Retiring Faculty & Staff

Susan Alterman

Susan joined St. Mark’s in 2011 as the Administrative Assistant to the Director of Counseling and then moved into the role of Registrar and Administrative Assistant to the Head of Upper School the next year. She assisted Upper School Marksmen as well as their parents throughout her time in that Division. Susan helped new Division and Assistant Division Heads get organized in their roles and coordinated many annual events, including Upper School Mini School, senior dinners, Final Assemblies, and Commencement ceremonies.

Barbara Johnson

Beginning in 2007, Barbara Johnson served as the Admission Office Administrator. New families

applying to the School found a warm, friendly, and efficient first stop under her care. She was committed to making the admission experience as pleasant as possible. Working through numerous application processes over the past 13 years kept Barbara rising to new challenges with her usual unfailing grace, patience, and diligence. Debra Materre

For 16 years, Debra Materre helped fourth-grade Marksmen reach their full potential. Mathematics was her specialty, leading boys to be problem solvers and to stretch themselves through increasingly complex math work. She always sought ways to increase collaboration among her students focusing on group work and enrichment activities to meet that goal. Debra’s Brainiac Club was very popular with the boys. Debra made character and leadership the foundation of her work and was fully committed to the success of every student in her care.

Marsha McFarland

Marsha McFarland joined St. Mark’s as a Spanish teacher in 1998 and has since served in numerous

capacities in and out of the classroom. She was a sponsor of the Discipline Council and the International Student Exchange Program, reorganized the AP Spanish Literature Course, and served as a mentor for new faculty members. Marsha received the Murrell Excellence-in-Teaching Award in 2000 and the Ackerman Character

Education Award in 2006. In 2016, Marsha was named the holder of the Cecil H. & Ida Green

Master Teaching Chair, a position she held until her retirement. Clara Ann Norman

After 27 years of service at St. Mark’s, Clara Ann Norman retired to enjoy more time with her family. Clara Ann taught a wide range of mathematics courses from Algebra I & II in Middle School to Precalculus and AP Statistics in Upper School. She always concentrated on continuing professional development and worked to adapt new technologies into her classroom instruction. She sponsored mathematics teams and orienteering clubs and took time to mentor new faculty members. In 2004, the School honored Clara Ann with a Murrell Excellence-in-Teaching Award.

retiring faculty & staff

Lisa Brandenburg

Lisa Brandenburg’s career at St. Mark’s began in 1986 as the Educational Assistant to the Head of

Upper School. Her work in that role earned her the Superior Staff Award in 1989 just before she began teaching eighth-grade Humanities. As a member of the English Department, Lisa taught creative writing and sponsored the Middle School literary magazine, The Mirage. She helped to develop what we now know as the Character and Leadership Program and earned the Ackerman Award for Character

Education as well as the John H. Murrell Excellencein-Teaching Award. Jacque Gavin

For more than four decades, Jacque Gavin was a leading member of the Fine Arts Department, including three decades as Department Chair. Jacque taught students of all ages and skill levels, introducing them to drama, musical theater, improvisation, and all they needed to know about stage production. She also led the hosting of three ISAS Arts Festivals at St. Mark’s. Under her

leadership, the Fine Arts Department received countless awards in all areas of the arts. After her

30 years as Chair, Jacque stepped back into the classroom full time to inspire Marksmen in the theater arts. In addition to her teaching, Jacque coached the archery team for several years and took part in the Pecos Wilderness Trip.

Curtis Smith

Curtis Smith arrived at St. Mark’s in 1977 and spent the next 43 years teaching English and social studies to generations of Marksmen. He introduced his students to an expanded worldview by including assignments with non-Western perspectives through innovative reading and writing projects. In addition to his teaching and advising duties, Curtis coached basketball, played in the Studio Band, and sponsored the Discipline Council and Amnesty International. He was the founder and first Director

of the Mesquite Program, which later became the Brendan Court Program, an enrichment program offered to middle school students from the Dallas

Independent School District. The program used Upper School Marksmen as teachers, providing them with a taste of being on the other side of the desk. Several of those Marksmen teachers chose to start their professional careers in the education field. Curtis and his family spent one year at The Hutchins School in Tasmania as part of a faculty exchange program. Curtis never lost focus on what he described as the “sacred duty of teaching” which involves careful reading, thinking, and precise writing. Mr. Smith was the recipient of the Murrell Excellence in Teaching Award in 1990.