The Darlington Podcast

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, Kentucky and Bethel is from Atlanta, Georgia. Peer talks with them about their experiences in the house system, mentors on campus, favorite memories at Darlington, and even their favorite food in the dining hall.

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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 responsible for the strategic direction of 75+ annual internal and external events to grow Visa's brand and client relationships. She leads the content development for C-level meetings and events to reinforce the company's vision and strategy. 

Serving as the executive producer of Visa Payments Forum, the payment industry's largest client symposium, Langley spearheads a team of all-stars to deliver a multi-day program of inspiration, innovation, and knowledge sharing. Using her expertise in storytelling, she creates memorable experiences and impactful engagements at Visa's sponsorships with FIFA, Olympics and the NFL. 

Langley is a graduate of Stephens College with a B.F.A in Theatre. While at Stephens, she gained experience in both theater and communications. Prior to her work at Visa, she had her own event consulting business in New York City and also held positions at well-known companies like Univision, AOL and L'Oreal, to name a few. 

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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, she spends most of her time connecting with members of our school community and raising money for The Darlington Fund, the school's top fundraising priority. 

Alex Murray is a Brooklyn-based actor, musician, comedian, podcaster, audio engineer, children's entertainer, and jack of many nonsenses. He's appeared on HBO and Amazon Prime; performed etensively on stages in Nashville, New York, and beyond; and lends his comedic and musical talent to several podcasts. As Dr. Alex, he performs to children all over NYC and online. Alex graduated from Darlington in 2002 and Sewanee in 2006 with a degree in theater and English.

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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 Challenge teams are challenged to design, build, program, and operate robots to compete in a head-to-head challenge in an alliance format. Guided by adult coaches and mentors, students develop STEM skills and practice engineering principles, while realizing the value of hard work, innovation, and working as a team. The robot kit is reusable from year to year and can be coded using a variety of levels of Java-based programming. Teams design and build robots, raise funds, design and market their team brand, and do community outreach to earn specific awards. Participants are eligible to apply for $80M+ in college scholarships. Each season concludes with regional championship events and an exciting FIRST Championship. Click here to read more about FIRST. 

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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 entrepreneurs.

Ali and his partners founded Ottodsg, a furniture design manufacturing and international trade company, in January 2021 in the midst of the pandemic, but they've been working to materialize it since 2020. He holds a B.S. in Architecture from State University of New York at Buffalo, where he also minored in Urban Planning. Upon returning to Istanbul, Ali worked in architecture and freelance design before becoming a visual merchandiser for IKEA, an opportunity that sparked his passion for the furniture industry and taught him critical skills that set him on the path to start his own small business. Now, he spends his time focusing on product development and marketing for Ottodsg, which sells products in Turkey, the United States and, soon, the rest of the world. 

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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.  

"My Fair Lady" is based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play "Pygmalion," with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story follows Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins, a phonetician, so that she may pass as a lady. Despite his cynical nature, Higgins falls in love with her. The musical's 1956 Broadway production was a notable critical and popular success, winning six Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It set a record for the longest run of any musical on Broadway up to that time and was followed by a hit London production. A popular film version premiered in 1964, and many revivals have followed.

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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 Psychology teacher; and Ivy Brewer, associate dean of college guidance. 

Matt Peer was named director of enrollment management in 2020 after serving as the director of Upper School from 2014-2020 and director of student life from 2010-2014. He holds a B.A. in Sociology from St. Lawrence University and an M.A. in Liberal Studies from Wesleyan University. 

Jennifer Luitwieler has been a member of Darlington's Teaching & Learning Center staff since 2017 and holds a B.A. in English from Chatham University.

Chris Allen, who has been a member of Darlington’s counseling staff since 2006, holds a B.A. from Carson-Newman College and an M.A. from Argosy University in Atlanta. 

Ivy Brewer has been a member of Darlington’s college guidance staff since 2007. She currently serves as associate dean of college guidance and will become dean of college guidance in 2022-2023. A Certified Educational Planner who has visited more than 200 college campuses, she holds a B.A. from the University of Georgia, an M.A. from Florida Gulf Coast University, and a graduate certificate in college counseling from University of California Los Angeles Extension. 

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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 2021? What are Mr. Eady's book and podcast recommendations for 2022? Find out right here! 

Brent Bell was named Darlington's 11th head of school in 2014. With over two decades of experience in education, he holds a B.A. in History from the University of Richmond and an M.S. in Education from Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to Darlington, Brent was head of Upper School at Randolph School in Huntsville, Ala. He also served previously as assistant headmaster and dean of academic affairs at Woodberry Forest School in Virginia.

Stefan Eady has held a variety of different roles in communications, web development and information technology since he began working at Darlington in 1997. In 2016, he was named assistant head of school for academic resources and, in 2021, assistant head of school for academic affairs. He also teaches AP Computer Science. Stefan holds a B.A. from Berry College and an M.S.I.S. from Kennesaw State University. 

Chad Woods joined the faculty as a math teacher in 2006 and was named director of Upper School in 2019. He holds a B.S. and M.Ed. from the University of West Georgia. Chad's previous roles at Darlington have included dean of studies and master scheduler, math department chair, head baseball coach, head softball coach, and head golf coach. 

Hope Jones has served as director of Pre-K to 8 since 2014 and has more than 30 years of experience in education. She holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and English from the University of Alabama – Huntsville as well as an M.A. in Middle Level Curriculum and Instruction from George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. During her career, Hope has served in teaching and administrative roles in Alabama, Virginia, Washington, D.C., California, and Georgia. 

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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, he spent four years on the football team and was a brother of Kappa Alpha Order Fraternity. Now, he spends his time focusing on sales, product development and marketing for his family's growing company. 

Every member of the Darlington Community has countless Darlington connections, especially in the work world. By supporting each other's careers and life goals, we are better connecting our students, alumni, parents, parents of alumni, and grandparents.

• Share more about your career in a Darlington Connects spotlight on our website or social media
• Lend your expertise to a current student or recent graduate
• Connect with others in your field or your geographic area via our Alumni Directory or our Darlington Connects group on LinkedIn
• Volunteer to be one of our guest speakers at Career Day

Click here to read more about how to get involved in Darlington Connects and email [email protected] with questions.  

Click here for complete show notes >>

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 mater to serve as director of annual giving in 2015. As such, she spends most of her time connecting with members of our school community and raising money for The Darlington Fund, the school's top fundraising priority. 

Megan Ware holds a degree in food industry marketing and administration at the University of Georgia and went on to study baking and pastry arts at The New England Culinary Institute in Vermont. She worked at The Georgian Room in Sea Island before bringing her culinary mastery back home to Rome and collaborating with restauranteur Kevin Dillmon. She now serves as executive pastry chef for Aventine, Honeymoon Bakery, and Blossom Hill BBQ & Burgers. Megan and her Honeymoon Bakery colleague, Kate White, recently competed on and won the Food Network's "Holiday Baking Championship: Gingerbread Showdown."

About Darlington Connects:

Every member of the Darlington Community has countless Darlington connections, especially in the work world. By supporting each other's careers and life goals, we are better connecting our students, alumni, parents, parents of alumni, and grandparents.

• Share more about your career in a Darlington Connects spotlight on our website or social media
• Lend your expertise to a current student or recent graduate
• Connect with others in your field or your geographic area via our Alumni Directory or our Darlington Connects group on LinkedIn
• Volunteer to be one of our guest speakers at Career Day

Click here for complete show notes >>