Welcome to Episode 10 of The Darlington Podcast!
In this episode, Stefan Eady, assistant head of school for academic affairs, chats with Julie Fine and Michael Natarella about Darlington's skills-based curriculum and the importance of active learning as part of Darlington's Cycle of Learning.
Julie has taught at Darlington since 2010 and currently serves as a fifth-grade teacher. 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 and her husband Derek, the school's network administrator (and soon-to-be director of information technology), have three children, Adelyn ('31), Harrison ('34) and Lily ('34).
Dr. Natarella has taught at Darlington since the fall of 2020 and serves as a fourth-grade teacher. He holds a B.S. in Social Studies Education from The University of Missouri - Columbia as well as an M.A. in Elementary Education, an M.A. in Education Administration, and a Ph.D. in Education Administration from The University of Alabama. He has more than 20 years of experience in education at all levels, serving previously in administration and teaching roles from pre-school to college. He and his wife, Emily, are the parents of Joseph ('34), Alex ('31) and Anthony ('24).
Darlington's Cycle of Learning focuses on education for the whole child from start to finish so that our students graduate with the confidence, connections, and compassion they need to succeed in college and their career, guiding them towards being meaningful contributors to the greater good throughout their life. This cycle begins and ends with Darlington's Portrait of a Graduate, taking into consideration even our youngest students.
Check out these activities mentioned in today's podcast: Hatchet Day, Stranded Day, and the Invention Convention.
The Darlington Podcast is a collaboration between the Communication, Advancement, and I.T. teams, and is hosted by various members of the faculty and staff. Episodes are released each Thursday morning and available on most podcast platforms (search for The Darlington Podcast in your podcast player). Once new episodes are posted, you'll also be able to find them at www.darlingtonschool.org/podcast. Please subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so that you'll get the latest episode each week!
The Darlington Podcast intro music was written and performed by Elliot Luitweiler ('22) and Katherine Davidson ('22). The student voice for this episode is Luke McDurmon ('21) and Carson Raymond, director of major gifts, lends his voice as well. Editing and production is handled by Jennifer Collins, content manager.
If you have ideas for future episodes or have any questions about The Darlington Podcast, please email communications@darlingtonschool.org.
