Upper School Newsletter - August 10, 2022

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

Andrew Basti — Technology Systems Analyst

Jean Marí Hernández López — Lower School, Middle School and Upper School Modern Language Department Chair and Middle School and Upper School French and Spanish Teacher

Jody Patrick — Lower School P.E. Department Chair and P.E. Teacher

Melissa Riley — Advancement Officer and Advancement Data Specialist

Emily Sanderson — Upper School History and Social Sciences Teacher

Melissa Turner — Director of Systems Operations and Systems Training

Ana Yarbrough — Executive Administrative Assistant to the Head of School

Julie Young — Human Resources Coordinator

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. 

Kara Tribbie — Athletic Trainer

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

Patrick McHonett — Head of School — Patrick joins us from St. John’s Episcopal School in Orange County, California. He previously served as associate head of school at Phoenix Country Day School in Phoenix, Arizona, and has an expansive independent school background that includes admission, marketing and communications, and college counseling. We welcome Patrick along with his wife, Jessica, and their children, Charlotte (fourth grade) and Jack (Kindergarten), as well as their dog, Archie, to the Flint Hill community.

Carmen Scott — Director of Marketing and Communications — Carmen comes to us with 15 years of experience working in independent schools, including at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York City, The Berkeley School in Berkeley, California, and The Field School in Washington, D.C. She earned her B. A. in journalism and mass communication from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Kaleena Buckwalter — School Store Manager — Kaleena subbed at Flint Hill for a year and a half and was also a dental assistant for eight and a half years. She has an A.S. in science from Northern Virginia Community College. One fun fact about Kaleena is that she is dog and water obsessed!

Susannah Brown — Upper School Digital Arts Teacher — Susannah is a professional photographer/artist, arts educator and photo organizer. Over the past decade, she spent her time as a museum educator at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York as well as the Corcoran College of Art + Design in Washington, D.C. She has a BFA in photography from Parsons School of Design and an MAT in arts education from the Corcoran College of Art + Design. Susannah loves cooking, skee ball, visiting museums and spending time in nature.

Virginia Cady — Upper School History and Social Sciences Teacher — Virginia has worked at St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School as a camp director and student teacher and most recently worked as a history teacher at the Hutchison School in Memphis, Tennessee. She has a B.A. in Middle East and international studies from Dickinson College, an M.A. in international peace and conflict resolution and an M.A.T in secondary school social studies from American University. One fun fact about Virginia is that she has coached rock climbing since 2016.

Henry Cafferata — Upper School History and Social Sciences Teacher — Henry has worked as a long-term substitute and assistant football coach at Flint Hill School. He has a B.A. in political science from Macalester College. One fun fact about Henry is that he played division III football at Macalester College for four years. 

Jonathan Chang — Upper School Science and English Teacher — Jonathan has worked in education for 11 years at three different schools, both public and private: two years at Albemarle High School, five years at Flint Hill School, and three years at Porter-Gaud School before returning to Flint Hill. He has an M.T. of teaching in secondary English and special education from the University of Virginia and a B.A. in English from the University of Virginia. One interesting fact about Jonathan that he shared is that he is deaf in his right ear and is most likely not intentionally ignoring you — just repeat yourself on his left side.

Malia D’Angio — Upper School Math Teacher — Malia worked as a middle school math teacher for four years in Arlington County Public School. She has a B.S. in mathematics from James Madison University and an M.A.T. in secondary education from James Madison University. Malia loves to cook and try new recipes. 

Ariel Harper — Upper School Dance Teacher — Ariel has worked in dance education for six years at several different dance studios, community centers, public schools and colleges. She has a B.S. in communications with a concentration in dance from Northwestern University. One fun fact about Ariel is that she has traveled to 10 countries.

Joelle Henry — Middle and Upper School Computer Science and Robotics Teacher — Joelle has 26 years of experience in education from preschool to high school. She has a B.S. in electrical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an M.Ed. in educational studies from the University of New Hampshire. One fun fact about Joelle is that she worked for General Electric in the Aerospace Division before entering the field of education. She also just moved to Virginia from New Hampshire this summer!

Samantha Hill — Upper School English Teacher — Samantha has taught at three different Fairfax County schools and two Loudoun County schools in the past 17 years. She taught various courses including marketing/business electives, leadership and English. She has a B.S. in Marketing Management from Virginia Tech, an M.S.Ed. in Career and Technical Education from Virginia Tech and an additional Major in Communication Studies from Virginia Tech. Samantha loves to spend time with her family and two big dogs!

Jackie McLoughlin — Middle and Upper School Theatre Arts Teacher and Director of Theatre Arts Productions — Jackie worked at Commonwealth Academy as a Theater teacher for five years. She has an M.A. in text and performance studies and directing from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and King's College London. Jackie loves traveling, ice hockey and family time.

Brad Savage — Middle and Upper School Classics Department Chair and Upper School Classics Teacher — Brad has taught Latin, English and Math for eight years at the Einstein Academy near Chicago, Illinois, and for one year at Tempe Preparatory Academy. He has a B.A. in Classics and political science from The Ohio State University and an M.A. in Classics from the University of Washington. A few fun facts about Brad are that he appeared on Jeopardy (came in second!), is an avid square dancer, and loves to play softball.