Reid Owens has joined the Darlington Community as a Spanish teacher at the Upper School this year. His four years of teaching experience include serving as an adjunct instructor and graduate instructor at the University of Alabama as well as teaching English to native Spanish speakers in Grenada Spain.
“Reid's approach to educating the whole child through discovery and design thinking will be a welcome addition to the Darlington Community,” said Matt Peer, Upper School director. “Our students will benefit greatly from his world travels, approach to learning, and outgoing personality.”
Owens holds a B.S. in International Business Management and an M.A. in Hispanic Linguistics, both from the University of Alabama. He also studied abroad at Universidad de Grenada in Spain and participated in international service learning initiatives in Uganda, Haiti, Costa Rica and Panama.
The new Darlington teacher also co-founded a summer study abroad program called Trek Abroad Spain and, most recently, served as Cuba country manager for Rustic Pathways, an international travel and service program for high school students. In his two years with Rustic Pathways, he has led programs for the organization in the Dominican Republic, Mongolia and India.
Having made connections throughout the world, Owens was drawn to the diversity and global community at Darlington.
“From the moment I stepped on Darlington's campus, I knew there was something special about the community here - both students and faculty,” he said. “Beyond that, the campus is beautiful, there is great diversity among the student body, and the school is pushing the boundaries of project-based and student focused learning which I am excited to be a part of.”
Owens loves the outdoors and spends his spare time hiking, running, biking, and also traveling. He is looking forward to exploring Northwest Georgia and discovering new trails around the Rome area.
“I look forward to interacting with students (in Spanish) and joining the Darlington Community,” he said. “Over the last 10 years, I have traveled extensively and spent the majority of my time living outside of the U.S. I have been able to build an amazing global community and looking forward to now being a part of a local community.”
