Award is presented to a faculty member who exemplifies a personal commitment to the education and well being of the superior and average student alike. This commitment is demonstrated by the unselfish desire of the faculty member to instruct and challenge students in both a professional and enthusiastic manner and by the ability of the faculty member to raise the overall level of education and quality of life at Darlington. The commitment is further demonstrated by the unselfish giving of time and energy to many diverse extracurricular activities and by the ability of the faculty member to empower his or her students with self-confidence and instill in them the desire to learn while not only at Darlington, but also for a lifetime. The award is given in the spirit of George W. Awsumb, Darlington faculty member since 1962, and the recipient is selected by the president and headmaster.
A Hanks Faculty Recognition Plaque was presented in honor of the following former and current Lower School faculty and staff members: LaVance Atkins, Lucy Babcock (’71T), Marsha Black, Teresa Huffman Watters (’72T), Janiece Braden, Alyce Bradley (’74), Lola Bradshaw, Barbara Cordle, Reatha Carroll Dempsey, Meg Eberhart, Herb Jones, Cheryl Matthews, Sharon Monroe, Larry Muschamp, Millie Sirmans, Marion Solomon, Hariette Starnes, Anne Somerville, Mary Ruth Sumner, Marcus Tayloe and Carol Tharp. Made possible each year by Dr. Daniel J. Hanks Jr. (’61), his wife, Adeline (’62) and their son, J. Daniel Hanks III (’99), this award was established to remind current students of the legacy they enjoy on a day-to-day basis. To date, recognition plaques have been awarded to the departments of language, English, history, math and science.
The following faculty and staff members were recognized for their five-year anniversaries: Audra Babb, Eva Marie Burns, Hillary Cagle, Madge Crawford, Bailey Duncan, Joan Lynch, five years; Shari Cannon, Julia Dodd, Jenni Glover, 10 years; Tommy Atha, 15 years; Fran Buice, 20 years; Bob Rogers, 35 years; Jim Van Es, 40 years. Retiree Jerry Sharp was also acknowledged.
Nine of the presentations on the docket for the Georgia Independent Schools Association’s annual conference will be led by Darlington faculty and staff members. The conference will be hosted Nov. 1-2 at Darlington.
Counselors Jill Pate and Chris Allen will lead a session titled “One School’s Response to Tragic Loss: Lessons Learned,” focusing on how Darlington coped with the loss of five students and two parents during a nine-month period in 2009.
Beth Wilson, chairperson of the English department, and Melinda Holmes, director of library services, will lead a session titled “Summer Reading: A Student-Centered Approach.” It will focus on Darlington’s unique approach to summer reading, which engenders buy-in, crosses boundaries between the English department and other disciplines and assesses reading based on what really matters – student engagement with literature.
Gordon Hight (’94), director of Upper School, will lead a session titled “Backwards Design: Planning and Assessment,” which aims to help teachers balance the enormous amount of material they need to cover in class with the specific information they want their students to understand and retain. He will focus on identifying the essential understandings and developing lesson plans and assessments that evaluate this knowledge.
Debra Myrick, chairperson of the math department, will lead a session titled “Sketchpad for All,” focusing on the use of the Geometer’s Sketchpad and ways that the teacher can use this tool to save time, increase student interest and participation, and provide depth of understanding.
Julia Dodd, chemistry teacher, will lead a session titled “Teaching Introductory Organic Chemistry to Seniors,” in which she will discuss the benefits of bridging the gap between high school chemistry during the sophomore year and college organic chemistry. Her presentation will include course prerequisites, selection of textbooks, course organization and information about laboratory activities.
Mitchell Maddox, English teacher, will lead a session titled “Writing a New Experience,” in which he will discuss the ways people have used writing to understand the world and how teachers can pass those skills along to their students.
Rob Hall, reading specialist, will lead a session titled, “Reading Specialists: A Paradigm Shift from Tutor to School-Wide Literacy Improvement.” He will focus on the expanding and ever-changing world of literacy and the role of the reading specialist – to integrate a comprehensive K-12 literacy program by developing programs, assessing struggling and advanced students, evaluating programming, and providing inexpensive professional development on site.
Craig Schmidt, chairman of the history department, and history teachers Brian Inman and Bailey Duncan (’98) will lead a session titled “Making History Interesting: Incorporating Technology in the History Classroom.” They will specifically look at the use of YouTube, Google Earth, Sketchup 7, OneNote, online forums and assessments and other programs that help bring learning to life.
Joe Montgomery, chief advancement officer, and Julie Lucas (’97), regional director of the Second Century Campaign, will lead a session titled “Executing a Successful Capital Campaign,” which will focus on planning and implementation as well as how to work with different constituents of the school community.
Darlington School is pleased to announce the winners of the school-wide Environmental Impact Contest, which was made possible by the generosity of an anonymous donor. The first and second place student winners are senior Jawad Mazhir and sophomore Will Thoms. The first and second place faculty winners are Ashley Evans and Debra Myrick. All will receive a cash prize in recognition of their innovative ideas.
The six-member judging committee reviewed over 160 entries from Lower, Middle and Upper School students as well as faculty and staff. In their evaluation, they considered several factors including probability of implementation, potential savings, initial investment costs, ease of implementation, environmental impact and quality of the entry.
“The committee reviewed entries, like composting, that scored high in many of our categories but had almost no budget impact,” said committee chairman James Hutchins, dean of Middle School studies. “We also had other great ideas, like window replacement, where high initial investment costs and long payback period knocked them out of contention.”
Mazhir’s winning suggestion involves upgrading the school’s fluorescent lighting to a more efficient system of T-8 bulbs.
“This is the single biggest cost-saving measure we could take to positively impact our budget,” said Keith Raker, director of facilities. “Jawad had an extremely well thought out and detailed plan, and while his idea would necessitate a considerable initial investment, it would save the school tens of thousands of dollars per year. Studies have shown that payback on the initial investment costs would be two to three years.”
Thoms suggested the school install motion detector lighting in various rooms around campus, such as restrooms and closets, to save energy when these rooms are not in use.
“We have already installed motion detectors in the first floor of Wilcox Hall and in the restrooms of the boys’ houses that were renovated last year,” Raker said. “This is a much more energy efficient application of this technology than leaving the light switch on all day long.”
For the faculty, Evans’ winning idea focused on saving paper by tracking and reducing copying expenses. Not only would this reduce our paper costs, but it would also save money on toner and copier maintenance and repairs. The committee felt like this idea could be implemented quickly with very little, if any, investment and managed by department heads.
“Our main printer in the McCallie-Kennedy Library uses an ink cartridge that prints 40,000 copies, and we have to replace this cartridge approximately every two months. Multiply that by the number of months in the academic year, and you will see that we print about 200,000 copies in the library alone,” said Melinda Holmes, director of library services. “Dividing that number in half by doing something as easy as printing on both sides of a sheet of paper would have a great impact on the amount of paper we consume. What a win for the environment and for Darlington’s pocketbook!”
Hutchins agreed, “Ashley’s idea really hits home in regards to the amount of paper that’s wasted on a daily basis. The 21st Century classroom is being transformed into a learning environment that is focused more on technology and electronic exchanges. I don’t believe we’ll ever completely get away from using paper, but we can all be more responsible with the way we use it.”
Myrick suggested the installation of programmable thermostats in faculty and student housing that can be set to energy-saving temperatures during unoccupied hours just like the classrooms and offices on campus.
“This is yet another great way Darlington can cut costs and, at the same time, lessen our carbon footprint,” Hutchins said. “In our evaluation, the areas of the highest importance were probability of implementation and budget savings. We focused on ideas that would save the school money and could be implemented in the near future. After much deliberation, we all felt these four winning entries best exemplified the spirit of the contest.”
Darlington School honored outstanding faculty and staff members at the annual Brown Faculty Appreciation Dinner, hosted by the Board of Trustees on Thursday, May 8.
James Douglas Brown Jr. Faculty Awards were presented to Rebekah Kinney, kindergarten teacher; Kim Tunnell, Lower and Middle School music teacher; and Libbie Zimmer, director of the Learning Center. Nominated by colleagues and selected by the president, headmaster and principals of the Lower and Middle Schools, a Brown Award recipient is one who has served the School well, in a competent and skillful manner, and one who has an interest in and a dedication to his or her work with the School and with the students. Brown Awards are endowed by Mr. And Mrs. James Douglas Brown of Ozark, Ala., in memory of their son, James Douglas Brown Jr.
This year’s Beachum Master Teaching Award was presented to Upper School science teacher Owen Kinney, who was nominated by faculty and selected by the president, headmaster and principals of the Lower and Middle Schools. The Beachum Award honors a member of the faculty who has accomplished something exceptional in his or her teaching, devoting time beyond the call of duty to students and to the teaching profession. This accomplishment may be in the form of extraordinary efforts to build student character or in the form of innovative programs. Established in 2004 by Mary McCamy Beachum (’63T), Robert A. Beachum (’94) and Julia Beachum, the Edward N. Beachum ’63 Master Teacher Award honors the Darlington alumnus and faculty member (1972-1989).
The George W. Awsumb Faculty Award was presented to Debra Myrick, Upper School math teacher. Established anonymously in June 1999 by a Darlington alumnus, the Awsumb Award is presented to a faculty member who exemplifies a personal commitment to the education and well being of the superior and average student alike. This commitment is demonstrated by the unselfish desire of the faculty member to instruct and challenge students in both a professional and enthusiastic manner and by the ability of the faculty member to raise the overall level of education and quality of life at Darlington. The commitment is further demonstrated by the unselfish giving of time and energy to many diverse extracurricular activities and by the ability of the faculty member to empower his or her students with self-confidence and instill in them the desire to learn while not only at Darlington, but also for a lifetime. The award is given in the spirit of George W. Awsumb, Darlington faculty member since 1962, and the recipient is selected by the president and headmaster.
A Hanks Faculty Recognition Plaque was presented in honor of the following former and current Lower School faculty and staff members: LaVance Atkins, Lucy Babcock (’71T), Marsha Black, Teresa Huffman Watters (’72T), Janiece Braden, Alyce Bradley (’74), Lola Bradshaw, Barbara Cordle, Reatha Carroll Dempsey, Meg Eberhart, Herb Jones, Cheryl Matthews, Sharon Monroe, Larry Muschamp, Millie Sirmans, Marion Solomon, Hariette Starnes, Anne Somerville, Mary Ruth Sumner, Marcus Tayloe and Carol Tharp. Made possible each year by Dr. Daniel J. Hanks Jr. (’61), his wife, Adeline (’62) and their son, J. Daniel Hanks III (’99), this award was established to remind current students of the legacy they enjoy on a day-to-day basis. To date, recognition plaques have been awarded to the departments of language, English, history, math and science.
The following faculty and staff members were recognized for their five-year anniversaries: Audra Babb, Eva Marie Burns, Hillary Cagle, Madge Crawford, Bailey Duncan, Joan Lynch, five years; Shari Cannon, Julia Dodd, Jenni Glover, 10 years; Tommy Atha, 15 years; Fran Buice, 20 years; Bob Rogers, 35 years; Jim Van Es, 40 years. Retiree Jerry Sharp was also acknowledged.
