The Darlington Podcast

Welcome to Episode 55 of The Darlington Podcast!  In this episode, Director of Pre-K to 8 Hope Jones talks with third-grade literacy and science teacher Jamie Massey and fourth-grade literacy and science teacher Dr. Michael Natarella, who also teaches a fifth grade science class. They discuss the benefits of Darlington's skills-based curriculum for students in these grade levels, particu...

Welcome to Episode 54 of The Darlington Podcast!  In this episode, Carson Raymond, director of major gifts, chats with Charlotte Baker ('02, LD '22), Gaines Dempsey ('94, LD '22) and Katy (Hatch) Hollingsworth ('93, LD '22) about their experience as recent members of the Leadership Darlington Class of 2022. They reflect on what they learned about the school, how they plan to give back an...

Welcome to Episode 53 of The Darlington Podcast!  In this episode, Assistant Director of Boarding Admissions Avery Cypress talks with Upper School science teachers Mike Hudson and Jaclyn Haynes and sophomore Isabella Spears about the DarFarm. Cypress talks with Hudson, Haynes and Spears about DarFarm activities, opportunities to get involved and the 7th Annual Spring Plant Sale...

Welcome to Episode 52 of The Darlington Podcast!  In this episode, Director of Enrollment Management Matt Peer talks with Director of Soccer Academy Chad Liddle, sophomore Sydnee Barndt from Eagle River, Alaska and junior Jack Quandt from Boise, Idaho about the Darlington School Soccer Academy. Peer talks with Coach Liddle and the students about the benefits of t...

Welcome to Episode 51 of The Darlington Podcast!  In this episode, Professional Development Coordinator and Senior Ventures Instructor Rebekah Kinney talks with seniors Elsa Quay Corbin of Rome, William Feng of Shanghai, China, Nadejda Spasova of Sofia, Bulgaria and Elliot Luitwieler of Rome about their Senior Ventures projects. Senior Ventures is a year-long academic program b...

Welcome to Episode 50 of The Darlington Podcast!  In this episode, Head of School Brent Bell talks with Laura Whitaker, CEO of Extra Special People, Inc. following her March 17 address as the inaugural speaker of the Darlington School Leadership Institute Speaker Series.  Laura Whitaker  was named executive director of Extra Special People, Inc. at the age of 19,...

Welcome to Episode 49 of The Darlington Podcast!  In this episode, Head of School Brent Bell talks with boys' varsity coaches Reid Owens (tennis), Al Shorey (soccer), Melissa Smyly (lacrosse) and Kevin Hunt (track and field) about the spring athletic season at Darlington. You'll hear a little about each team and what we might expect to see over the next few months.  Note:...

Welcome to Episode 48 of The Darlington Podcast!  In this episode, Director of Pre-K to 8 Hope Jones talks with sixth-grader Brier Lanier, seventh-grader Soren Chapman and eighth-grader Gracie Cowan about their week-long grade-level trips in February. Sixth-graders visited sites in south Georgia and Florida; seventh-graders took part in a living history tour, visiting several locations in Nor...

Welcome to Episode 47 of The Darlington Podcast!  In this episode, Head of School Brent Bell talks with boys' varsity coaches Reid Owens (tennis), Al Shorey (soccer), Brendan Leezer (lacrosse), Jared Willerson (golf), Kevin Hunt (track and field) and Matt Larry (baseball) about the winter athletic season at Darlington. You'll hear a little about each team and what we might...

Welcome to Episode 46 of The Darlington Podcast!   In this episode, Carson Raymond, director of major gifts, chats with Dan Powell ('08), whose podcast "Archive 81" recently became the #1 trending show on Netflix in its screen adaptation. Powell shares about his Darlington experience as the child of longtime faculty member David Powell and his winding career journey in the audio and soun...

Welcome to Episode 45 of The Darlington Podcast!  In this episode, Director of Enrollment Management Matt Peer talks with juniors Liz Boyd and Thomas Bethel about Darlington's Upper School boarding program.  Boyd and Bethel have been boarding students since their freshman year, and are each involved in a variety of activities on campus. Boyd is from Prospect, Ken...

Welcome to Episode 44 of The Darlington Podcast!  In this special Career Day episode, listen to Rachel (Gross) Langley ('89, LD '13) , vice president of meetings and events at Visa, give her Career Day keynote address on Feb. 4. In it, she shares her five strategies for success while weaving in stories from her time at Darlington and beyond.  In her role at Visa, Langley is responsi...

Welcome to Episode 43 of The Darlington Podcast!  In this episode, Julia (Douglas) Thomas ('07, LD '15), director of annual giving, chats with Alex Murray ('02) about his Darlington experience, his career journey in the entertainment industry, and the school's Darlington Connects program. Julia Thomas  returned to her alma mater to serve as director of annual giving in 2015. As such...

Welcome to Episode 42 of The Darlington Podcast!  In this episode, Science Department Chairman Owen Kinney talks with sophomore Charlie May about Darlington's Upper School robotics program. The team, known as the DarBots, reacently finished in first place at a FIRST Tech Challenge tournament, which qualifies them to move on to the state competition.  About FIRST : FIRST Tech Ch...

Welcome to Episode 41 of The Darlington Podcast!  In this Darlington Connects episode, host Avery Cypress ('14) of the Admission Office connects with former classmate Ali Kayahan ('14) during a recent trip to Ali's home in Istanbul, Turkey. Ali shares his Darlington story, talks about his college experience and career path, and provides valuable advice for young entreprene...

Welcome to Episode 40 of The Darlington Podcast!  In this episode, Theater Director Shelley Daniel talks with Choral Director Alex Johnson and seniors Kathryn Davidson and Grayson Davis about The Darlington Players' upcoming winter musical, "My Fair Lady." The show is slated for Feb. 25-27 at the Rome City Auditorium, featuring 22 students involved in the cast and crew. &n...

Welcome to Episode 39 of The Darlington Podcast!  In this episode, host Matt Peer, director of enrollment management, and his guests share tips related to academic wellness, emotional wellness, and college preparation as students begin the second semester at Darlington. This week's guests are Jennifer Luitwieler, learning specialist and English teacher; Chris Allen, counselor and AP Psyc...

Welcome to Episode 38 of The Darlington Podcast!  In this episode, Head of School Brent Bell reflects on 2021 with Stefan Eady, assistant head of school for academic affairs, and Division Directors Chad Woods and Hope Jones. What was Mr. Bell's favorite fine arts performance of the year? Which football game is Mr. Woods still talking about? What soundtrack does Mrs. Jones think best describes...

In this Darlington Connects episode, host Carson Raymond, Darlington's director of major gifts, connects with Jordan Beck ('14), chief operating officer at Rome, Ga.-based Heritage Sleep Concepts.  Jordan has served in his current role since 2021, but has been with the business since 2018. He holds a B.A. in Government & Foreign Affairs from Hampden-Sydney College. While there,...

Welcome to Episode 36 of The Darlington Podcast!  In this episode, Julia (Douglas) Thomas ('07, LD '15), director of annual giving, chats with Megan Ware ('09), executive pastry chef for three local restaurants, about her Darlington experience; her career, including a recent appearance on the Food Network; and the school's Darlington Connects program. Julia Douglas returned to her alma m...

Welcome to Episode 35 of The Darlington Podcast!  In this episode, Tara Inman, dean of students for global education, talks with Fred Igbinedion of Nigeria, Doris Kang of China, Emilia Tscherne of Austria and Roy Berglund of Finland about holiday traditions in their home countries as we prepare for Christmas here in the United States. They share similarities and differences and touc...

Welcome to Episode 34 of The Darlington Podcast!  In this episode, Head of School Brent Bell talks with varsity coaches Leigh Hadaway (swimming), Mark Tunnell (girls' basketball) and Nathan West (boys' basketball) about the winter athletic season at Darlington. You'll hear a little about each team and what we might expect to see over the next few months.  Note: This epsiode was...

Welcome to Episode 33 of The Darlington Podcast!  As we think about the things we are most grateful for this Thanksgiving Day, we want to share the address Dr. Frank Stegall ('62) gave during Alumni Weekend after receiving the 2021 Distinguished Alumnus Award . In it, he shares some of his favorite memories as well as the life lessons he is most grateful for learning durin...

Welcome to Episode 32 of The Darlington Podcast!  In this episode, host Stefan Eady, assistant head of school for academic resources, talks with Pre-K to 8 Director Hope Jones about the power of play and, specifically, why play is critical to a child's development and learning process. In fact, when Darlington overhauled its daily schedule several years ago, this idea of creating more ti...

Welcome to Episode 31 of The Darlington Podcast!  In this Darlington Connects episode, host Julie Lucas ('97), Darlington's chief advancement officer, talks with longtime Dean of College Guidance Sam Moss ('63) about his time at Darlington as a student, his career path, and his upcoming retirement after 40 years of service to Darlington and 55 years in independent school education....