Darlington School is pleased to welcome the following new faculty and staff members in 2010-11:
Christie Atkins will be a part-time math teacher at the Upper School. She holds a B.A. in Mathematics from Lipscomb University and an M.Ed. in Administration and Supervision from Trevecca Nazarene University. Atkins has more than 20 years of experience teaching and/or tutoring students; she has tutored Darlington students in math since 2004. She is the mother of current student Leslie Atkins ('13)
Paul Bell will serve as technology support assistant in the I.T. Office. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Shorter College, and has five years of experience in the field of information technology. Most recently, Bell served as a technology specialist for the Bartow County Board of Education.
Whitney Booth will be a part-time strings instructor at the Lower and Middle Schools. She holds a B.A. in Violin Performance from Columbus State University and is a member of the Rome Symphony Orchestra. Booth has 10 years of experience as a private violin instructor; she has also been a regular substitute music teacher at Darlington. She served previously as operations director of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.
Eric Braun will teach French at the Upper School. He holds a B.A. in French from the University of Southern Florida and an M.B.A. from Thunderbird School of Global Management (Ariz.) He has six years of experience teaching French and Spanish at Riverwood International Charter School in Atlanta and previously taught English in Bogota, Columbia. Braun's background in international business will be an asset to Darlington's world languages program.
Lynn Cox will teach math at the Upper School. She holds a B.S. in Mathematics from The University of Montevallo and an M.A. in Teaching Secondary School Math from The University of Alabama at Birmingham. She has also completed additional master's-level coursework in counseling and guidance. Cox has more than 30 years of experience in the classroom, most recently at Central High School in Carrollton, Ga.
Sunny Wescott Cox will be the teaching associate in pre-K. She holds a B.S. from Framingham State College (Mass.) She and her family have been a part of the Darlington Community since 2000. Cox has served as a member of the school's house duty and dining services staffs in addition to providing childcare for many families on campus. She and her husband, John, Thatcher Chair of English, are the parents of current students Alex ('13), Jade ('16) and Samanda ('18).
Byron Dacy will be a teaching associate in kindergarten and will serve as a staff coach for the Soccer Academy. He holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from Creighton University. Dacy completed his student teaching at Minne Lusa Elementary School in Omaha, Neb. He has six years of experience coaching soccer at the Club level and at Creighton Men's Soccer Camps.
Julie Duke will teach Middle School English and Drama. She holds a B.A. in English from Berry College and an M.Ed. with Certification in Secondary English Education from the University of Georgia. She completed her student teaching at North Oconee High School in Bogart, Ga., where she taught Grades 9 and 11. She also serves currently as a substitute teacher with the Clarke County School System in Athens.
Katherine Ellis will teach Upper School English and serve as an assistant coach for girls’ cross country. She holds a B.A. in English from The University of the South, Sewanee (Tenn.) Last year, she has served as a reading tutor at Apollo Middle School in Brentwood, Tenn., and as a substitute teacher in the Nashville area. Previously, she was employed by Sandy Spring Friends School in Sandy Spring, Md., where she taught English to grades 9-12, served as faculty adviser of the school newspaper, and was a member of the dorm staff.
Marie Fraser will serve as the Middle School counselor, replacing Melissa Robinson who will teach Spanish full time at the Middle School. Fraser holds a B.S. in Psychology from Berry College, an M.Ed. in Guidance and Counseling from the University of West Georgia, is certified to be a school counselor in Georgia, and has participated in other training through Northwest Georgia RESA and the Sexual Assault Center. Most recently, she worked in a community support role at Oasis Counseling in Marietta, Ga.
Ashley Henry will teach music part time at the Lower School, replacing Kim Tunnell who will teach at the Middle School and focus on her role as fine arts director for all three divisions. She holds a B.Mus.Ed. in Choral and General Music from Shorter College. She completed her student teaching at Garden Lakes Elementary, and has served as a music instructor for Shorter College’s Kaleidoscope program. She has also taught private piano lessons.
John Hunter will be head of Moser House. He holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Colorado College and an M.A. in Sports Administration from the University of Northern Colorado. He has also completed additional studies at the University of Arizona in Sports Medicine. Hunter has 32 years of experience teaching and coaching middle and high school students, most recently at Allatoona High School in Acworth, Ga. There, he taught P.E. and weight training and coached football and lacrosse.
Yensen Lambert will teach Upper School Spanish. She holds a B.A. in Spanish from Rutgers and has completed additional studies at Universidad de Salamanca (Spain) and Hunter College (N.Y.) She is a native Spanish speaker with 10 years of teaching experience. Most recently, Lambert taught beginner, intermediate and advanced Spanish to Middle School students at Westlake Christian School in Palm Harbor, Fla. She has also taught ESL and elective courses such as Latin American culture, ballroom dancing and Zumba Fitness. She is a trained interpreter and a skilled written translator of literary work. She is the mother of incoming student Ezra ('22).
Marla Lee will serve as director of the Teaching and Learning Center. She holds a B.S. in Elementary Education and an M.Ed. Reading Specialist from the University of Central Florida. She has 15 years of teaching experience at the elementary, middle school and college levels, during which time she has taught an array of subjects including language arts, reading, science, media production and math. Most recently, she served as the language arts department head at Westlake Christian School (K-8) in Palm Harbor, Fla., and taught students in grades 6-8. She is the mother of incoming students Tyler (’14) and Thomas (’16).
Darcy Liddle will teach Middle School P.E. and coach at the Middle School level. She holds a B.S. in Sport Performance and an M.Ed. in Education from Berry College. She has 12 years of teaching and coaching experience at Mount Pisgah Elementary School (Alpharetta, Ga.), Pepperell Middle School and Armuchee Middle School, where she currently teaches Health and P.E. and spent seven years coaching cross country and track. She and her husband Chad, director of Darlington School Soccer Academy, are the parents of current students Alex (’20) and Landon (’22).
Gregg Marshall will teach Upper School English and serve as an assistant tennis coach. He holds a B.A. from Presbyterian College and studied abroad at Oxford University (England) and Trinity College (Wales). He has six years of teaching and coaching experience at Blue Ridge School in St. George, Va., where he coaches varsity tennis and teaches English and literature to grades 10-12. He also serves as an academic adviser, a dorm parent and has tutored students in the Learning Center.
Steve McConnell will teach third grade and coach junior varsity boys’ basketball. He holds a B.A. in English from Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., and an M.Ed. from the University of South Carolina in Columbia. He has 13 years of experience as a teacher and administrator in independent schools. Most recently, he taught grades 3-5 at St. Paul’s School in Clearwater, Fla., where he also served as admission director for a period of time; was the assistant chaplain; coached junior varsity basketball, baseball and softball; and worked with the school’s summer camp program. He is the father of incoming students Zach (’13) and Matthew (’17).
Dana Peek will teach Upper School math. She holds a B.A. in Economics from Furman University, and has served as a frequent substitute teacher at Darlington since 2003. Since 2004, she has regularly tutored Middle and Upper School students in math. She has also served as an SAT Prep math instructor for Floyd County Schools, and has seven years of experience in college admissions. She is the mother of current student Ella (’15).
Matthew Peer will serve as director of student life. He holds a B.A. in Sociology from St. Lawrence University (N.Y.) and an M.A. in Liberal Studies from Wesleyan University (Ct.) He has nine years of experience teaching and coaching at the high school and middle school levels, and has held multiple roles associated with student life. Most recently, he served as assistant dean of students, dormitory headmaster, academic adviser and history teacher at Avon Old Farms School in Avon, Ct., where he was named the 2008 Fanning Faculty Award Winner. He is the father of incoming student Jackson (’24).
Greg Phillips (’06) will serve as a part-time Middle School history teacher. He will also coach Middle School lacrosse and serve as an assistant coach for varsity football and basketball. Phillips holds a B.S. in History and Political Science from Shorter College. As an alumnus, he has continued to be very involved in Darlington’s athletic program – serving as a counselor at Darlington’s Youth Football Camp since 2007, as a community football coach since 2008, and as a community track coach since 2009.
Michelle Picon will teach Upper School Spanish. She holds a B.A. in English Literature from Princeton University. A native Spanish speaker, Picon has served as a Spanish I, II and II tutor for Darlington students since 2007. She is the mother of alumnae Michelle-Marie ('07) and Monique ('09) and current students Melissa ('11) and Hector ('14).
Carson Raymond will teach Upper School Spanish and coach junior varsity football and boys’ soccer. He holds a B.A. in Leadership Studies and Spanish from the University of Richmond (Va.) Most recently, he taught Spanish at Blue Ridge School in St. George, Va., where he also coached varsity football, track and soccer; served as a dorm parent and academic adviser; and assisted with National Honor Society and Student Government. He has also held internships at Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Catholic University of Valencia (Spain), and worked as head resident adviser at Barcelona Experience – a summer program hosted jointly by Columbia University and the University of Barcelona.
Jennifer Sikes will teach Upper School English. She holds a B.A. in English from Shorter College, an M.A. in English from Clemson University and is currently working on her Ph.D. in English from the University of Georgia. Sikes has 10 years of teaching experience at the college level. Most recently, she served as assistant professor of English at Shorter College, where she also founded and directed the Writing Center. She received the Shorter College Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership Award in 2007 for her work with traditional students as well as non-traditional adult students enrolled in the School of Professional Studies.
