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Parents Association funds Faculty Development Grants
Sep 28, 2004 8:00 AM
By Tannika King - Faculty
In March of 2004, the Darlington Parents Association awarded more than $20,000 in Faculty Development Grants to 14 deserving faculty members. Grants ranged up to $2,000.
Each year, teaching faculty who have made a commitment to return to Darlington in the fall are invited to apply for Faculty Development 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.
“These grants are both an encouragement and a symbol of thankfulness on the part of the parents,” said Jean Bonnyman, co-chairperson of the Faculty Incentive Program.
James Hutchins, Middle School science teacher, was fortunate enough to receive the grant for two consecutive years to aid in paying tuition for his coursework at the University of Alabama.
“I am currently seeking an Educational Specialist degree in Educational Leadership. The program is a year-and-a-half long, and I’ve been taking two classes per semester and five classes this summer,” he said. “The DPA has helped me tremendously … I extend to them my deepest appreciation for that help.”
Rob Davis, AP humanities and graphic design teacher and another recipient of the grant, agreed that the Parents Association has been eager and thorough in helping him be the best teacher that he can be. Davis is currently enrolled in online graphic design courses at the Academy of Arts University in San Francisco. Using the same textbook that he teaches in his class at Darlington, Davis is learning about projects connected to the text that he could offer in the future.
“My students love the fact that I got a 92 on a recent quiz, missing a question that is basic for them,” he said. “Also, because the course is an online study, I am learning all kinds of new technologies required to create Web-based presentations, which is a class I teach in the spring … My discipline is relatively new on the high school level, so I have needed extra instruction that I could only get through this type of program.”
Upper School biology teacher Laura Murray used her grant to attend the Greenwood Genetics Center’s weeklong seminar series on Developmental Genetics.
“This is a wonderful opportunity that we are given by the Parents Association,” she said. “The bulk of information I was given in just one short week was phenomenal. It is an exciting time we are living in to think that we are actually close to identifying the genes that cause mental retardation and other genetic diseases and will possibly come up with ways to correct it. I am very grateful to have had this opportunity to get ‘fired up’ about what I teach and would recommend that teachers take advantage of the offer.”
Upper School French teacher Nathalie Nicolay-Welch received two grants last year – one for continuing education and one for classroom technology.
“I am finishing my certification at Berry College, and the grant helps me with tuition and books,” she said. “The Parents Association also provided for a projector in my classroom, which has been an excellent tool. When I teach a grammar point, for example, I can go online and pull up interactive games to practice these points with the students. I am also able to show my students’ PowerPoint presentations and view DVDs in French so they can listen to the spoken language, learn idioms and recognize vocabulary. I am very grateful to the Parents Association for enabling me to use all the resources available on the Internet as part of my daily teaching.”
Other faculty members who received DPA Faculty Development Grants for use this year are Rick Buice, chairman of the technology department; John Cox, Upper School English teacher; Bailey Duncan, Upper School history teacher; Nan Gray, Upper School librarian; Greg Griffeth, dean of students and Upper School biology teacher; Mitch Jordan, Middle School history and math teacher; Jim Linos, Upper School Spanish teacher; Carlos Ortega, chairman of the foreign language department at the Upper School; Marisa Ortega, Upper School English and drama teacher; and Craig Schmidt, chairman of the history department at the Upper School.
Grants must be for projects beginning on or after May 1 of the granting year and completed by May 1 of the following year. The maximum award available is $2,000, paying up to 50 percent of any required tuition and the cost of travel, boarding expense, supplies, etc. within reason.
All applications should be turned into the Upper School headmaster’s office before spring break of the granting year. All grants, including those for graduate study requiring several summers, will be evaluated each year. Applicants will be notified by late March of the DPA Grant Committee’s decision.
The Parents Association strives to enhance student life and supports faculty, staff and administrative efforts to assure Darlington students the best education possible. The association sponsors a variety of School functions, including the Back-to-School Bash, Pigskin Picnic, Upper and Middle School Christmas dances, Appreciation Week, Junior-Senior Prom and Used Book Sale. All Darlington families are invited to join.
For more information, contact Emily Hjort, president, at parentsassoc@darlingtonschool.org.
Each year, teaching faculty who have made a commitment to return to Darlington in the fall are invited to apply for Faculty Development 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.
“These grants are both an encouragement and a symbol of thankfulness on the part of the parents,” said Jean Bonnyman, co-chairperson of the Faculty Incentive Program.
James Hutchins, Middle School science teacher, was fortunate enough to receive the grant for two consecutive years to aid in paying tuition for his coursework at the University of Alabama.
“I am currently seeking an Educational Specialist degree in Educational Leadership. The program is a year-and-a-half long, and I’ve been taking two classes per semester and five classes this summer,” he said. “The DPA has helped me tremendously … I extend to them my deepest appreciation for that help.”
Rob Davis, AP humanities and graphic design teacher and another recipient of the grant, agreed that the Parents Association has been eager and thorough in helping him be the best teacher that he can be. Davis is currently enrolled in online graphic design courses at the Academy of Arts University in San Francisco. Using the same textbook that he teaches in his class at Darlington, Davis is learning about projects connected to the text that he could offer in the future.
“My students love the fact that I got a 92 on a recent quiz, missing a question that is basic for them,” he said. “Also, because the course is an online study, I am learning all kinds of new technologies required to create Web-based presentations, which is a class I teach in the spring … My discipline is relatively new on the high school level, so I have needed extra instruction that I could only get through this type of program.”
Upper School biology teacher Laura Murray used her grant to attend the Greenwood Genetics Center’s weeklong seminar series on Developmental Genetics.
“This is a wonderful opportunity that we are given by the Parents Association,” she said. “The bulk of information I was given in just one short week was phenomenal. It is an exciting time we are living in to think that we are actually close to identifying the genes that cause mental retardation and other genetic diseases and will possibly come up with ways to correct it. I am very grateful to have had this opportunity to get ‘fired up’ about what I teach and would recommend that teachers take advantage of the offer.”
Upper School French teacher Nathalie Nicolay-Welch received two grants last year – one for continuing education and one for classroom technology.
“I am finishing my certification at Berry College, and the grant helps me with tuition and books,” she said. “The Parents Association also provided for a projector in my classroom, which has been an excellent tool. When I teach a grammar point, for example, I can go online and pull up interactive games to practice these points with the students. I am also able to show my students’ PowerPoint presentations and view DVDs in French so they can listen to the spoken language, learn idioms and recognize vocabulary. I am very grateful to the Parents Association for enabling me to use all the resources available on the Internet as part of my daily teaching.”
Other faculty members who received DPA Faculty Development Grants for use this year are Rick Buice, chairman of the technology department; John Cox, Upper School English teacher; Bailey Duncan, Upper School history teacher; Nan Gray, Upper School librarian; Greg Griffeth, dean of students and Upper School biology teacher; Mitch Jordan, Middle School history and math teacher; Jim Linos, Upper School Spanish teacher; Carlos Ortega, chairman of the foreign language department at the Upper School; Marisa Ortega, Upper School English and drama teacher; and Craig Schmidt, chairman of the history department at the Upper School.
Grants must be for projects beginning on or after May 1 of the granting year and completed by May 1 of the following year. The maximum award available is $2,000, paying up to 50 percent of any required tuition and the cost of travel, boarding expense, supplies, etc. within reason.
All applications should be turned into the Upper School headmaster’s office before spring break of the granting year. All grants, including those for graduate study requiring several summers, will be evaluated each year. Applicants will be notified by late March of the DPA Grant Committee’s decision.
The Parents Association strives to enhance student life and supports faculty, staff and administrative efforts to assure Darlington students the best education possible. The association sponsors a variety of School functions, including the Back-to-School Bash, Pigskin Picnic, Upper and Middle School Christmas dances, Appreciation Week, Junior-Senior Prom and Used Book Sale. All Darlington families are invited to join.
For more information, contact Emily Hjort, president, at parentsassoc@darlingtonschool.org.
