Greetings from the Faculty and Staff!

Since it is time to get a thread devoted to faculty and staff introductions since there are threads for other sub-groups of the community. Looks like I should start.

Hi, I'm Sheryl and I'm the director of the program. That means I do a lot of the behind the scenes work to get everything ready for your arrival July 5...or at least the organizing of the work as there are many who chip in to make sure it all gets done. I graduated from the University of Richmond (with its National Championship football team!) with a B.S. in math (yes, yes, insert math joke here), and then went on to get Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees from Union-PSCE. I flirted with a PhD but decided it wasn't going to enable me to do anything I want to do that I'm not already doing. So I stopped. (My practical side won out over my over-achieving side.) I've been working with the Governor's School since 1994 and have the t-shirt collection to prove it.

Three little known or interesting facts: I like to name my cats after Greek figures (Odysseus, Euclid, Icarus); I've been behind the scenes at Disney World's Haunted Mansion; and 6 is my favorite number.

Hi! I'm Christina and I will be teaching in the humanities program. Here's a bit about me: I am currently a teacher in Richmond, Virginia at Trinity Episcopal School. I teach 10th grade English, AP English and I am head of the English department. I grew up in Richmond, went to William and Mary and got my BA in English and then went on to American University to get my MAT in secondary education.

Outside of work, I am a marathon runner- I will be training for the Steamtown Marathon at CNU. I also have three cats (Symbie, Pablo, Monster) who will be hanging out with my mom while I am in Newport News. I also love to write, read, and go out to eat.

Hello! I am Andrea and I will be one of the female RA's for the program. It's my first summer with the program and I am very excited to be a part of it!

I am currently a school psychologist for three K-12 districts in central Minnesota. I did my undergraduate work at Concordia College, in Moorhead, MN and my graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. When I'm not administering tests to children or observing them in classrooms, I enjoy hanging out with my family at the lake (in the summer, no ice-fishing for me!), watching TV (I'm a junkie and I admit it), and reading.
I'm looking forward to meeting everyone in July!

Okay. Here's the deal. I am Lori and I started working with the Governor's School program as a Humanities teacher in 1992, before many of you were born. I was cool then.

Since then I have become the Associate Director. Now I work in the program primarily supporting the faculty and the curriculum in any way I can. You will see me visitng classes as I am the one who observes the faculty and assesses the curriculum; however, because I work behind the scenes and directly with the faculty, few of you will get to know me as well as your teachers or your RAs. I am the one who arranges all the cool field trips and brings in the incredible artists for the evening programs. (If a field trip bores you or if you do not like an evening activity, I will tell you Sheryl arranged those.) I like to think I am still cool, but I am pretty sure I have past the age where people can still use that adjective. But, I am okay with that. I am not yet wearing purple; lavender is my current color of choice.*



*Warning!

When I am Old
I will wear Purple!

When I am an old woman,
I shall wear purple - -
With a red hat which doesn't go,
and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension
on brandy and summer gloves and satin sandles,
And say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
and gobble up samples in shops
and press alarm bells
and run with my stick along public railings,
and make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
and pick flowers in other people's gardens
and learn to spit!
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
and eat three pounds of sausages at ago,
or only bread and pickles for a week,
and hoard pens and pencils
and beermats and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry,
and pay our rent
and not swear in the street,
and set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner
and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me
are not too shocked and surprised
when suddenly I am old,
And start to wear purple!
--Jenny Joseph

I'm me. I used to be Mini-me, but now I'm a lot less mini. As a child, I dreamed of running away with the circus, but I'm no good at cleaning up after elephants and the other circus positions require some sort of actual skill. I spent 4 very weird days with the Hooters Girls, traveled the country for many months with Sonic the Hedgehog, and was friends with the bearded lady at Coney Island. I love the Marx Brothers, Shakespeare, bass fishing, and Tate the Great (whom many of you will meet). I believe there's a reason obscure works by great writers are obscure (Dombey and Son, anybody?). And I am in total agreement with Linus, who reminds us, "There's no problem too big to run away from." Since Lori got poetic in her intro, I'll offer one of my own -- a little piece which speaks volumes about me:

My head is in love with my nose.
Sounds silly to you, I suppose.
The nose doesn’t know it,
The eyes never show it,
The lips on the subject are closed.
My face won’t consent to disclose
That it’s really in love with my nose,
Yet it hopelessly, helplessly,
Drawn by it endlessly,
Follows wherever it goes.
-- Johnny Hart

Hello all :-)

I'm going to be one of the female RAs for Governor's School this year, and I can't wait! During the other 9 months of the year I teach English to 9th and 10th graders in Stafford, and in my spare time I'm learning to belly dance. I'm an English teacher, so I pretty much have to love reading. I think it's in the contract. I read a lot of teen lit, especially Louise Rennison---I lie and tell people I read it "for my job", but really, I just like it! Shh, haha.

See you all in about a month!

Hi everybody. I'm Taylor, and this'll be my fourth summer as an RA at Governor's School. Right now, I am finishing up my first year teaching ninth and tenth grade English in Hanover County (outside of Richmond), and while I've loved (almost) every minute of it, I am itching for summer.

More background: I spent 7 years of my life in Charlottesville, getting various degrees and partial degrees at UVA. I loved it there, but Richmond is home for me. I love to watch television -- 30 Rock was my favorite this season. I used to think zombies were ridiculous until I had to read a book about them for my students' summer reading, and now I recommend _World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War_ by Max Brooks to everyone I talk to. It's deeply disturbing but also deeply awesome. Finally, I am really into the color yellow this year, and I don't know why.

If you find out you're on my hall, please message me and introduce yourself! See y'all soon...

Hola. Me llamo Deborah. Soy de Richmond, VA. Hace cuatro anos que enseno espanol. Me encantan la lengua y la cultura hispana. Este ano, enseno niveles 1 y 2 en Caroline High. Antes de Caroline, ensene tres anos en Henrico County. Es mi cuarto verano trabajando para Governor's School.

Loose Translation....I'm Deborah from Richmond. This is my fourth year teaching Spanish. Currently, I teach Spanish 1 and 2 at Caroline High. I love the Spanish language and culture. This will be the fourth summer that I have worked as an RA for the program.

Please excuse my lack of accent marks and correct punctuation. I am on a PC which is new to me, since for the last three years I used a MAC. Feel free to drop me a line. I can't wait to meet all of you in July. For my residents, the current theme is a land lover one. I promise it will make more since once you get there.

Hi, my name is Nac (aka David). As far as I know, I will be the only faculty member from
Louisiana, but in my visits to Cville and other Virginia locations, I’ve
noticed that most Virginians have visited my hometown of New Orleans at least
once, if not many times. Could this be
out of appreciation for Thomas Jefferson arranging the purchase of Louisiana
from Napoleon Bonaparte, could this be because many Virginians enjoy our gumbo,
crawfish etoufeé, and other Creole dishes, could this be because of the fascinating
civic and educational opportunities that await visitors on Bourbon Street? In
any event, I will be happy to be participating in the Governor’s School in
Newport News this summer because I think that Virginia is a real cool place
(poetic license taken to say “real cool” instead of “very cool”). If you want to find out what “cool” really
means, and discuss cool topics in great detail everyday, you should sign up for
Ad’s and my class called “Coooool” – we promise that it will be real ________
(well, you know what I mean). On the
other hand, those who wish to be challenged in all of their core beliefs
(translation: you like to argue a lot) should sign up for “Last Thinker
Standing” – the coolest sculptor on the planet (Jim Respess) and I will be co-hosting
that one. Don’t forget to bring your stringed or percussion instrument to CNU
it you want to jam out in between classes – I’ll be the ukulele guy wearing the
beret. Nac – out (aka David).





“I think therefore I am.” Rene Descarte

Hi everyone! First off, congratulations on getting accepted to The Governor's School. It's a fantastic program, and you're in for a great summer.

I'm Jim Collison, and I'm playing the role of Resource Manager this summer at the Governor's School. This'll be my second year as Resource Manager, previous to which I had a fabulous honor of being an R.A. for three years (My first year I had a group of girls. True story. Ask me about it sometime). Do the math, and you'll get that this is my fifth year with GovSchool.

What is the "Resource Manager," you ask? Basically, I help coordinate classroom locations, manage our supply inventory, and do some liaison work between the Governor's School and CNU. I also tend to do some impromptu tech support when needed. I've also been blessed with the opportunity to teach one of the seminar classes, "Life of Leisure," so I'll get to meet some of you that way.

So... about me: Well, I'm a lifelong resident of Michigan, and am currently working on my Ph.D. in Tourism & Leisure Studies at Michigan State University. Yes, there really is a degree for that. I also do some graduate assistant work as my official "job," but I'll leave out the details as it tends toward boring "economic impact of tourism" kinds of stuff. In my spare time (ha!), I love, love, love to travel, and also enjoy camping, hiking, canoeing, and other outdoorsy stuff. I'm also a *huge* tech geek, with a special lean toward mobile technology (cell phones, smartphones, GPS, personal digital assistants, digital audio/video) and also in regards to all things Macintosh (but I was a PC geek for years, so no hard feelings). I also have an unnatural obsession with coffee.

I know there's a big running contingent gearing up for this summer, and I'm happy to say that after taking a break since last September, I'm finally getting back into the groove of running. I'm working my way through the most excellent Couch to 5K Running Plan (which I've successfully completed previously), and should be back to 5k runs by the time Governor's School starts. I highly recommend C25K for anyone getting started with running.

Finally, I'm a fan of ice hockey (I *am* from Michigan, after all), and am therefore super-excited that the Detroit Red Wings are back in the Stanley Cup Finals. Let's go Wings!

Each summer Jenn (she'll introduce herself in her own post) and I close up our house, give away our beloved corgi Tywyn to my in-laws , and make the annual trek to Virginia. Personally, I can't think of a better way to spend my July than hanging out at Governor's School. I look forward to meeting everyone this July for a most incredible experience.

Bonjour, et bienvenue! My name's David Oxley -- with all the David's around, I'm sure that'll shorten to Doxley or Dox before too long. I just graduated from (plug) the wonderful, amazing #18-ranked institution in the United States (/plug), Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, with a degree in Computer Science. However, I call Fredericksburg, VA my home, and miss it terribly! I love the Old Dominion!

I'm a self-avowed computer nerd who also adores reading (religion, history, scifi), Le Français, ballroom dancing, the outdoors, musicals, and a host of other topics. I'll be going to Johns Hopkins in the Fall to study Security Informatics (i.e. computer security stuff). Hopefully within a few years I'll be a law enforcement officer, protecting the US from cyber crime and attacks. We'll see!

I attended Governor's School as a Humanities student back in 2004, and I still say that it was the best summer of my life. You guys and gals are in for such an amazing experience! Frankly, I'm a bit jealous to not be on your side of things again.

Anyways, that's about it. I look forward to speaking French, discussing difficult topics, and maybe imparting a little swing and tango at the dances with you all! Feel free to PM me if you want to chat further!

- David

Hello all. I am Justin one of the two counselors you will meet this summer. I work as a school counselor in an elementary school in Hampton, VA. This is my third year with GS. People want to know what a counselor at Gov School does and it is something along the lines of a school counselor who does not schedule your classes... Like helping you out with some things that may come up here or that you may have ongoing. Good things, bad things, whatever. That is what we are here for. Sam(antha) is the other counselor and we are a great team.So enough about the job description.

I live in Norfolk and grew up in Oregon. I like the East Coast way more than the west though. I like cities and history and bricks. I hate desert climates. I like lots of states and cities. Oh and living within a day's drive to somewhere in "le monde francophone" (Quebec is 11 hrs away par voiture). In years past, I have hosted French Lunch where we meet and speak in French. So perhaps David Oxley and I will have something set up for that the first few days.

I'll also be floating around the first few days getting to know you and what you are studying. I get better with names and will probably learn yours by the end of the program, usually sometime in the last week lol.

Hey everyone!

My name is Tim, and I am one of the male RA's. This is my first year at governor's school, and I am very excited for July to come. I just moved to Virginia in August (from Pennsylvania), and I teach science at Colonial Beach High School. The subject areas are physical science (8th graders), earth science (9th graders) and oceanography (11th and 12th graders). Most of the time you can find me looking in the sky to identify clouds or looking at the ground to find some cool rocks. I enjoy sports (go phillies and eagles) and love country music. Can't wait to meet all of you!!

Hello, hello! I'm Michelle and this will be my second year as an RA. I'm nearly finished with my first year as band director at Colonial Heights Middle School (just south of Richmond). Although I love the toots and squawks of middle school band, I'm incredibly excited for the end of the school year and for the special environment of Gov School.

Outside of teaching, I love to talk about, consume, and occaisionally cook food. My current passion: the mango! Other hobbies include hiking, reading, and cheering on my alma mater JMU (go dukes!). I'm also a novice runner and after several 10K's, just signed up for a half marathon!

If you're on my hall, please feel free to message or email me. I'd love to know a bit about you before meeting you in July!

Oh, hello. Didn't see you there. I'm Jenn Collison, returning to Governor's School for my eighth summer. I've worked in several capacities over the years, starting as an RA/Head Resident and moving into the wonderful world of the Humanities Faculty. This year, I'm shifting my title once again (can I ever keep a business card for more than a few years?) and jumping in as Adjunct Faculty Coordinator. Basically, that means I'm the link between the Governor's School faculty and the faculty at CNU, which is a new campus for the program this summer.

Also, since I love psychology and I love love, I'll be teaching a seminar called "Love Connections" dealing with the science and social slippery-ness of romantic attraction. Oh, the webs we'll weave...

In another world, a.k.a. Michigan, I teach primarily seniors in Psychology, AP English Literature, and film history. I direct my school's plays and musicals, too, and coach our mighty Forensics team. In undergrad, I double majored in English and Psychology and I have a Master's degree in Intercultural Humanities. So, I'm proudly a mutt when it comes to Governor's School, since the HUM and VPA disciplines equally inspire me.

Other passions: travel (just returned from Thailand a little while ago), cooking (it's a new dinner recipe every night in my house), teaching (and learning), hockey (Go Red Wings!), social action (go change the world!), and Jim (see his post above). I am not a fan of excessive parentheses in writing (really).

Looking forward to meeting you.

Hello! My name is Danny and I am the Head Resident at Governor’s School. This will be my 9^th summer—8 as an RA and even though I’m turning 30 this year, I’m still probably one of the coolest people that you will meet.

Like Tim, I also teach at Colonial Beach High School (which happens to be my alma mater)—I teach Algebra I, Algebra II, Honors Trig, AP Calculus, and Theatre. I graduated from Roanoke College back in 2001 with a math degree. Some may recognize Colonial Beach High School because of our recent State Championship in Basketball—we are however one of the smallest schools in Virginia—with 250 students in grades 8 to 12.

I’m a huge Boston Red Sox fan and I also love Duke Basketball—JJ Redick is the man! I am addicted to text messaging and Facebook. I enjoy the month of July so that my phone gets a break—it sounds worse than it is—not having a cell phone is one of the greatest things about Governor’s School. I am a math geek and I drink too much diet coke.

I love The Big Bang Theory, Friday Night Lights and Survivor. Actually I’m obsessed with Survivor—I schedule things around Survivor every week—it’s a scary addiction.

If you are on my hall (or even if you’re not), send me a message or add me on facebook. Can’t wait to meet you!

Hello! My name is Jamie, and I am going to be a Resident Adviser. This is my first summer working at the governor's school, but I attended the program for Humanities back in 2000.

I received my Bachelors from the University of Virginia in 2005, and I will begin a J.D. program this coming fall at Case Western Reserve University.

I really like to travel, and I like to think that I have a bit of an adventurous streak in me. I studied abroad two times in Japan, lived in Hawaii for a year after going on vacation there, and just this weekend, finished my first ever backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail.

Also, I am addicted to Desperate Housewives and Google spreadsheets (random I know).

I am so excited to meet everyone. (I have already designed my name tags for my hall!!) If you happen to be on my hall, please send me a message or e-mail. I would love to hear from you!

***Also, if you are on my hall, please bring markers, colored pencils, crayons & any other art supplies you have! ***

Greetings GOV. SCHOOL!!

My name is Harvey Stone and I am a member of the Humanities faculty at this summer's Governor's School at CNU. I am looking forward to a great summer working with and learning from all of you. I am a teacher in Henrico County just outside of Richmond. I teach history, humanities, and theater and I sometimes feel like a jack fo all trades. This summer three of my best friends in the world will become first time moms, which is a sure sign that I am getting old!

Current likes:
1. trashy Top 40 music
2. New York City
3. Greece
4.sandals

Current dislikes:
1. bad pizza
2. students who don't do the reading for class
3. poor customer service

Hey everyone,

My name is Bryan Hooten and I'll be teaching Brass, Music Composition, Meditation and "There's no there there" this summer. I am a trombonist, composer and educator living in Richmond, VA. I play in the bands Ombak (who you'll get to hear during Gov School) Fight the Big Bull, No BS Brass and Verbatim. I teach Music Theory, Small Jazz Ensembles and the occasional jazz composition lesson at VCU. I also run the Jazz Band and James River HS and teach trombone at Hanover HS. This is my third year at Gov. School and I'm super-pumped.

Hello, all! I'm Heather O'Toole, and this is my first year on the Humanities faculty of the Governor's School.

I'm a Frederick, Maryland native, but I moved to Virginia to attend Bridgewater College, an amazing albeit small school that was actually smaller than my high school. After earning a BA in English and German, I attended James Madison University for my MA in English Literature with concentrations in American Literature and Shakespeare. I am also all-but-dissertation (ABD) on a doctoral degree in Educational Administration. After teaching college freshman English for a less-than-rewarding year, I struck out for the fairer shores of high school education. Through a few serendipitous turns, I wound up at Hampton Roads Academy in Newport News, Virginia. Ten years later, I still love my job as much as I did on day one.

In addition to teaching English, I am also the Director of College Counseling at my school. So if you have any burning college admissions-related questions, feel free to ask. I've also taught Tech Theater, directed shows, traveled internationally several times with students, and enjoyed the bejoobee out of each experience.

I am going to borrow and slightly modify my friend and co-teacher Harvey's approach to the rest of my entry. (Hey! Did y'all know that Harvey is the Henrico County Teacher of the Year?!?!? Woo hoo!!!!):

Passions: modern art, art history, American theater, Shakespeare in performance, interior design, gourmet dining, the love of my life, NYC subway musicians, the Aegean Sea, and Sonic strawberry limeades.

Frustrations: cement roadways that are repaired with asphalt, inefficient drive-thrus, my cell phone, local TV commericals, and burnt microwave popcorn (why does it ALWAYS burn?!?!?).

And finally: as long as the stars remain aligned, I'll be coming to govschool with an interesting life-development. Stay tuned....

Heather

Hey All! I am Jeffrey (Jeff) Baumgartner and joining Gov School for the first time, teaching w/i the Humanities. And very excited. I have been an actor lo these many years in Chicago and have run a theatre company and Shakespeare Festival for 15 seasons. Also a painter, I recently founded JB ArtWorks studio gallery in Chicago. Will be performing a one-man show VINCENT by Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy based on van Gogh just weeks before arriving in VA. Travelled to Greece two summers ago with a production of LYSISTRATA and a whirlwind tour of the ancient amphitheatres - and yeah, life-changing experience. Yamas! Little known facts: have not owned a tv for over five years (so don't ask me who's hot, who's not; would probably answer van Gogh), I have an elephant collection (each with trunk up for good luck) collecting dust; and I was an all-american pole vaulter in high school and college a lifetime ago. I am originally from Ft Wayne Indiana, Hoosier State (and still don't know the exact reason why "Hoosier State" - the theory to which I subscribe is that Indianians were always very hospitable and friendly and when meeting someone for the first time would mostly likely inquire, "who's yer state?"; that is, "where are you from?") Anybody else have a credible theory? Looking forward to seeing everyone in July! Yes, I grew up playing basketball too.

Hi, I am Chris Stephens, artist living in Front Royal, VA. I will be on the art faculty and also I will be teaching the bookmaking class in the afternoon. I started teaching at the Governor's School in 1991, did eleven summers, then retired I thought for good. I was encouraged to return and I am happy to be back after eight years. I swim a bit, do a little yoga, like to walk, play stringed instruments, draw, paint, make things . . .its gonna be fun.

Hey everyone!

I'm Elaine Smith and this will be my third summer as an RA (I took last year off). I attended GovSchool in 2000 as a vocal music student and it was a really great experience.

I've taught high school choir and drama for four years at West Stokes High School in King, NC. I live in Greensboro and attend UNC-Greensboro. I'm working on my PhD in Music Education.

I love hiking, whitewater rafting, baseball/softball, and occasionally I like to sing I currently hate weddings and the color teal (and yes they are related, and yes, I have the dress).

I'm very excited to meet all of you and get to know you. I love to talk! If you're on my hall (and even if you're not!) send me a message and introduce yourself.

~Elaine

Howdy!

I'm Samantha, the other counselor at Gov School. This will be my second summer at GS and I'm super excited. Back in my "real life" I am a middle school counselor in Waconia, MN.

I love meeting people, and I'm great at remembering quirky details, but terrible at remembering names! For example, I am more likely to remember that you were wearing a red shirt the first time we met and play the flute than I am to remember your name is Dana. (True story, btw!) (Buttons at GS are truly a life-saver for me.)

I grew up in North Dakota and have recently adopted Minnesota as home. Both places are really swell, but spending the summer in Virginia is good too.

(About a million years ago) I attended the ND Governor's School for Science where I completed a project studying plasmid DNA stabilization & transportation. The project failed miserably....but during that summer I met some of the coolest, brightest, best people I have ever known. Y'all are 1 month away from your best summer ever and I am so excited for you. Gov School is an amazing, unique experience. Don't miss a minute of it.
(I also like that this smiley is a cat.)

LISTEN UP: You can't be FUNKY if you haven't got a SOUL. That's my motto and my groove. My name is Ad and I hope to be the first Ad you've ever met. My story? I'm a troubadour. I'm a STORYTELLER and a MUSICIAN. I like artists a whole lot and spend a lot of time hanging out with and around them, writing down things that they say. Sometimes I help them with their ideas and sometimes I write music for their artworks. Sometimes I just watch loudly. I like present history (some call it "the news" and some call it "pop culture"). You'll find me laughing about most everything this summer. I also TEaCH at a university in the music and philosophy departments. I journal in the form of poems and write music in the form of pears after my old pal Erik Satie. I sew and talk, and meet people and record what they say. I love to read and to meet eccentric people and then write down what they say so other people can read it and talk to their friends about it . My favorite kind of music is

underground new wave"

I really like people and traveling and telling stories and camping and red pandas and not usually run-on sentences but I do like to cook and compost and recycle and garden and I really like beets and tea and graffiti and finding out people's stories and writing them down and I'll probably like you, too, once we've met. Someday I plan to get on my bike and ride away. Maybe that's my story. I'm an APPALACHIAN and an ADVOCATE. I don't like TRANS FAT. I'll be one of the coaches for "Cooooool" and also for "Being Graphic and Coming of Age." I'm the tour guide for "NYC 1960s: Andy Warhol." I really like Andy Warhol. He also recorded what people said, and he said a lot of things that other people wrote down. I hope to portray him in a movie some day. I'm Ad. Who are you?