Welcome to Episode 65 of The Darlington Podcast!
In this episode, Professional Development Coordinator Rebekah Kinney talks with fourth-grade teacher Carrie Watterson, Director of Fine Arts Kim Tunnell and Upper School Science Department Chair Owen Kinney about their summer professional development activities. They share about each of the work they have been doing within their departments and how it has prepared them for the coming school year.
Darlington is fortunate to benefit from the Thatcher Faculty Development Fund and the Carla & Leonard Wood Distinguished Faculty Fellowship to assist with professional growth. Each year, faculty members have the opportunity to submit proposals to receive funding from these endowed grants. A committee reviews the proposals and decides which will be funded for the next academic year.
Rebekah has been at Darlington since 2002 and currently serves as the professional development coordinator. Previously, she was the technology integration specialist and coordinator, a fourth-grade and kindergarten teacher, and was a member of the house duty staff. Rebekah holds a B.S. and an M.Ed. from Berry College. At Darlington, she has received the Brown Faculty Award and was an inaugural recipient of the Carla and Leonard Wood Faculty Professional Development Endowment Award.
Carrie has been at Darlington since 2021. She previously taught second grade and is transitioning to teach fourth grade for 2022-2023 school year. With more than a decade of experience in the classroom, she holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from Shorter University and an M.S. in Early Childhood Education from Kennesaw State University as well as a Gifted Endorsement, Math Endorsement, and Special Education General Curriculum Certificate (P-12). Prior to Darlington, Carrie spent eight years at West End Elementary School, where she taught pre-K; second-grade math, science, and social studies; and third-grade math, science, and social studies.
Kim who has been a member of Darlington’s fine arts faculty since 2001, has over two decades of experience in the classroom. She taught music and chorus classes in the lower and middle grades before being named director of fine arts in 2009. She holds a B.M. and B.M.E. from Shorter College and an M.M.E. from the State University of West Georgia.
Owen has taught Environmental Science, Robotics and Zoology at the Upper School since 1999. He holds a B.S. in Biology from Berry College and an M.S. in Ecology from the University of Georgia. During his tenure at Darlington, he has been recognized with several teaching honors, including the Beachum, Awsumb, and Betts Master Teacher Awards. He was also named a Toyota International Teacher in 2006, and in 2010 he received a Fulbright Award to study Education for Sustainable Development in Japanese schools.
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 Kathryn Davidson ('22). Carson Raymond, director of major gifts, lends his voice and editing and production is handled by Maddie Fox, content manager.
If you have ideas for future episodes or have any questions about The Darlington Podcast, please email communications@darlingtonschool.org.
