Upper School Newsletter – August 9, 2023

New Roles, Departures, and New Hires

New Roles

Congratulations to the following returning faculty and staff who have taken on new roles this year.

• Matt Felton - Full-time Upper School Substitute Teacher
• Dejon Griffin, Upper School Math Teacher
• Ariel Harper - Fine Arts Events Manager and Upper School Dance Teacher
• Shannon McCarty - Interim Director of the Learning Center
• Lola McCray - Upper School Math Teacher
• Eve Shade - Art Director
• Andrew Tran - Middle and Upper School Technology and Instructional Specialist

Departures 

As we do each year, we have faculty and staff who depart over the summer due to retirement, relocation or new career or educational opportunities. We are grateful for their service to Flint Hill and wish them well in their future endeavors. 

• Laura Day - Enrollment Data and Systems Coordinator
• Samantha Hill - Upper School English Teacher

New Hires 

We are delighted to welcome new Upper School faculty/staff and members of the Senior Leadership Team to the Flint Hill family.

 

Rhamat Alhassan - Director of Sports Information  

Rhamat has played volleyball professionally overseas for the last five years, which included two years with the United States Women's National Team. She has a B.S. in telecommunications - production from the University of Florida and an M.S. in management from the University of Florida. Fun fact: Rhamat loves to crochet and knit.

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Allyson Arrington - Upper School Math Teacher  

Allyson has been teaching mathematics for over 20 years in three different independent schools and three different university systems. She has a B.S. in mathematics from Wofford College and an M.A. in mathematics from Wake Forest University. Fun fact: Allyson loves working on puzzles, especially with her children.

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Shawn Arrington - Director of Information Technology

Shawn has worked in independent schools for over 25 years in North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Most recently, Shawn worked at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for 14 years, serving as chief information officer, teacher, advisor, and coach. He has a B.S. in physics and mathematics from Longwood University and an M.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Alabama - Birmingham. Fun fact: Shawn enjoys binge-watching TV shows with his wife and two young adult children.

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Ashley Donovan - Upper School Science Teacher  

Ashley worked for the American Chemical Society for eight years, first in the Education Division and later as director of strategy development. She has experience teaching middle and high school mathematics as well as college-level chemistry. She has a Ph.D. in chemistry from Princeton University. Fun fact: Ashley ran across the United States in 2014 and is a volunteer firefighter/EMT at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad in Montgomery County, Maryland.

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Cabell Doswell - Upper School Learning Specialist

Cabell worked at Episcopal High School for five years as the director of student activities, experiential learning team member, cross-country coach, advisor, and dorm leader. She has a B.S. in sport and event management and business administration from Elon University and an M.T. in special education from the University of Virginia. Fun fact: Cabell has an over-100-pound golden retriever named Tater.

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Tracie Epes - Director of Counseling

Tracie has worked with children and adolescents for over 25 years in public and private schools, therapeutic settings, and community agencies. Prior to joining Flint Hill, she worked at The Madeira School for 15 years as the director of counseling. She has a B.A. in psychology from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill and an M.S. and Ed.S. in counseling from the University of North Carolina - Greensboro. Fun facts: Tracie enjoys baking cupcakes and creating different flavors and designs. She loves playing and watching soccer, walking in the woods with her dog, Phoebe, and spending time with family and friends.  

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Stefanie Jochman - Upper School English Teacher  

Stefanie has worked in education for 16 years at 3 different independent schools and as a teacher educator with the Folger Shakespeare Library. She has a B.A. in English with a secondary education certification from St. Norbert College and an M.A. in English from the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh. Fun facts: Stefanie loves to travel, try new restaurants or recipes, and spend time with her growing number of nieces and nephews.

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Jason Klem - Assistant Director of College Counseling  

Jason has worked in college admissions for six years. He represented Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, for five years and spent two years as a Washington D.C.-area regional coordinator, developing a solid understanding of the high schools in the region. He has a B.S. in applied psychology from Ithaca College. Fun facts: Jason loves to explore new areas by walking, hiking, and running. He has completed multiple marathons.

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Caroline Loh - Upper School English Teacher

Caroline has over a dozen years of working in education, teaching at both middle and high school levels on the East and West Coast at public and private schools. She has a B.A. in English from Mary Washington University and an M.A.T. in English Education from the University of Virginia. Funt facts: Caroline shares that "once upon a time I was a gold medalist in the World Ultimate Frisbee Championship in Japan."

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Madeleine Lopez - Director of the Lower School  

Madeleine has taught several elementary grade levels and held numerous academic leadership positions for 20 years, both in public and private schools. She has a B.S. in foreign service from Georgetown University, an M.A.T. in Elementary Education from Manhattanville College, and an M.Ed. in private school leadership from Columbia University. Fun fact: Madeleine is an only child but now has a large family and loves to spend time with them.

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Aaron Proctor - Director of Academics

Proctor served as a teacher - mostly in psychology and mathematics - and administrator for over 20 years at various schools. He has a B.S. in economics from Carnegie Mellon University and an M.S. in psychology from Capella University. Fun facts: He prefers to be called Proctor as his first name and he loves rugby.

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Devanshi Shah - Upper School Math Teacher  

Devanshi has worked in education for the past six years in mostly public schools in Richmond, Virginia; at Varina High School in Henrico County, Virginia; and at Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Virginia, as a math teacher and a girls tennis coach. She has a B.S. in mathematics and M.A.T. in Secondary Mathematics Education, both from Virginia Commonwealth University. Fun facts: Devanshi has lived in four different countries. She has a large extended family who live all over the United States. She loves to dance and travel on weekends. She is getting married this September (she is currently Devanshi Patel and will officially be Devanshi Shah after September 30).

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Maxwell Simpson  - Enrollment Systems Manager

Maxwell has worked in higher education settings for about eight years, including recruitment and operational positions. He has a B.S. in communications from Old Dominion University and an M.S. in cybersecurity from Marymount University. Fun facts: Maxwell is a triplet and loves to play competitive pickleball.

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Frances Wolf - Athletics Coordinator  

Frances worked at the University of Oklahoma, for the past three years, in addition to coaching softball. She has a B.S. in sport management from Towson University and an M.Ed. in sports administration from the University of Miami, and she has previously held a PHR certification. Fun facts: Frances is a Navy wife with three daughters and three golden retrievers.