Faculty
Overview
Faculty Listing
Employment & Volunteer Opportunities
The Old Village, Mount Pleasant
Students learn the purpose and systems present in this parking lot's run-off water trench
Overview
Actively fostering a culture of learning is what makes a great school. Preparing students with strong mathematical reasoning skills, a sound conceptual grasp of science, tools for written and oral expression, the ability to understand and interact with a diverse world and instilling them with a thirst for knowledge and joy in learning are important goals. Safe and functional buildings suited to the educational mission of the school are also vital. Still, the primary determinants of success for students are the expectations and the quality of teachers.
Many teachers in K-12 educational institutions are outstanding. Yet, to create ideal conditions for students, University School deliberately seeks the best teachers. This entails hiring teachers who would succeed in many fields because of their drive, insight, curiosity, and ability. They enjoy learning and seek knowledge and understanding of many disciplines, and they are able to make connections among seemingly disparate topics because of this approach to engaging the world. These "Renaissance Scholars" are passionate about many interests, and this enthusiasm spills over into all disciplines that they teach, lending each lesson to interdisciplinary analysis and linkages to a diverse array of topics. Furthermore, University School teachers are committed to demonstrating and maintaining a healthy and ethical environment. Our faculty have the highest expectations for each other and for each student in all areas of their development: intellectually, physically, emotionally, ethically, and socially. It is in this type of atmosphere that our students can begin to grow and to develop their own interests while feeling supported by the school (family) community.
A great deal is expected of a University School faculty member. In order to retain teachers of this caliber and secure additional quality teachers, University School compensates its faculty at levels comparable to or better than other public and private schools. We also devote considerable resources to the ongoing professional and personal development of our teachers. USL teachers are certified in American Red Cross CPR/AED and have completed Darkness to Light's Stewards of Children sexual abuse prevention program.
Faculty Listing
Dana Brooks Brown – B.A., M.Ed. (IS Lead Teacher)
Dana grew up in Atlanta. She graduated from Barnard College and received her Masters in Education from Bank Street College. In New York Dana taught at New Lincoln and the Bank Street School for Children. Both had cultures that emphasized cooperation, the core curriculum, learning by doing in and out of the classroom, and problem solving. Bank Street developed a word processor for children and did other innovative work with educational technology. Dana was part of a college committee to advance comfort with computers. Ultimately she led a department that helped area schools introduce use of personal computers.
Dana returned to Atlanta and worked with the Education Division of IBM, wrote for educational publishing companies, and taught at her alma mater, Westminster. As an elementary math specialist, Dana developed preparation for faculty to teach Everyday Math, adopted to strengthen the school-wide program. After moving to Charleston, Dana became the education person for the Bird of Prey Center. Later she worked with the Sewee Education and Environmental Center to create the Earth Stewards Program - a wetlands curriculum for local schools. When Dana returned to the classroom, she connected with local artist Gwylene Gallimard. Dana’s students contributed to an installation at the Old Jail downtown. They harvested indigo, dyed and wove kudzu, made pottery and “dream bags.” There were weekend activities like water skiing, rowing, and boat building. Dana took time out when family obligations arose. She fulfilled a longtime dream and joined a masters swim team. Ready to work again, Dana was intrigued by the University School. She met the faculty and staff and thought they were great. She met the students and was hooked. She wanted to get back to teaching. Dana lives in Mount Pleasant with her husband John, two dogs, and two cats. Happily their son Michael lives nearby with his wife Ashley and their young son, Ryland.
Bucky Buchanan – B.S. (IS/MS PE & Health, MS Latin)
Bucky serves as a teacher and administrator (especially as a steward of our special culture and overseer for student life). Mr. Buchanan graduated from the College of Charleston with a BS in Physical Education and a concentration in Health Promotion in May of 2008. He has extensive experience as a teacher and coach of children and young adults in the Charleston area. From May 2008-May 2010, Mr. Buchanan is served as the Fit Club Program Director for Louie’s Kids, a Charleston-based non-profit dedicated to fighting childhood obesity among America’s economically disadvantaged population. During the summer of 2010, he ventured into work with individual clients to meet reach their athletic potential as a fitness consultant. He entered the Master's degree in Health, Exercise, and Sports Science program at The Citadel. He served for seven years as a teacher of martial arts with Masters Studio, and this included the position of head instructor for children’s classes. He has also worked as a swim coach for seven years, at all levels, for Snee Farm, Smiling Sharks Special Olympics, and Rivertowne. Mr. Buchanan has also demonstrated positive leadership and been recognized for his achievements at the College of Charleston. He was a member of the C of C swim team for all four years, and the last two he was captain. He won the Coleman Lew Leadership Award, the Coaches Award (twice), and the Camille Welborn Memorial Scholarship. He led the Men’s team to its first CCSA conference championship in 2008, and he also served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Board. He is a 2004 graduate of Wando High School.
Heather Coll – B.A., M.A. (High School Placement, Job Shadowing and Testing Coordinator)
Always a people-person, Heather majored in psychology at Susquehanna University and received the “Senior Psychology Award” in ‘95 upon graduating with a BA. Throughout college, her interest in working with adolescents was reinforced when she received the “Counselor of the Year” award at Camp Cayuga, her summer place of employment. Heather began her career in ‘96 developing the Guidance Program for The Hudson School, a small private school in Hoboken, NJ. In ’97 she was awarded the Centennial Scholarship at New York University, where she was able to complete her MA in Counseling and Guidance in ’99. While at NYU, Heather was an Intern at Bellevue Hospital, working with terminally ill adolescents, which was an inspiring and life-changing experience for her. She also worked as a Research Interviewer with the Social Intervention Group at Columbia University, researching at-risk behaviors and substance abuse. Heather’s husband joined the Air Force in 1996 which allowed them to experience many different places. Heather has lived and worked in CT, PA, Australia, NJ, NY, TX, UT and now SC. She has 12 years of counseling, teaching and outreach experience working with middle, high school and college students. Her most recent position was with Ashley Hall, as a School Counselor and Wellness Teacher for grades 5 – 12. Heather and her husband, Ken, chose to settle in Charleston to raise their family and she is thrilled to have an opportunity to work at USL. They live in Mount Pleasant with their two children, Marissa and Joseph, and their dog, Cooper.
Heather Connelly – B.S., M.Ed. (MS Science)
Heather moved to the Charleston area to attend the College of Charleston where she graduated from the Honors program with a B.S. in Biology and earned her Secondary Education certification. While there she worked in the Math lab and as a Supplemental Instruction leader for introductory Biology classes during which time she realized that she loved helping others learn and decided that she wanted to teach. As part of her program, she completed independent study and a bachelor’s essay about problem-based learning and realized the educational value of students learning about real-life issues related to a subject and developing solutions to problems. After graduating, Heather accepted a science teaching position at R.B. Stall High school instructing students in Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Physical Science, and Marine Science. Teaching a variety of courses during her 6 years at the school helped Heather research real-life relationships within many disciplines to engage her students. During this time, she also volunteered at the SC Aquarium and returned to C of C to earn her Masters degree in math and science education -- both of which helped her expand her knowledge of various scientific disciplines. Heather enjoys helping students use scientific methods to solve problems and relate what they are learning in class to their lives and is excited to work with the students at University School as they expand their knowledge about science. Heather currently resides in Mount Pleasant with her husband, Drew and their daughter, Ava.
Beth Donoghue – B.S. (IS Science and Extended Day Director)
Beth is the Intermediate School Science teacher and serves as a facilitator of the Extended Day Program. She received her undergraduate degree at the University of South Carolina, majoring in Marine Science, and is currently pursuing her Masters of Environmental Studies at the College of Charleston, focusing on environmental education in 3rd-8th grade students. As a resident of Charleston, Beth has been involved in work with local youth as an employee of the South Carolina Aquarium and an Intern at Lowcountry Earth Force. As the Earth Force Beyond the Classroom Intern in 2008-2009, Beth implemented Lowcountry Earth Force's 16 week community action and problem solving curriculum in after school programs for 3rd-5th graders in Charleston County Elementary Schools. Beth enjoys guiding students through hands on experiences and projects encouraging long term improvements and sustainable practices in their communities. Beth currently resides on the Charleston Peninsula and likes volunteering as a Park Steward at Hampton Park.
Jason Kreutner - B.A./B.S., MA (IS/MS Leadership and Life Skills)
Jason Kreutner, raised in Mount Pleasant and a current resident, is founder and Head of University School of the Lowcountry. He has extensive experience as an educator and leader in independent schools and is a recipient of a National Association of Independent Schools NAIS Fellowship for Aspiring School Heads (2006-2007 school year). Prior to establishing USL, he was Dean of Students and then Director of Studies at Charleston Collegiate School, served as Upper School Dean and History Department Chair at Porter-Gaud School, and was Dean of Students and Humanities Instructor at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in Columbia, SC. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the South Carolina Honors College and received his master’s degree from Emory University in History. Kreutner was recognized by the South Carolina Independent School Association as the Headmaster "Rookie of the Year" for the 2007-2008 school year. Mr. Kreutner is married to Ashleigh (Tasha) Eady, a member of the corporate management team for Gilligan's restaurants. They have one daughter, Kessler. In addition to his work in education, he is Head Coach of Snee Farm Swim Team.
Donna Logan - B.A. (MS Humanities)
Donna, a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a BA in English and Theater, has had a long and varied teaching career, beginning with Goose Creek High and then the new Stratford High, where she taught English on all levels. She then moved to Bishop England High School for ten years and worked primarily with 9th and 10th graders, teaching both college preparatory and general levels of English. When Bishop England moved to Daniel Island, Donna accepted a position at Mason Preparatory School to teach history to the 7th and 8th grades. In her classes she incorporates composition, in the form of document-based essays, the literature, art, and music of the corresponding time period, daily attention to current events and their connection to class lessons, and projects that engaged the creativity and curiosity of the students. She loves lively discussions and students willing to examine issues from all points of view.
Ms. Logan has lived in Charleston for all of her adult life and is married to Sandy Logan, an architect with LS3P Associates. She has two children: Sam and Hallie.
Wei Ma - B.A. (IS/MS Mandarin)
Wei Ma was born and raised in China where she received her B.A. in Education. She immigrated to the United States in 1997 and received an A.S. from Santa Barbara City College (CA) in Office Management. Wei Ma has been teaching Mandarin Chinese to children in Charleston for several years. She is passionate about her teaching and believes learning the Chinese language and culture will give students more opportunity in the future. Wei Ma is also the director of Charleston Chinese Language Center which offers one-on-one and small group lessons. She likes to do Chinese calligraphy and Chinese folk dance in her spare time. She lives in West Ashley with her husband,Elijah Siegler, and two children, Lucy and Henry.
Andonia McKinney - B.S.B., M.A. (IS Spanish)
Andonia grew up in many different places in the U.S.A., Scotland and Mexico. She attended high school and college in Guadalajara, Mexico where she studied Folk Art, Ballet Folklorico and Spanish. She later moved back to Scotland and attended Hamilton Teacherʼs College and Edinburgh University and received a B.S. in teaching K-12, Curriculum Development (and a degree in Nurse- Midwifery). She is also certified in Montessori Education. Andonia transferred to Appalachian State University upon returning to America. There she earned her M.A. in Spanish and Education. She has had the privilege of teaching in several different countries including Chile, Mexico, Greece, Russia, Jamaica, and the U.S.A. (Boone, N.C. and Charleston) over the past twenty years. Andonia has been a key-note speaker at the International Foreign Language Teacherʼs Symposium in Santiago de Chile. Her topic was: “Global Education/ World School.” Andonia is currently teaching at ten other schools in the Charleston area, and her program is known as ʻCreative Spanish.’ This is an art-based and cross-cultural approach to learning foreign languages. She believes that by bringing the language alive with cultural and global interactions, the students learn to speak with fluency and enjoy the language simultaneously. Andonia has been teaching this method of ʻCreative Spanishʼ for 8 years in Charleston...and is excited to already know many of University School’s wonderful students. Andonia feels strongly that her students need to realize that they are global citizens: she stresses that learning Spanish will be a valuable tool toward their active participation in a mobile and expanding world-culture. Andonia strives to make learning the Spanish language fun and effective. She incorporates songs, folk-tales, poetry, call & response, music, maps and theater, etc. into her Spanish curriculum. Andonia has 4 children. Two sons, Ryan and Peter, live in N.C. with their wives and beautiful children. One daughter, Grace, lives in Charleston with her family and adorable son, Shaye. Andonia and her son, Adrian (age 13) live on their 40ʼ sailboat in Wild Dunes and sometimes in the Avondale area of West Ashley. She and Adrian enjoy the great outdoors. Their most recent adventure was hiking and camping in Alaska for 4 weeks. Andonia is thrilled to be part of University School and looks forward to a great experience here.
Ann Glenn Rowland - B.A., M.A.T. (MS Spanish)
Ann has lived in the Charleston area most of her life and is a 34-year veteran teacher who has taught all levels of Spanish in the Lowcountry. She received her B.A. from Winthrop University and her M.A.T. from the Citadel and has been trained to teach Spanish in the International Baccalaureate program. Ann started out her career at North Charleston High School and, after her first son was born seven years later, she transferred to Summerville Intermediate High School to be closer to her residence. While at Summerville, Ann became the chairperson of the Foreign Language Department, a position she maintained as she helped launch Fort Dorchester High in 1992. As a FDHS Patriot, Ann organized the Spanish Club and the SADD club – Students Against Destructive Decisions - and was an active member of local, state and national foreign language organizations. She also organized 14 trips for her students to Europe and Mexico and developed a homestay program for Lowcountry students in Mexico. Although Ann retired from FDHS in 2004, she is thrilled to be a part of USL and hopes her new students will experience the same enthusiasm and love for speaking Spanish as she has. Ann lives with her husband, Chris, in their log home in Ravenel and has one married son, Thomas, who lives in Charleston with is wife, Sarah. Ann and Chris are now grandparents! Chris has 2 grandsons, 2 1/2 years old and 9 months old, and Ann has a 5 month old granddaughter. They also acquired a new dog in July: a 1 year old Mini Australian Shepherd named Slyder!
Jackie Scarafile - B.A., M.A.T. (IS/MS Writing, Grammar, Public Speaking)
Jackie Scarafile grew up in Hartsville, South Carolina and received her BA degree in Media Studies from the College of Charleston. After working with students at Burke High School through their HSAP program, Jackie pursued her M.A.T. degree from The Citadel Graduate School. During graduate school Jackie became the lead Verbal Instructor for a local SAT test prep company where she created course curriculum. As another part-time venture, Jackie also taught preschool! As a graduate school requirement, she spent countless hours at various local schools including Moultrie Middle School and Wando High School. She completed a semester-long internship teaching 10th and 11th grade at Wando High School where she received Student Teacher of the Year for the state of South Carolina. For the past three years, Jackie has taught 10th and 12th grade English as well as SAT Prep at West Ashley High School. Jackie loves working with students of all ages and is excited to join the University School staff. She resides in Mount Pleasant with her husband Matt, their one-year-old daughter Charlotte, and their two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Bailey and Jamie.
Tom Zenauskas - (MS Math)
A native of Connecticut, Tom didn't begin teaching until he was 30. He taught high school and middle school math, served as an administrator, and was a basketball and softball coach before arriving in Charleston in 1987. He took a position as a fifth-grade instructor at Buist Academy, and he spent over two decades there teaching math and science in the middle school.
Employment & Volunteer Opportunities
University School is a vibrant and growing learning community. We continually seek to build our contacts with those interested in teaching and/or volunteering at USL. Prospective faculty members and volunteers who support the mission of our school, enjoy teaching curious, thoughtful and high-achieving students, and are looking for collaborative, creative and intellectual colleagues with whom to work are invited to apply. If interested in faculty employment, please send a letter of interest, resume, and completed application form (available below) to the Head of School. If interested in volunteering, please just complete and send in the application form.
Faculty & Volunteer Application(PDF)
For 2012-2013, we are always eager to hear from highly-qualified candidates available for part-time positions. This includes all disciplines and grades.
USL also seeks applicants for part-time positions for the future launch of our Upper School: Coordinator of the Upper School, US Science, US Math, US English, US Spanish, and US History.
University School of the Lowcountry is committed to its growth as an institution that welcomes and values a diversified school community. The school does not discriminate on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, religion, economic background, or any other classification protected by law in the administration of its educational policies, financial assistance policies, or any other school policy or program.
