Let Me Introduce You to Eric Dietz

Prior to my appointment here at Houston Academy, I was the Upper School Director at University School of Jackson in Jackson, TN. In my five years in Jackson, I had the pleasure of getting to know a number of great kids, but one of the young people who stands out in my mind is Eric Dietz. Eric Dietz was the tailback on our state-finalist football team.  He was one of the toughest football players I’ve ever seen.  Eric could hit like a freight train; he would certainly rather run you over than run around you.  Eric was talented enough and hard-working enough to take his football skills to the University of Mississippi.  In high school, Eric also lettered in basketball and track, qualifying for state in track, three times. In addition, Eric was an Honor Roll student. He has continued to make Honor Roll at Ole Miss, while majoring in Mechanical Engineering.

“So what?” you might say, “We’ve had plenty of scholar-athletes graduate from HA – just like Eric.”

True.  We do a great job here at HA in that regard. Our students are more than prepared for college, and they are always talented in a multitude of areas. But, to me, what set Eric apart (besides the fact that he was a gentlemen who was kind to others), was his skill on the stage.  Eric could sing beautifully.  He starred in multiple musicals, including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  Furthermore, Eric made the Tennessee All-State Choir two times.

In fact, All-West Tennessee Choir auditions took place in Memphis (90 miles away), early on a Saturday morning.  Eric played in a particularly physical football game Friday night, woke up early the next morning, and drove to Memphis. He auditioned for All-West Choir, and then went to our Choral Director to ask if he could help her do anything. She suggested to him that he might want to go home and sleep.

Now, again, Eric is a pretty special young man, but he is not unique in that many of Eric’s peers were athletes, scholars, AND artists/singers/musicians/actors. Being in plays at USJ was “cool.” Almost everyone wanted to do it, and competition for leading roles was fierce.  With their talented students and with their outstanding music teachers and directors, USJ put on productions that were often of professional quality.

Moreover, these students gained immensely from their participation in theater. It is difficult to replicate the pressure that comes with performing in a play. The ability to get up in front of a crowd and perform is an invaluable life skill. After all, how nerve-racking is a sales presentation after you’ve done that?

HA already has a band and a chorus that are better than I have ever seen in a school our size. Too, we already have an amazing visual arts program. However, the one missing component is a true performing arts program. That is a HUGE hole in our curriculum.  And, there is an enormous demand from our students for a theater program. This fall, we had 32 students go out for our lower school musical (which will be taking place the 3rd week in October).  Moreover, in the upper school, we have a large number of students who are participating in drama activities through SEACT, Flagship, and Spark Theater. Now, we have the resources and the teachers in place to have an outstanding theater program. I firmly believe that our drama and musical theater program will be every bit as good as our band, chorus, and athletic programs.

I should emphasize, too, that having a strong drama program in no way denigrates any of our other extracurricular and co-curricular activities.  It’s not a zero-sum game.  We CAN be excellent in all areas, and we SHOULD be excellent in all areas.

I don’t want to hear anyone say we’re not capable of winning state championships in ANY sport.  I won’t listen to someone tell us we can’t have the best theater program in the area. Please, don’t tell me what we can’t do! As Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.”

We are about to embark on an exciting journey in our school's history.  We are going to strengthen an already strong arts program, and we will have no peer in the state of Alabama. Likewise, we are going to continue to win state championships in athletics. Our students can have it all. And they will.

"Don't Hate on our Excellence!"

In the last two years, we have been talking to our students about embracing their “excellence.” One of the things I discovered after my first few weeks at HA was that when our students were outside of Houston Academy, they weren’t always eager to let others know they were HA students. I wouldn’t go so far as to say they were ashamed, but they were definitely uncomfortable with people in the greater-Dothan school labeling them as “snobby rich kids.”

The funny thing is, everyone I’ve talked to in Dothan knows that Houston Academy is the best and most rigorous school in the Wiregrass. In fact, this year, we have record enrollment in the Upper School.  The only factor that seems to keep people from coming to HA is the perception that we are unaffordable.

First of all, having been here for over a year, I can tell you that I’ve never been around a more well-mannered and assiduous group of young people than the kids at Houston Academy. Secondly, I think folks out there in the general public would be shocked to know how many of our families make tremendous sacrifices to allow their children to attend Houston Academy. Most notably, we have scores of faculty children attending HA, and as I’m sure you are aware, teachers around here are NOT typically found vacationing in the Hamptons!  Moreover, we work very hard with families here to make HA affordable. Our Board is firmly committed to offering financial aid to those who qualify, and our entire community is committed to providing a diverse environment for our students. In any case, in our capitalist republic having wealth is a sign of hard work, dedication, and entrepreneurship – not something of which to be ashamed (but perhaps that’s too political of a statement).  As I’ve told our students, there is nothing wrong with being born into a privileged environment.  The important part of being a person of privilege is to ACKNOWLEDGE that you are privileged, and act according through service to others.

To return to the notion of embracing our excellence, we have already established that HA is the most rigorous and finest education in the Wiregrass. Why should our students be ashamed of that? They should be PROUD of that! What our students go through on a daily basis is far more than the vast majority of students in this country experience. Most students would neither want to do what HA kids do, nor would they be capable of doing it.

Furthermore, our students do thousands of hours of community service every year.  They outwork their opponents in practice and on the athletic field every single day. Last year, we won two state championships in athletics and had a winning record in every single sport.  Our band and chorus won national awards. Our artists won regional competitions. Our ACT scores were the highest I’ve seen. We had 52 students take 92 Advanced Placement exams in 12 different subject areas. Our seniors earned $4.2 million in college scholarships.

What I want is for every one of our students, parents, faculty and alumni to go out into the community and let everyone know that they are a part of the HA family. I’d like us to proudly display our HA stickers on our cars.  I’d like us to wear our HA hats to Westgate, and wear our HA shirts to the movies. I believe that when folks actually see who we are and what we do, they can’t help but see what a wonderful community we have.  And if they don’t see that, that’s their problem.  Or, as one of our students wrote in shoe polish on his car last year, “Don’t hate on our excellence!”

Our New Faculty and Staff

This has been a busy summer at HA. While the students have been frolicking in the pool and lounging on the beach, Mrs. Boothe, members of the lower school faculty, and I have spent much of our time interviewing and hiring a number of new teachers.  Consequently, I thought I would fill everyone in on the teachers who have chosen to join the Houston Academy family for next school year. 

Extended Day Program Director

Emily Granger

Emily Granger will be our new Extended Day Program (EDP) Director. Ms. Granger has an Associate of Science degree in early childhood education from Wallace College and is currently enrolled at Troy-Dothan, working on her B.S. degree. Emily comes with outstanding credentials and substantial experience running after-school programs.  I expect our daycare to be interactive and educationally oriented. 

Emily has a daughter named Olivia Anne, who is going into the third grade. She also has a dachshund named Mille, who Olivia views as her “sister.” Emily enjoys crafting with Olivia, junking flea markets, antiquing, watching Auburn football games, playing tennis, and reading.

Lower School Physical Education

Ginny Adams

Mrs. Adams is a certified teacher with a degree from Auburn University-Montgomery, and she is also a certified United States Tennis Association tennis professional. In addition to her 20 years of teaching in public schools, Ginny has spent the last two years working at HA as a teaching assistant and our as our JV tennis coach. In addition, many of our students have been taking tennis lessons from her over the past two years.  Personally, in my capacity as a "tennis parent," I've been thrilled with how well she has worked with our children as a coach.  We expect great things from her in PE, as well. 

Ginny is married to Scott Adams, and she has two children Sissy, a rising 7th grader at HA and Will, a ninth grader at Northside Methodist Academy. In her spare time, Ginny enjoys reading, playing, teaching and coaching tennis, and going to the beach.

3 Year-old Preschool

Chera Lee

Chera Lee will be our new 3P teacher.  Mrs. Lee has a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Alabama. Previously, she has taught 2P, 3P, 4P, kindergarten, and 2^nd grade.  Additionally, Mrs. Lee has served as a teaching assistant and tutor and Grandview Elementary here in Dothan. Previously, she taught at Brookwood Forest Elementary and Grantswood Elementary in Birmingham. Chera is meticulous and assiduous, and has been a fantastic volunteer here at HA. 

Chera is married to Stuart Lee, and she has two children who attend HA – Douglas is in 3P and Mary Lawrence is in kindergarten. Her interests include running, reading, shopping, baking with her children, and spending time with family and friends.

Kindergarten

Cara Dennis

Cara Dennis will be teaching kindergarten this year. Cara was a member of the first third grade class at Houston Academy in 1970. She graduated from The University of Alabama with a degree in early childhood education and received her masters from Troy University in early childhood education.

Cara has been married to Mark Dennis for 29 years. They have 4 children, 3 of whom have graduated from Houston Academy. Carolyne is 23 and is a nurse at Children's Hospital in Birmingham. Catie (21) and Jackson (18) are both students at Auburn University. Sam is 9 and is going to be in the third grade at Houston Academy. Cara is a member of First United Methodist Church, and she loves to spend time at the beach with her family.  

Tiffany Sulsberger

Tiffany Sulsberger holds a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Georgia State University with an endorsement in Mathematics. She also earned an M.A. in Secondary Biology from Western Governors University.

Tiffany’s hometown (Rome, Georgia) is very near my old “stomping ground” in Northwest Georgia.  Last September, her husband, Scott, took a position with Hornsby Tire Distributors and they were relocated to Dothan. Tiffany’s two children both attend HA. Her daughter, Lauren, will be in 5K, and her son, Ryan, will be in 3P.

Anne Zeron

Anne Zeron will be our new 5K teacher assistant. Mrs. Zeron grew up in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida and graduated from The University of Alabama where she met her husband, Bryan.  Anne moved to Dothan three years ago from Jacksonville, Florida where she worked as a teacher’s assistant at St Mark’s Episcopal Day School.

Anne has two children, Mary Blake and George.  In between running her kids from activity to activity, she enjoy reading, exercising, and spending time with her family, which includes her dog, Oliver.

Learning Specialist

Lauren Thomas

Lauren Thomas is joining us this year as our Learning Specialist. She graduated from Auburn University (Magna Cum Laude) with an M.S. and B.S. in Communication Disorders from Auburn University. While working on her Masters Degree, she received the Outstanding Graduate Clinician Award, as selected by the professors and faculty at Auburn. She has also received Orton-Gillingham certification, which allows Lauren to work with students with dyslexia and other reading issues.

Ms. Thomas grew up in Dothan. She is the daughter of Jim and Pam Thomas.  Lauren loves Auburn football, going to Braves games, and running.

Upper School Learning Specialist and Registrar

Pamela Sewell

Pamela Sewell is joining the HA staff as the Registrar and Upper School Learning Lab Learning Specialist.  Mrs. Sewell taught in both public and private schools in Mobile and Phenix City for 10 years.  She taught special education, academic enrichment, algebra, geometry, and world history.  Mrs. Sewell has a B.S. in health education from Florida State University and an M.Ed in specific learning disabilities from University of South Alabama. 

Pamela was born in Dothan, but grew up in Panama City, Florida.  Mrs. Sewell is married to Dr. Joseph Sewell II and they have two children, Dr. Joseph H. Sewell III (a 2006 graduate of HA) who is in his second year of residency at University of South Alabama Medical Center and Ryan, who is currently in the ninth grade at Houston Academy.  In her spare time, Mrs. Sewell enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and going to sporting events

3^rd Grade

Jo Ellen Nelson  

Ms. Nelson will be one of our third grade teachers this year.  She holds a B.S. from University of Alabama and an M.A. from Troy University in Elementary Education. Jo Ellen has worked as a third grade teacher and Instructional Coach in Dothan City Schools. Basically, Jo Ellen has been working with other teachers to improve their own teaching. Jo Ellen has a great deal of passion for children and for education.

On the personal front, Jo Ellen has three children: Joe, who is a world history teacher and head soccer coach and varsity academic coach at Northview; Sara, who is a senior at Troy University pursuing a medical career; and Virginia, who will be starting at Tuscaloosa this fall to pursue her dream of becoming a special education teacher. Jo Ellen loves to exercise (she ran the 2014 Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta), to garden, and to read. One day, she hopes to write a children’s book!

5^th Grade

Erin Barragry

Erin Barragry comes to us from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  She attended the University of Minnesota where she received both her B.S. and M.S. in education and was a member of Rho Lambda Honor Society.  For those of you who are not familiar, the University of Minnesota has one of the top schools of education in the United States. Moreover, we are very excited about the technology skills and experience she will bring to H.A.

Ms. Barragry is looking forward to a new (and warmer) adventure here in Dothan. Outside of school, she loves to golf, hike, camp, travel, play games, and bake. Other interests include country music and going to football games.

6^th Grade

Lisa Cohen

Lisa Cohen will be teaching 6^th grade next year. She is joining us from Jacobson Sinai Academy in Miami, Florida, where she was a 6^th and 7^th grade teacher. Lisa graduated Cum Laude with a B.A. in Political Science and Economics from New Jersey City University. Currently, she is enrolled in an Educational Master’s program in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on digital leaning. Not surprisingly, Mrs. Cohen is excited about H.A.’s technology initiative and looks forward to using her technology integration skills in the classroom.

Outside of school, Mrs. Cohen has been a teacher of martial arts for many years. She currently holds the rank of Senior Master as a 6^th degree black belt. She also is very committed to working with various charitable organizations, but her greatest source of pride is her children. She and her husband, Melvyn, love to travel.

Sandra Egan

Sandra Egan will teach our third section of 6^th grade this year. Ms. Egan holds a B.S. in Education from the University of Houston with an additional certification in teaching talented and gifted children. Most recently, she taught 5^th and 6^th grades in Corpus Christi, Texas.  Earlier in her career, she was named teacher of the year at her school in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Sandra has come to Dothan due to her husband’s relocation with his job at Boeing.

Sandra is married to Bill Egan, and they have two children. John is 24 and is in graduate school at the University of Texas-Austin, and Brittany is 21 and is a dental assistant in Corpus Christi, Texas.  Brittany is getting married in May 30, 2015! Sandra enjoys scrapbooking, jewelry making, and gardening. 

Upper School Chorus and Music

Julie Arthur

Julie Arthur will take over our extraordinarily successful chorus program.  Julie has a B.A. in Music with an emphasis in Musical Education from Azusa Pacific University (CA), and an M.A. in Music, with an emphasis in coral conducting from San Jose State University. 

Julie possesses strong qualifications to lead any instrumental or choral program.  She has strong experience as a classroom teacher AND as a private music instructor.  She has helped organize and run a high school and junior college choral festival and has organized performance opportunities for her private students.  Julie's youth ensemble (through the Smith Academy of Singers) successfully performed with the Imperial Valley Master Chorale, as well as in a concert of its own.  As a conductor she conducted the world premier of “Our Father, Lord and Shepherd” by Phil Shakleton, and she recently conducted a group of singers on stage with the Rolling Stones! We are also very excited that she is an accomplished strings performer, and we plan on adding a strings program here at HA.  When we do so, we will have the only strings program in the Wiregrass. 

Julie is from a very small town in California. She and her husband, Peter, just got married last July, and they spent their first year of marriage living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Julie loves having tea parties and traveling the world, and her hobby is learning languages.  She does not have any children, yet, but she is "dying to get a puppy!" 

Mrs. Holman, Mrs. Boothe, and I could not be more pleased with the hires we have made this spring and summer. We have been lucky enough to find people who are not only outstanding in their field, but also have a passion for young people. Please join me in welcoming this outstanding group of new teachers to the HA family!

Welcome Our New Athletic Director!

It is my pleasure to announce to the Houston Academy family that we have hired a new athletic director. Mike Sickafoose, of Atlanta, Georgia will start at HA in the fall. Mike brings a wealth of experience and an abundance of enthusiasm to our athletic department.  Mike is currently the Athletic Director at Holy Spirit Preparatory School in Atlanta.  At Holy Spirit, Mike created and implemented a Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School athletic program from scratch. Over his 14 years there, Mike managed 14 Upper School and 13 Middle School teams, while at the same time overseeing the Catholic Basketball Metro League, the Catholic Metro Soccer League, and a lower school/pre-school basketball and soccer program at Holy Spirit. Furthermore, Mike oversaw athletic fundraising efforts, maintained and updated the school’s athletic website, as well as coordinating the schools athletic-related social media.

Mike has been a head basketball coach at both the high school and collegiate level. In fact, as Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Benedictine College in Kansas, Mike produced a 97% graduation rate while leading his team to the post-season every year he was head coach. In 1991-92, Mike was named NAIA District 10 Coach of the Year, and he coached quite a number of all district and all-American players. Additionally, Mike has served as a head volleyball coach and a head tennis coach.

Mr. Sickafoose holds an M.A. in Education from Cumberland College in Williamsburg, Kentucky, and a B.S. from Ashland College in Ashland, OH.  Mike was also member of the varsity basketball team at Ashland.

Mike and his wife, Kelly, have three boys: Michael Sickafoose (24), Dan Sickafoose (23), and Chris Sickafoose  (21).  Coach  Sickafoose will begin his duties at HA on July 1^st.  Please help me in welcoming Mike to the HA family!  

A Few Early Notes on Personnel For Next Year

Recently, faculty and parents have asked me questions about our job postings on the HA website. There are still a number of moving pieces, but here is what I can tell you, as of today. 

Athletic Director & Director of Buildings and Grounds

Jim Robbins will be changing roles.  Next year, Jim will be the Director of Buildings and Grounds and will continue to help manage Upper School discipline.

It has become obvious to me that our regular maintenance and upkeep has been lacking in several areas. This is not due to any lack of effort on the part of our maintenance staff’s, but rather, it is due to the fact that no one has actually been in charge of our facilities. We need someone to serve as a liaison to our contractors, solicit competitive bids, prioritize maintenance requests, procure materials and supplies, trouble-shoot and budget for future repairs, organize volunteers, and communicate with the faculty and staff. This will become especially important as we open our new Student Activities Center, make some long overdue repairs, and work to build a performing arts facility. Jim’s outstanding efforts managing our athletic facilities this year convinced me that he is the perfect person to take on a broader role with our campus.

Of course, with Coach Robbins serving Director of Buildings and Ground we now have an opening for Athletic Director. We are looking for someone with experience in athletic administration, who has strong technology skills, and who has independent school experience. We have formed a search committee consisting of Upper School teachers, administrators, and coaches, and we hope to have filled the position in the next few weeks.

Director of Admissions and Marketing

Another change for next year is that Leanne Todd has agreed to be our Director of Admissions and Marketing. If you know Leanne at all, you know that there is not a better ambassador for our school. She is highly organized, and her background as a parent and a teacher at HA makes her the ideal person to sell HA to prospective families. Shelly Phillipps will be moving into the classroom full-time, as our World and Classical Language program expands into the middle grades.

Learning Specialist

Thanks to the generosity of one of our grandparents, we have started a search for a learning specialist. The goal is to hire someone on who can help our students with dyslexia and other learning issues. As you probably know, having a learning difference has nothing to do with aptitude, intelligence, or ability to complete a college degree. You might also be aware that some of the world’s most talented and brilliant artists, scientists, and innovators had dyslexia.  A brief list of famous people with dyslexia includes Alexander Graham Bell, Pierre Curie, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Ansel Adams, Andy Warhol, John Lennon, Nelson Rockefeller, Henry Ford, and Woodrow Wilson.

Students with learning differences need a different approach to learning. What bright students with learning differences do NOT need is a “dumbed down” curriculum or lower expectations. Currently, there are a number of students at HA who are hard-working, bright students who are struggling because we do not provide the support they need to reach their full academic potential. In fact, in many cases, students and parents have hidden their learning issues from the school because of a fear that they would be asked to leave HA.

By adding the position of Learning Specialist, we hope to augment what is being done by Patti Flowers in the H.A.L.L. (Houston Academy Learning Lab) to help our students achieve to their highest potential. This is consistent with the practices of a great number of quality independent schools throughout the country.

I should also note that Pamela Sewell has agreed to come on board for next year to work with any Upper School student who may need tutoring or extra academic assistance. Many students in the Lower School who have benefited from the HALL have found the lack of assistance in the Upper School quite difficult. In fact, I thought it was strange that we offered learning assistance to children through grade 6, but then did not provide that same assistance in the middle grades – a time when our children are going through some of the most dramatic biological and chemical changes.

Pamela has already worked with a number of our students, and as a substitute and parent, she is very familiar with our culture and our student body. Pamela will continue as a substitute at HA, and she will also be handling our attendance records.

Upper School Chorus and Drama Teacher

While HA has an outstanding visual arts program and an outstanding vocal and instrumental music program, our curriculum lacks is the dramatic arts. Despite the best efforts of Mrs. Arens, our drama numbers have been low, and it has been quite some time since we have had any sort of musical or production that involved students from across the Upper School.

I firmly believe that one cannot have a truly fine independent school without a thriving fine and performing arts program. Frankly, we are not where we need to be in this regard. Part of our struggle is due to the lack of an adequate performing arts facility. Regardless, we must have school-wide performances in both the Lower and Upper Schools. Shelley Keeley is working on expanding the lower school offerings for next year. In the Upper School, we are hiring a full-time teacher to continue our outstanding chorale music program and to direct the production of musical and dramatic performances. 

Lower School Positions

We will spend more time later in the year celebrating the careers of a number of faculty members who are retiring or who are leaving us, but for now, we do have a number of openings in the Lower School.  Mrs. Boothe has formed a search team, including members of the Lower School Academic Council, to hire the best available teachers for the following positions: 3P Teacher, 5K Teacher's Assistant, Kindergarten Teacher, (possible) 3rd Grade Teacher, and Lower School Physical Education Teacher.

We are conducting national searches for all of our openings, and we have been inundated with applications. You may read our job descriptions, which are posted on the employment section of the HA website at: http://www.houstonacademy.com/about-us/jobs/index.aspx  . Please encourage any qualified applicants to apply.  Houston Academy is a great place to work!