FACULTY / STAFF NEWS

Faculty News

Third Grade Teacher Cynthia Brown serves on the Advisory Board for Higher Achievement in Richmond, which supports students in systemically underresourced communities.

Lower School Spanish Teacher Isabel Ramirez Shealy served a second year as facilitator in the Latinx A nity group for the National Association of Independent Schools’ People of Color Conference. NAIS held biweekly meetings throughout the fall to train facilitators for the online event, Reckoning With Impacts, Rolling With Just Intent, which took place earlier this winter. Shealy said the work would impact future e orts to acknowledge responsibility and take action to redress wrongs.

The following short stories by Middle School English Teacher Alex Knight were published: “Bus Ride” in the September Dead Mule Literary Journal and “Shed” in the October Eunoia Literary Review. He also had two paintings accepted in juried gallery shows at Crossroads Art Center and Artworks, both in Richmond.

“Lincoln, surfside” by Alex Knight

Lower School Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Academic Support Services Lisa Snider had two pottery pieces exhibited this summer at Art Works Gallery.

Middle School Instructional Technologist Brian Zollinhofer and English Teacher Liz Boykin attended the Stanley H. King Conference in Colorado, Making Relationships That Help Students Grow. On the side, Zollinhofer is working with his brother to create an app that helps the user decide whether watching a recorded sporting event is worth one’s time, based on algorithms.

The Center for the Study of Boys Director Kim Hudson is a facilitator for the International Boys’ Schools Coalition course, Boys and Belonging: Creating Inclusive and A rming Schools for Boys. Participants include educators from boys’ schools around the world.

College counselors Jim Jump and Ginny Turner attended the Potomac & Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling’s Summer Institute in July. Jump also served as a guest faculty member for the MAZE program sponsored by Washington and Lee University in August and was quoted in articles in Inside Higher Ed and Knowable Magazine, the latter of which also appeared on the Smithsonian Magazine website.

Middle School History Teacher Jon Piper directed “Nevermore! Edgar Allan Poe, The Final Mystery,” an October co-production of Atlee High School and the Chamberlayne Actors Theatre.

Upper School Jazz Band Director John Winn performed on stage and arranged music for Virginia Repertory Theatre’s recent production of “Ella and Her Fella, Frank” at the November Theatre downtown. He also played and had some of his original music performed at Loon Lake Live!, a music festival in the Adirondacks. Winn also participated in Violins of Hope, a collection of concerts using instruments that belonged to Jews before and after World War II. In October, he also took part in a chamber ensemble that performed three of his arrangements of George Gershwin songs at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch ran an article Sept. 10 on Varsity Soccer Coach Jay Wood, focusing on his 400th win at the end of the 2020 season.

In August, Writer-in-Residence Ron Smith’s fifth volume of poems, “That Beauty in the Trees,” was accepted for publication by Louisiana State University Press.

All StC faculty in the English and history departments participated in the annual Curriculum Institute in June when they took a deep dive into their curricula, examined their courses through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion, and developed a plan for further growth and development.

“Swimmer #2” by Alex Knight

NEW SAINTS

Stryker Graves was born May 6 to Lower School Counselor Catherine Graves and her husband Adam, joining 6-year-old sister Greenlee.

Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Hamill Jones and his wife Susanna welcomed their third daughter, Helen Brailsford Jones, June 13.

James Phillip “Jack” Moore was born July 24 to Fifth Grade Teacher Quentin Moore and his wife Bryn.

StC Upper School Counselor Sazshy Kane-West and her husband Jonah welcomed Sarah Valentine “Sally” Kane-West June 22.

Quentin Moore and his wife Bryn with their newborn son Jack and dog Sazshy Kane-West with her daughter Sally

NEW CHAIRHOLDERS

Three new chairs were awarded last year to the following faculty:

Upper School History Teacher Billy Abbott holds the Rives S. Hardy Chair of Distinguished Teaching, established by the members of the Class of 1965 in celebration of their 50th reunion. The class made this gift in honor of the beloved former teacher, coach, administrator, advisor and mentor who believed in the importance of meaningful relationships between students and teachers, set high standards, and developed lifelong bonds. Upper School Academic Instructional Technologist Carey Pohanka was awarded the Robert Haskins Jr. ‘35 Mastership of Technology established by the alumnus, scholar, engineer and inventor to inspire creativity and innovation in incorporating technology throughout the curriculum. Middle School Science Teacher Mary Anderson was named the Hugh Powell Kelly Chair of Science Technology, established in memory of the scientist and communications engineer by his widow Ethel Kelly. A pioneer in the field of communications, Kelly was an integral member of the 1962 Telstar team.

New Faculty & Staff

Robert Cook joins the StC security team. This James Madison University graduate served in the U.S. Army during the first Gulf War. After the service, he worked for ExxonMobil as an operations manager until joining the FBI as a special agent, retiring in January 2020.

Kaitlyn Gentry works with di erent age groups in Extended Day and is currently pursuing a degree in elementary education at Virginia Commonwealth University. Stephanie Barnes teaches ninth grade grammar, composition and literature and joins after eight years at her alma mater, James River High School. Barnes earned her B.A. in English and secondary education from the College of William & Mary, and her M.Ed. in educational psychology from the University of Virginia.

Drake Dragone ’15 works with first grade in Extended Day. He has worked for St. Christopher’s Summer Programs since 2014 and helped coordinate the Afternoon Adventures program last summer. He earned a B.A. from the University of Mary Washington and is a recording engineer, composer and member of two Richmond-area bands.

Middle School History Teacher Rob Horne previously worked in Northern Virginia at Flint Hill School and Middleburg Academy. This University of Richmond alumnus was an archaeologist before he became a teacher. Kerry Court is the new director of the arts. She served as assistant director of choral music for St. Albans and National Cathedral Schools in D.C., and as St. Catherine’s Middle and Upper School musical and choral director and co-chair of the music department. Court earned her B.A. from Bucknell University and a Master of Music from the Eastman School of Music.

Planned Giving and Leadership Giving O cer Valerie Hedley is an attorney who devoted her practice to trust and estate planning and administration. She is a graduate of Washington and Lee University and the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond. Elie Caples is a junior kindergarten co-teacher in Extended Day. A Virginia Tech graduate with a B.S. in human development, she’s working on her Master of Teaching degree at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Upper School Math Teacher David Geary formerly worked at J.R. Tucker High School in Henrico County. The Benedictine College Prep valedictorian graduated from Virginia Military Institute, where he played baseball.

Middle School Administrative Assistant Amy Loving, a Virginia Commonwealth University graduate, formerly worked as director of sales and marketing for The John Marshall Ballrooms.

Jake Simard is a first grade co-teacher and teaches theater fine arts for third, fourth and fifth grades. He has a B.F.A from Pace University. He served as theater director for Windham High School in New Hampshire, and worked as a teaching associate for Triple Threat Theatre Camp. He is currently working on a master’s in education.

Ginny Turner is working parttime in the college counseling o ce. The St. Catherine’s and College of William & Mary graduate majored in English and played field hockey. She coached for 14 years at Davidson College, where she was twice named Coach of the Year. Tommy Owen is head varsity wrestling coach and health teacher and also helps with Middle School athletics. He earned his B.A. from Boise State University and his M.A. from Grand Canyon University. Recently, Owen has been a history and special education teacher at Southampton Middle School in Courtland, Virginia.

Upper School Chemistry Teacher Brandon Stevens worked as a chemical engineer with Honeywell and Eastman Chemical Co. He received his B.A. from Alabama University and his M.A. from the University of Tennessee, both in chemical engineering. He also teaches part-time at the University of Tennessee.

Middle School Librarian Cara Williams has a B.S. from the University of Southern Indiana and an M.A. from the University of Kentucky. Williams previously worked at the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, where she focused on middle grade initiatives. Extended Day Kindergarten Co-Teacher Justin Sikes also teaches English to students in China through the English First platform. A graduate of Old Dominion University, he is pursuing his M.A. in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) through Southeast Missouri State University.

Head of Lower School Todd Stansbery.

See his biographical information on page 16.

Chinese teacher Maggie Varland is a graduate of Collegiate School. She has a B.A. from the University of Virginia and an M.A. from Hult International Business School in Shanghai. For the past decade, she worked in the business sector, taught social studies and served as a college counselor for four schools in China. Middle School Chaplain Michael Sweeney is a Haverford College graduate who served St. David’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., while attending Virginia Theological Seminary. Before that, he was director of family and youth ministry at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Richmond and taught at Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, Massachusetts.

Extended Day Junior Kindergarten Co-Teacher Peggy Younts has a B.A. from Simmons College and an M.A. from the University of Virginia. She started her career in the historic preservation field, and has served as a volunteer for Boy Scouts of America. Most recently, she worked for Roslyn Retreat Center.