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Rhodes to head Atlanta school
Jan 16, 2006 10:04 AM
By Tannika King - Faculty
Associate Headmaster and Upper School Principal David Rhodes announced Wednesday that he will leave Darlington at the end of the current school year to become headmaster at King’s Ridge Christian School in Alpharetta, Ga. In May, Rhodes will have been employed at Darlington for 28 years, as a biology teacher, coach, science department chairperson, dean of students, associate headmaster, headmaster and principal of the Upper School.
“Throughout his rigorous trek, David has served in almost all facets of Darlington’s day-to-day business. His supervision of academic, physical, social and cultural education of thousands of students is laudable,” said Headmaster Tom Whitworth. “His belief in Darlington’s mission is absolute. It is only right and fitting that his leadership skills are recognized and sought.”
Rhodes and his wife, Dee Dee, first came to Darlington in 1978. They fell in love with the campus when Rhodes’ grandmother brought them to see where his father had attended school. “We thought the campus was beautiful and knew that the academic curriculum was second to none, but we could not see ourselves moving 10 hours away from our families. My grandmother kept pushing me to apply to Darlington, and so to appease her I did,” recalled Rhodes. “My interview with Gordon Bondurant, then president of Darlington, along with the faculty and administration went well, and I was fortunate enough to be offered a position teaching Biology, Environmental Science, and coaching football, basketball, and baseball.”
Rhodes said his work in and outside the classroom helped him develop the leadership skills necessary to become an effective administrator. “My first administrative position was dean of students, a position that I held for four years. This certainly grounded me in the qualities I needed to develop as I worked with students, parents and faculty members,” he said. “I then became the principal of the Upper School for one year and headmaster the following year.”
Over the recent winter break, Rhodes was approached by former Darlington president Jim McCallie, who told him about the position at King’s Ridge, an independent college prep school established in 2001. “Jim felt that the leadership roles that I have been fortunate to hold at Darlington have prepared me to lead King’s Ridge Christian School, and that their mission was essentially the same vision I have for students,” said Rhodes. “After visiting the school and spending time with the leaders of King’s Ridge, I could see that he was right.”
And although Rhodes is very excited about this new opportunity, he knows it will be difficult to leave the surroundings he and his family have called home for more than two decades.
“I will miss the relationships I have developed with faculty members, students and parents. It is always difficult to leave people you love,” he said. “Some of my fondest memories include watching students in my biology class as they understand and learn difficult concepts and material; seeing their faces as they dissect crayfish, frogs and fetal pigs and see for the first time the different systems we have been studying; coaching a team and watching them pull together to accomplish a goal that individually they would not be able to accomplish; seeing students develop their own leadership styles; working with faculty members as they introduce new teaching methods and courses; helping to improve faculty housing; watching faculty members and their young families grow; and working with parents as we, together, watch their children grow into young adults.”
Rhodes said his guiding philosophy is that educators are to teach, as well as learn from their students. “We are to help them grow academically, physically, spiritually, morally, culturally and socially. These areas can be viewed as spokes of a wheel and if one area is not developed properly then the wheel will not be balanced,” he said. “In the 28 years I have been at Darlington, it has been a true honor to see literally thousands of young men and women enter and exit our gates prepared to be successful in college and in life.”
A search will begin immediately for Rhodes’ replacement, who will take over associate headmaster and Upper School principal duties July 1. “Our goal is to locate an eminent leader to fill his shoes who will meet the high expectations of the position,” said Whitworth. “I intend to move quickly in order to attract the most capable candidates available, and to keep our school family apprised of our progress.”
“Throughout his rigorous trek, David has served in almost all facets of Darlington’s day-to-day business. His supervision of academic, physical, social and cultural education of thousands of students is laudable,” said Headmaster Tom Whitworth. “His belief in Darlington’s mission is absolute. It is only right and fitting that his leadership skills are recognized and sought.”
Rhodes and his wife, Dee Dee, first came to Darlington in 1978. They fell in love with the campus when Rhodes’ grandmother brought them to see where his father had attended school. “We thought the campus was beautiful and knew that the academic curriculum was second to none, but we could not see ourselves moving 10 hours away from our families. My grandmother kept pushing me to apply to Darlington, and so to appease her I did,” recalled Rhodes. “My interview with Gordon Bondurant, then president of Darlington, along with the faculty and administration went well, and I was fortunate enough to be offered a position teaching Biology, Environmental Science, and coaching football, basketball, and baseball.”
Rhodes said his work in and outside the classroom helped him develop the leadership skills necessary to become an effective administrator. “My first administrative position was dean of students, a position that I held for four years. This certainly grounded me in the qualities I needed to develop as I worked with students, parents and faculty members,” he said. “I then became the principal of the Upper School for one year and headmaster the following year.”
Over the recent winter break, Rhodes was approached by former Darlington president Jim McCallie, who told him about the position at King’s Ridge, an independent college prep school established in 2001. “Jim felt that the leadership roles that I have been fortunate to hold at Darlington have prepared me to lead King’s Ridge Christian School, and that their mission was essentially the same vision I have for students,” said Rhodes. “After visiting the school and spending time with the leaders of King’s Ridge, I could see that he was right.”
And although Rhodes is very excited about this new opportunity, he knows it will be difficult to leave the surroundings he and his family have called home for more than two decades.
“I will miss the relationships I have developed with faculty members, students and parents. It is always difficult to leave people you love,” he said. “Some of my fondest memories include watching students in my biology class as they understand and learn difficult concepts and material; seeing their faces as they dissect crayfish, frogs and fetal pigs and see for the first time the different systems we have been studying; coaching a team and watching them pull together to accomplish a goal that individually they would not be able to accomplish; seeing students develop their own leadership styles; working with faculty members as they introduce new teaching methods and courses; helping to improve faculty housing; watching faculty members and their young families grow; and working with parents as we, together, watch their children grow into young adults.”
Rhodes said his guiding philosophy is that educators are to teach, as well as learn from their students. “We are to help them grow academically, physically, spiritually, morally, culturally and socially. These areas can be viewed as spokes of a wheel and if one area is not developed properly then the wheel will not be balanced,” he said. “In the 28 years I have been at Darlington, it has been a true honor to see literally thousands of young men and women enter and exit our gates prepared to be successful in college and in life.”
A search will begin immediately for Rhodes’ replacement, who will take over associate headmaster and Upper School principal duties July 1. “Our goal is to locate an eminent leader to fill his shoes who will meet the high expectations of the position,” said Whitworth. “I intend to move quickly in order to attract the most capable candidates available, and to keep our school family apprised of our progress.”
