Faculty

As important as the curriculum is, what is even more important is who is teaching the curriculum. The extraordinary level of achievement of our students may be attributed to the high level of expectations placed on students, as well as the support students receive from the faculty. With limited class sizes, teachers are able to take the time to really get to know and care about each student. The confidence the faculty has in our students encourages them to reach beyond their perceived limitations.

At Wilson Hall the process of education occurs in an atmosphere of genuine caring and support that comes from the mutual respect between our teacher and students. Our teachers encourage the best from their students, but they also give freely of themselves, even when they have to sacrifice their private time to do so. Our teachers stay after school each day to offer assistance to students or speak with parents, with many teachers having regularly scheduled tutoring or review sessions. Many of our faculty members serve as team coaches and club advisors, so it is not uncommon to see them on campus working long after school is dismissed.

Any curriculum is only as good as the person teaching it, and Wilson Hall has some of the best teachers in the region, as judged by the numerous commendations. In the S.C. Independent School Association’s annual teacher of the year competition, Wilson Hall has had more teachers receive recognition than any other school in the area. 

Since the school is fully accredited through AdvancED, the non-profit, non-governmental organization that accredits primary and secondary schools throughout the United States and internationally, all of our teachers are either certified or teach a majority of their courses in the area of their college major.

Wilson Hall has had 11 teachers named State Teacher of the Year by the S.C. Independent School Association, and 39 teachers have been among the top three finalists for the award during the 33-year old recognition program. 

Continuing Professional Development

AP Human Geography students are putting knowledge into action with hexagonal thinking as a powerful retrieval strategy. This strategy is just one of many their teacher has learned through ongoing professional development to continuously enhance the learning experience.

Warren Receives Volunteer of the Year Award

Mr. Scott Warren received the Charles J. Beach Volunteer of the Year Award at the South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) Fall Teachers’ Conference. He received the award in recognition of his decades of service to the association, such as serving as the moderator for the high school and middle school regional and state quiz bowl competitions since 2000. Mr. Warren has also moderated regional spelling bees since 1999 and the state spelling bees since 2013. He organized the first two SCISA state chess tournaments, and he has been a faculty presenter at 14 SCISA State Teachers’ Conferences.

Mr. Warren teaches French I, II and III, Advanced Placement French Language, and Advanced Placement Music Theory. He serves as the director of the Instrumental Ensemble, is the advisor and accompanist for the high school and middle school SCISA State Music Festival, and he is the coordinator for the high school SCISA Choral Clinic. Mr. Warren also serves as the advisor for the National Honor Society. 

This marks the fourth time Wilson Hall has received the Beach Award. SCISA is a non-profit, voluntary association of 147 independent schools that serve more than 37,000 teachers and students. Founded in 1965, the state of South Carolina incorporated SCISA as an exclusively educational organization with the responsibilities of establishing accreditation standards, coordinating academic and athletic competition, and providing professional development for member organizations.

Teachers of the Year

The following were selected as the Teachers of the Year by their peers: High School - Mrs. Lori Brown (history), Middle School - Mrs. Laura Burleson (history), and Lower School - Mrs. Mindy Busch (kindergarten).

Jones & Warren Presented West Award

Mrs. Amy Jones and Mr. Scott Warren received the Margaret S. West Excellence in Teaching Award and a gift of $1,000 from the West Foundation. This award is presented to one lower school and one upper school faculty member who exhibit excellence in teaching through interest and enthusiasm of the subject matter, and who show genuine compassion for his or her students. The financial contribution is given to the recipients in honor of their active interest in learning. The selection committee for the award consists of a member of the West family, the head of school and the lower school head.

Mrs. Jones, who has taught at Wilson Hall for six years, is a kindergarten teacher. Mr. Warren, who has taught at Wilson Hall for 26 years, teaches Advanced Placement French Language, Advanced Placement Music Theory, and French I-III, is the advisor for the Instrumental Ensemble and the National Honor Society, and he serves as the Foreign Language Department Chair. 

Faculty Participates in Professional Development

Representing a variety of grade levels and academic departments, 16 faculty members participated in the Critical Friends Group (CFG) training sponsored by the National School Reform Faculty based in Indiana. Mrs. Stacey Reaves, Head of Upper School, organized the week-long, 33-hour training held on campus over five days. To create a productive system to improve student learning, CFG promotes cultivation of safety and trust between members. With a focus on solving problems and accomplishing goals through professional support, collaboration and collegiality is encouraged, which benefits students and faculty alike. 

Seven Teachers Attend AP Summer Institutes

Seven members of the faculty attended an Advanced Placement (AP) Summer Institute which offers the most thorough professional learning available for AP educators. Attendees engaged in 30 hours of content-rich training designed to strengthen how they teach their AP courses. Through their experience, they learned ready-to-use strategies and pedagogical tools shared by an experienced educator within the AP community. 

The following teachers attended an institute: Mrs. Jessica Duke - AP Physics,  Mrs. Martha Jo Johnson - AP Research, Mr. Brent Kaneft - AP English Literature, Mr. Blane Russell - AP Computer Science Principles, Mrs. Allyson Sanders - AP Psychology,  Mr. Hunter Sheridan - AP Computer Science Principles, and Ms. Hannah Smith - Pre-AP World History. 
 

Barfield Attends AP Conference

Mrs. Susan Barfield, Director of Academics, attended the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) Annual Conference in Las Vegas. The conference brought together thousands of education professionals from the AP and Pre-AP communities and featured workshops, content-driven sessions, and exhibits. She had the opportunity to connect with new and experienced teachers of AP courses, AP chief readers, AP coordinators, and counselors. 

Mrs. Barfield is one of only 20 people selected internationally by the College Board to serve as an AP Coordinator Consultant. AP coordinators assume primary responsibility for organizing and administering the AP programs at their schools. They also manage the ordering, receipt, distribution, administration, and return of AP Exam materials, making sure millions of students worldwide receive their AP scores. Wilson Hall offers 22 AP classes, more than any school in the region, which provides students with the opportunity to earn college credit by taking college-level courses taught by specially trained teachers.
 

Brown & Matthews Serve as AP Readers

Mrs. Lori Brown and Mrs. Molly Matthews spent seven days during the summer working for the Advanced Placement (AP) Reading, an annual event where AP teachers and college faculty score millions of responses from AP Exams. As readers, they gained an in-depth understanding of the AP Exam so they can better assess their own students’ work. They also exchanged ideas and experiences with a global network of teachers, faculty, and AP Development Committee members. Mrs. Brown, who teaches AP U.S. History, attended the reading held in Kansas City, Missouri, and Mrs. Matthews, who teaches AP English Language, attended the reading in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Smith Presents at Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Education Conference

Smith Presents at Articial Intelligence Conference
Dr. Terri Smith, a computer science and technology teacher, was a featured presenter for the Policy Studies Organization conference on Artificial Intellignece (AI) and the Future of Education: Disruptive Teaching and Learning Models. Dr. Smith’s presentation was Ethical Consideration of AI: How Higher Ed Can Find a Seat at the Table. One of the classes she teaches at Wilson Hall is AI in the World. 
 

Transformative Teaching & Learning Summer Academy

Wilson Hall enjoyed hosting the second summer academy for The Center for Transformative Teaching & Learning. Teachers spent a week learning more about the science of learning and how we can use insights from neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and education research to improve teaching and learning. A special thanks to Evan Bell (`22) and Mikayla Ovrenovits (`25) for participating as interns and for presenting to faculty about their learning journeys. We were also grateful to have faculty from Ben Lippen School, Spartanburg Day School, Hammond, and Heathwood Hall join us for a great week of collaboration.