Introducing Our New Faculty and Staff - 2018

Happy New Year! We are off to an exciting start at Houston Academy, and with our #HAfirstday in the rearview mirror, I wanted to take the time to introduce you to our new faculty and staff.

Marc Edge

 The first person I want to acknowledge is Marc Edge, to whom I introduced our community at the end of last year. Marc will be our Athletic Director this year, as well as an assistant football coach and head golf coach. Unfortunately, Marc will not be joining us for at least another week, as he has recently been dealing with a health issue. Please keep Marc in your daily prayers - it’s been a rough start to the year for Marc. I think you’re going to love him, and we are hopeful for a speedy recovery.

Eddie Brundidge

Eddie Brundidge will be teaching Physical Education in the Lower School and will serve as an assistant football coach.  He has a B.S.  from Troy University where he played football, and he is coming to us from T.R. Miller High School in Brewton. Eddie is married to Sybil and has two Daughters, Leah and Moriah. In his spare time he enjoys hunting and fishing. Eddie says he became a teacher because of the inspiration provided by his own high school teachers and his high school football coach, in particular.

Cassie Carmody

Cassie Carmody will be teaching 7th and 8th grade science. She has a B.S. in Education from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine. She and Her husband, T.J., have two children at HA – Ashlinn, who is in the 7th grade, and Tommy, who is in the 1st grade. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, reading, baking, sewing, and watching her children play sports. She became a teacher because of her belief that “each learner is different and needs to be provided different ways to learn.” She enjoys finding "what works" and helping each child master every concept she teaches. She chose to come to HA because of what she saw the faculty do for her own children – how her children became successful and learned the value hard-work. She also felt that the faculty and staff was extremely welcoming.

Cory Hooks

Corey Hooks is joining our maintenance staff. Corey comes to us after being the maintenance man for a hotel. He brings a lot to the proverbial table in terms of skills. You’ll notice very quickly that he’s an excellent painter, but he’s also skilled in a wide variety of areas. He and his wife, Jessie, have a one year old (almost two year-old) boy, Ellic Alexander Randol Hooks. In his spare time, he enjoys video games, target shooting, and restoring and improving his truck.

Justin Horner

Justin Horner will serve in our technology department. Justin has received his associate degree in computer program and is currently in his last few semesters towards earning his bachelor’s in computer programing at Troy. For the last two years, he has worked at Geek Squad, and he has also worked as a tech support specialist at the University of Alabama. Justin is a Houston Academy graduate from the class of 2009, and his sister, Sara Skaggs also graduated from HA. Justin enjoys gaming, school, soccer, and anything at the beach. Justin got into technology because of the computer courses he took from Mrs. Woodcock. Computers became his passion, and he has been doing it every sense.

Jessica Jordan

Jessica Jordan will be working in our extended day program. She has a B.S. in Elementary Education from Troy-Dothan, and she has taught every grade from K5-6th, as well as working with adult students trying to earn their GED. She is married to her high school sweetheart, Ryan, who is the Music Minister at Samson Baptist. They have three children, Jayleigh, who is 10, Jude, who is 8, and Jameson, who is 2. Teaching runs in Jessica’s family – her grandmother, three aunts, and there cousins all or were teachers. She first realized she wanted to be a teacher when she was a child teaching her cousins a new game she had invented. Nothing makes her more proud than helping  others understand things for the first time. She says she came to HA because of the “reputation of the school and because of her desire to be a part of a real team.”

Rachel Kurtz

Rachel Kurtz will be teaching part-time in our art department, helping out in Middle School, where our demand for the visual arts has grown significantly. Rachel is a graduate of Auburn University where she majored in Art. Her background includes broad use of multiple mediums including paint, wood, glass, drawing, crafts, and ceramics. She has served as the art teacher at Abbeville Christian academy and Pike Liberal Arts School. Additionally, she is the owner and art instructor for Southern Strokes Art, providing private art lesson as well as creating commissioned works for customers. We are very excited for what she will bring to our students.

Robert Pedroza 

Robert Pedroza is also new in our maintenance department. Previously, Robert worked for the City of Enterprise, for Shaw in Ft. Rucker, as a translator for the Ozark and Enterprise police and the Dale Medical center, and he has also been a restaurant manager for multiple locations of Old Mexico. His hobbies include painting, drawing, restoring old trucks, traveling, carpentry, coach and playing soccer, and working with the Boy Scouts. He and his wife of 25 years (Lisa) live in Ozark with their four children: America Gabrielle, Robert Noah James, Emilee Elisa Isabella and Savannah Audrey.

Melissa Sanera

Melissa Sanera will be teaching World History II in the 9th grade and Psychology to 11th and 12th graders. She has an B.A. in Economics from Arizona State University and an M.A. in Secondary Education from the University of Phoenix. Previously, she taught World History at D.A. Smith Middle School and has been a substitute teacher at HA. Melissa is a certified Yoga Instructor who loves to travel, read, sing, and listen to podcasts. Her husband, Matt, is an air force pilot, and she has two children at HA: Eli, who is in the 10th grade and Amie, who is in the 8th grade. Melissa discovered her love for teaching, to begin with, by teaching yoga. In her own words, she “loves inspiring young people to develop a passion for history and civics and help them make connections of things they learn in the classroom to their everyday lives.” She decided to teach at HA because she loves the family atmosphere and the culture of the school. Having lived abroad, herself, she is particularly excited about HA’s mission to developing global awareness in the students.

Carly Williams will be working in Extended Day and Coaching our JV volleyball team. She comes to us from Emmanuel Christian where she was a PE teacher and coach. She holds an associate degree from Enterprise State, but is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in education. Carly’s and her husband, Don, have two children. Don, Jr., is a junior at Houston Academy. She has a daughter, who she home schools, but Carly hopes to bring her to HA next year. Carly maintains that her children would say her “chief hoppy is laundry”! In actuality, she enjoys coaching, gardening, decorating, traveling, and watching any sport in which her children are involved. Carly sought out HA for her son because she wanted the higher level of education that HA provides. She grew up in Dothan and graduated from Dothan High, but she a strong believer in Houston Academy.

Jack Whigham

Jack Whigham will be teaching 7th grade Pre-algebra and Honors Geometry. Additionally, he will serve as Head Wrestling Coach, Associate Athletic Director, and Assistant Football Coach. Jack is a Graduate of Auburn University with a B.S. in Secondary Math Education. Jack has spent 27 years in public education, most recently at Opp High School, where he was head football coach, athletic director, and teacher of everything from pre-Algebra to Honors Geometry. He has three children who will all be involved in HA. His son, Peyton, is a student at Troy University, and he is an assistant coach on our football staff. His other two sons, Cade and Brady, will be joining us in the 9th and 7th grades, respectively. In his spare time, Jack enjoys sports, fishing, cards, and church activities. He became a teacher in order to be a positive influence on children. He truly believes that teaching is a God-ordained calling, and he feels that he is following that calling.

Carol Wright

Carol Wright will be teaching Honors and CP Algebra II, Algebra III, and will be serving as our Camp Rock sponsor. She studied Business Administration and Mathematics Education at Troy University and earned an M.A. in Educational Leadership from Auburn University. She recently retired from Dothan High School. She has two sons, Colby and Baily, both of whom graduated from Houston Academy. She enjoys reading, going to the beach, and “binge watching everything!” She was called to teach after originally thinking she wanted to be a part of the business world. Her sister encouraged her to become a math teacher, and after observing several math teachers, herself, she decided that was her life’s calling. She decided to come to HA because of her children’s’ experience at HA as students from 4P to 12th grade, and she is excited to be involved with the HA family in a different way.

I am truly thrilled at the caliber people who have chosen to join the HA family this year. Please make them all feel welcome!

Go Raiders!

Dr. Scott Phillipps

Buying a Ticket Doesn't Give You The Right to Say Anything You Want!

The other night at a varsity boys soccer game I was forced to confront a group of fans from an opposing school. They were swearing and being obnoxious, but that is not what got my dander up. What made me speak to these parents is the fact that they were targeting individual HA players for harassment.

When I went over to speak to them, one mother screamed at me, "FREEDOM OF SPEECH!"

No.

Wrong.

"Freedom of speech" is a political construct. It doesn't give you the right to harass children at a sporting event. Yes, you have the right to say what you want without legal consequence, but then I have the right to let you finish your offensive speech from the confines of your car on the way back to your home.

The thing that amazed me in this instance is that these adults actually thought they were in the right. I heard one parent say to another," I thought part of being a parent was being obnoxious cheering for your kids?!"

No.

Wrong.

Being a parent doesn't give you the right to be rude and MEAN, and it certainly doesn't give you the right to be MEAN to CHILDREN. I expect to have to correct our students for calling out individual athletes on the field; I don't expect to have to tell adults not to do so.

One of the basic concepts that is necessary for a republic to succeed is for people to be able to engage in productive dialogue and act with civility. Civilization requires that we learn how to be civil to each other. Our continued existence as a nation depends on our ability to respectfully interact with each other and to compromise for the good of the whole. Frankly, it appalls me to see how we treat each other in our culture.

For example, I enjoy logging on to Facebook to see what my former and current students are up to. It used to be that reading Facebook was an uplifting experience.  Now, I usually leave either angry or sad - not because of people's political opinions, but because of the lack of respect and civility that people demonstrate towards each other. People are awfully brave behind a keyboard. People say things I don't believe they'd EVER say to someone  face-to-face. I've contemplated deleting my Facebook account, altogether.

Likewise, we live in a culture where "trash talking" is considered to be a normal and integral part of competition. That is, deriding your competitor is seen as "part of the game." To cite one of the worst examples I can remember, one major college basketball fan base threw panties at a visiting player who had been accused of sexual assault.

I'm sorry, but that is just wrong. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but shouldn't we be cheering for our team, instead of against our opponent? When did taunting and humiliating your opponent become an acceptable part of American sports? Frankly, it sickens me, and it worries me.

At HA we are far from perfect in this regard. We, as parents, have been guilty of poor sportsmanship, and I'm not excluding myself from this. I've behaved in ways in the past of which I am not proud. However, I feel like I at least have good enough sense to be embarrassed about it.

Regardless, I don't think we should accept bad sportsmanship as the norm. I think it's a fight worth fighting. To be exact, reinforcing sportsmanship strikes at the very heart of the concept of honor that we are trying to impart at HA. Every year, I tell the students at our Honor Code Ceremony that "honor is not just about avoiding lying, cheating, or stealing; it's about how you treat others from whom you have nothing to gain." I believe we can tell a lot about the culture of schools by how they treat their athletic opponents "from whom they have nothing to gain."

As our spring sports season gets into full swing, I hope that you will take the time to reflect on the hard work and dedication that the athletes demonstrate over the course of the season. The best way to honor our athletes is to exhibit good sportsmanship. Briefly, let me share with you some of my views that I have partially borrowed from Dr. James Garland, the former president of my undergraduate alma mater, Miami University (OH):

• Good sports treat opposing teams and their fans with respect and courtesy. Good sports are humble when they win. They accept their victories with poise, without gloating or demeaning the other team. Good sports are not rude. 

• Good sports understand that losing is part of athletic competition. They accept their defeats gracefully, without pointing fingers or making excuses. They view their losses as opportunities for growth and further development of their skills. 

• Good sports keep their emotions in check. They understand that stress and pressure are part of athletics, and that the true test of character is when the disappointment, the bitterness, and the frustrations of a game are the greatest. 

• And finally, good sports keep a sense of perspective. They know that the other team is their opponent, not their enemy, and that the game is a contest, not a battle. They know that if they conduct themselves with dignity, they will always walk off the field as winners, no matter what the numbers on the scoreboard may show. 

Houston Academy athletics has always epitomized a winning tradition, integrity, a commitment to the academic development of players, and good sportsmanship.

I have been incredibly proud of the success of our teams over the years, but I have been even more proud of the comportment and enthusiasm of our fans and athletes.  Win or lose, I know that we will continue exhibiting good sportsmanship in all of our athletic contests.

Go Raiders!

Changes

I’ve had the pleasure to live and work a number of places, including Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Connecticut, Ohio, and New Jersey. Despite the homogenization and transience of modern America, I’ve certainly found that different regions of the country have their own mores and folkways. For example, upon reaching my college destination at Miami University in Ohio, I discovered that, in the North, when you say, “Hey!” to a stranger, you get perplexed looks. It turns out that said stranger becomes confused because he thinks you must know him from somewhere in order to say, “Hey!” Northerners also, it seems, confuse the southern vernacular for “hello” with a grain crop that horses consume. That is not to say that Ohioans are not friendly, but in Ohio, you probably don’t say “hey” to strangers, and you certainly don’t offer them grain.

I have also discovered that, in the South, there is a teasing pecking order. When I moved from Georgia to Tennessee, I discovered that Tennesseans made fun of me for being from Georgia. Likewise, Georgians make fun of Alabamians, Alabamians make fun of Mississippians, Mississippians make fun of Louisianans, and EVERYONE makes fun of Arkansas (*KIDDING*).  Since I spent my childhood and the majority of my adult life in Georgia, we grew up making fun of Alabama.

One of my favorite jokes concerns a high-speed police chase on I-20 East. As the story goes, an Alabama State Police officer and his partner are in hot pursuit of a suspect, who is going over 100 miles per hour. After several miles, the suspect crosses over the Georgia line. As soon as the suspect does so, the Alabama police officer slams violently on his brakes, abandoning his pursuit.
Shocked, his partner asks, “Why did you do that? We almost had him!”

To which the officer responds, “He’s an hour ahead. We’ll never catch him, now.”

Another joke about Alabama that I heard as a child was that the Alabama state motto was, “…because that’s the way we’ve always done it.”

I point to these two jokes, because they have some relevance to our change agenda at Houston Academy. We are the only school of our ilk within a 2-hour radius that has a college preparatory mission and a mission to prepare our students to compete in a global society.

When I worked in the Atlanta and Memphis areas, we were afforded the frequent opportunity to collaborate with peer schools. I was friends with division heads, teachers, and coaches who worked at some of the finest college preparatory schools in the country. We met, both formally, and informally, to talk about educational issues. We also visited each other’s schools and classrooms.

The fact is, since we are located in L.A. (Lower Alabama), and we are very isolated from peer schools, we have to work with extra diligence to make sure other parts of the world are not “an hour ahead of us.” It’s also important that we can give a better answer for our educational practices than “…because that’s the way we’ve always done it.”

Houston Academy has always done a great job fulfilling its mission as an “independent college preparatory institution.” However, what it means to be “prepared” for college and life is different now than it was when I was in high school, and certainly it is different than it was when HA was founded. In this vein, I like to quote former President of the National Association of Independent Schools, Pat Bassett, who said, “We are preparing our children for their future, not your past.”

That’s a nice mantra, but fleshing out what that means, in practical, pedagogical terms is a difficult task. Putting what that means into practice is even more difficult. Fortunately, there is some excellent research out there on what skills and competencies students are going to need to be successful for their future. Moreover, there is a growing body of brain research that scientifically supports best practices for student learning. This requires our teachers to shift from their teaching routines and reflect on their practice in ways that can be extremely uncomfortable. It also means that, sometimes, parents aren’t going to be able to help their children with their homework because lesson and methods might be structured in such a way that is unfamiliar.

It also means that, in very real terms, if we do not change, we will not be able to live up to our mission, and being a market-driven, independent school, we will not be able to survive. No one is going to send their children here if the students are not prepared for college and life.

So, make no mistake, more change is coming. Part of this change involves our new advisory program, curriculum change, and organizational change – all of which I will outline in future blog posts. For right now, let me introduce our most tangible and immediate changes – our new faculty.

Our new 3P teacher is Shanna Boothe (no relation to Karen). Shanna has a B.S. in Elementary Education (K-6 collaborative Education) from Troy University. She has an MS as a reading specialist from Troy University, and she has 13 years of teaching experience.Her husband is Bart Boothe, and she has three children, Logan, in the 7th grade, who will be attending HA, Cason, in the 4th grade, and Katy Claire in the 2nd grade.

Hannah Braswell will be teaching lower school art. Hannah has a  degree in Art from  Asbury college, 1991, and is coming to us after a 25 year teaching career in Dothan City Schools. Hannah is no stranger to HA, as she has served in the past as our head volleyball and softball coach.

James Brown will be teaching Honors 10th grade English and 11th Grade AP English Language. James has a B.A. in English from Armstrong State University and an M.A. in English from the University of Tennessee. He has a long independent school teaching history, but most recently, he taught and was the curriculum coordinator and professional development director at Benedictine in Savannah GA. Jim has a daughter, Ellen, who is a recent graduate of the University of Georgia living in Atlanta.

Natalie Cromer will be teaching Middle School social studies. Natalie has been a teacher and grade-level chair at Hidden Lake Elementary School. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Troy Dothan. She is married to Terry Cromer, and has two daughters who attend HA – Brooklyn who is in 8th grade and Allie who is in 4P

Jill Dykes is also returning to HA after a very short hiatus. This time, she will be teaching kindergarten. Jill is a fellow Georgian, with a B.A. in Early Childhood Education from Valdosta State University. She taught at HA, previously, for 11 years, and has also served as the Dothan Cotillion Director. Jill and her husband Jim have three children at HA – Ellis – 11th grade, Sullivan in 9th grade, and Boland, in 8th grade.

Jennifer Gaye is our new English Department Chair. She will also be teaching 11th grade English and 9th grade English, and will be helping to form our new literary magazine. Another native Georgian, Jennifer has a B.A. in English Literature and an M.A. in English Education from Georgia State University. Most recently, Jennifer was the English department chair at University Liggett School in Gross Pointe Woods Michigan. She has moved to Dothan with the love of her life, Phillip McCohnell.

Brian Jackson will be our new director of marketing and communications and will be continuing his soccer coaching duties at HA, as well as working with our football kickers. Brian has a B.S. in Sports Management from Ball State University in Indiana. From 2009-2015 He was the events manager at Ft. Rucker. In addition, he was a professional football kicker for 9 years in the arena league, winning two championships. He is married to Stephanie Jackson with whom he has a three-year-old son, Korbin.

Ann Jordan will be teaching Middle School English, after an extremely successful career in Dothan City Schools. Ann graduated from Troy with a B.S. in Secondary Education and a major in English and a minor in Journalism. She is married to Mark Jordan with whom she has two grown children.

Rachel King will be an assistant in 3P. Rachel holds a bachelor of Education from the University of Memphis. She has been a lead kindergarten and 1st grade teacher at Power Center Academy and Snowden School in Memphis, TN. Rachael has moved to Dothan with her fiancée who will be attending ACOM, and they are looking forward to seeing what Dothan has to offer.

Ronda Paoletti will teach 5th grade choir, MS Drama, US Drama, MS Choir and US Choir. She has a Masters of Music from the University of Florida and a Bachelor of Music from the University of South Carolina with a specialty in music and voice performance.  She comes to us from Valwood School in Valdosta. Georgia. She is married to Dar. Karl Paoletti, Jr who teaches voice at Wallace College and is the music department chair. Her son, Nicholas, will be a senior at HA, and her daughter, Sophia, will be a 5th grader.

Jessica Pineda will be teaching 5th grade, and is coming to us from the American Cooperative School of La Paz in La Paz, Bolivia. Jessica holds a Bachelor of Arts from Ashford University and an M.S. from University of Buffalo. She, and her husband, Craig (our new Head of Upper School) have two children who will be attending HA – Nate, who will be in 5th, and Emily, who will be in 3rd grade.

Craig Selig, our new Upper School Head,  has been the Head of School at two different independent schools in Latin America, most recently as the Superintendent at the Cooperative School of La Paz in La Paz Bolivia. That actually means that we have three administrators on campus now who have served as Headmasters. Craig has a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Brunswick in Nova Scotia and an MA from the University of Buffalo. I’ve already described their family, but one question I have gotten from folks is how a family with such vast international experience will adjust to Dothan. What I can say is that while we were interviewing Craig via Skype they were without potable water for a week or so at a time. So, my thought was that just the fact that we have running water every day makes Dothan a little slice of heaven!

Cindy Reyner started towards the end of last year as our receptionist. She has worked 14 years as a teacher assistant and office assistant in grades K-5. She also worked in personnel at Flowers Hospital. She has done an outstanding job, already!

Mary Sanders will be our new Extended Day Program Director. Mary comes to us with 26 years of experience in childcare, including in-home care, a US Naval preschool, and private and church preschools in Virginia, South Carolina, and Alabama. Mary loves working with children, a well as senior citizens.

Elizabeth Whaley will be teaching Upper and Middle School Mathematics. She comes to us from Daleville High School, where she was also a math teacher. Elizabeth has a degree in Mathematics from Troy University with a minor in Business Administration. Interestingly, she’s also a licensed cosmetologist and licensed homebuilder. She has four grown children who are all in various stages of earning their degrees, undergraduate and graduate

Lucy Woodson will be teaching upper school Spanish. She has earned a B.A. from California State University, Bakersfield in Spanish and Art History, with a minor in French. Lucy is coming to us from a stint teaching Spanish and AP Spanish at Gilroy High School in Gilroy, CA. She and her husband, Kevin, have a 16 month old baby girl, and they are coming to Dothan where they will be close to Kevin’s family.

Please join me in welcoming all these wonderful teachers into the HA family!

Welcome our New Head of Upper School!

I am pleased to introduce to you our next Head of Upper School, Mr. Craig Selig. Craig comes to us from the American Cooperative School of La Paz, in La Paz, Bolivia where he is currently serving as the Superintendent. Previously, Craig has served as a Head of School and Upper School Principal at independent, international schools in Bolivia, Columbia, and the Dominican Republic.  Additionally, Craig has worked as a science and math teacher, and a K-12 science department chair. He holds a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of New Brunswick, which is the oldest English-language University in Canada and is one of the oldest universities in North America. Craig also earned an M.S. from the University of Buffalo, a graduate certificate in Educational Leadership and Administration from the University of New England, and a certificate in Professional Development and School Improvement from the University of Nebraska.

Craig brings extensive school leadership experience to Houston Academy – throughout his career he has been involved in virtually every aspect of school life. Craig was a collegiate swimmer, and he has coached soccer, as well. He has instituted Advanced Placement programs, implemented school-wide technology initiatives, devised teacher supervision systems, spearheaded community service, and coordinated and improved fine arts programs. Of course, his international experience is incredibly exciting as Houston Academy moves forward with our global citizenship initiative.

On the personal side, Craig’s references refer to his open and caring nature and his strong support for his teachers and students. As one reference attested:

…no matter how busy he is, Craig remains an incredibly understanding and caring Director, his door is always open and he listens and helps to resolve issues that are  brought his way.

Those who have worked with him also cite his skills as a “community builder.” In this vein, another one of his former colleagues told us:

Mr. Selig has done a great job of uniting students and faculty as a whole and creating a better sense of community within the school. He has encouraged and found ways to get more students active in school sports and programs, and has also worked on developing character within the school to help with student relationships. Additionally, he has encouraged more teachers to get involved in various school organizations, advisory roles, or school teams and this has brought both students and faculty closer together.

Most importantly, however, Craig loves young people. It is not just his experience and innovative style that makes Craig such a great fit for HA, but it is clear that students are at the center of everything that he does.

Craig will be bringing his wife, Jessica, and two children with him to Dothan. He has a son, Nathan, who is 10 and a daughter, Emily, who is 7.  If you have a chance, please reach out to Craig and welcome him to the HA family. I can’t wait for him to get started!