FACULTY AND STAFF
Liza Cowan. She played squash at Harvard, and Liza gets how to motivate and work with young women.” Rick says he’ll miss all the lessons squash taught him. But he’s eager to finally get to the Gulf Coast. Not single this time—he’ll have Martha, his bride of 35 years. And not New Orleans—they’re headed to Fairhope, Alabama. Martha will do a bit of consulting in commercial real estate, and Rick hopes to volunteer at the local historical
FACULTY AND STAFF
museum and work as an adjunct professor at the regional college. Together they plan to kayak in different waterways across the world and travel to see tennis grand slams, where he hopes to run into former colleague Scoot Dimon ’70. “Martha and I play mixed doubles together, so we will play an enormous amount of tennis,” he says. -Christy Oglesby
volunteering and taking classes. Mary is going through the process of becoming a Zoo Atlanta volunteer. She hopes to join the enrichment team and make toys and playthings for animals that encourage their natural behaviors. Sounds like those lucky animals will benefit from Mary’s creativity
there from the basement of Broyles Arts Center, where few people saw the art. Together with former and current Heads of Middle School, Bo Adams and Danette Morton, Mary says she “used the halls and walls to create a showcase to inspire and honor our student artists.” More than 550 pieces of Middle School student art are on display in the Middle School Permanent Art Collection. Mary also braved the dangers of painting from a two-story lift to contribute an image of a teapot to the large mural in the Art and Science Commons.
Mary Cobb
Middle School art teacher 1995-2018 Two years ago, multi-talented art teacher Mary Cobb attempted to retire from her long and illustrious career in the classroom, only to be lured back to Westminster to co-teach a brand new class: Art & Architecture. This time around, Mary’s retirement is official. Mary arrived at Westminster in 1995 to teach two sections of Upper School ceramics, bringing with her 29 years of experience teaching art and pottery at public schools and Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. Westminster gradually increased her schedule to include seventh grade art, and in her third year, she was asked to teach full-time. “I was not sure at all, for I loved teaching part-time and being a potter at the same time. I am so glad I was convinced to give it a try as I loved it and ultimately asked to teach only in the Middle School,” Mary says. “I have really had a sense of belonging in the Middle School and felt at home.” And she set about making that home even more inviting and inspiring than she found it. When Clarkson Hall opened in 2005, Middle School art classes were moved
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Prior to 1995, Mary had never had any association with an independent school. The thought of students attending the same school for up to 13 years amazes her, and that longevity contributes to the sense of Wildcat identity, she says. “Wildcats are everywhere…I have three different Wildcats living within a block of my home, and I have taught three of my former art students in my Callanwolde pottery class. And they come back to teach at Westminster! I loved having some of my former students as colleagues in the Middle School.” Friend and colleague Trisha Dodt, assistant to the Head of Middle School, describes Mary as an “Energizer Bunny who lives, loves, and teaches art. She is incredibly innovative, while also being detail-oriented and impeccably organized, which are wonderful accompaniments to her free-spirited, artistic talents.” Trisha shares that she will miss Mary’s constant smile and willingness to take on any task or project with enthusiasm, citing the Art & Architecture class as an example of Mary’s fearless and adventurous spirit, even in the closing years of her career. Retirement 2.0 will find Mary spending more time with Dande, her adorable terrier mix. The two of them volunteer together once a month with Pet Pals, visiting King’s Bridge Retirement Community. She also looks forward to doing some projects on her Virginia Highland home and spending far more time at Callanwolde
just as Westminster students have for the past 23 years. With gratitude for her inspirational service to our School, we wish Mary many more years of joy in sharing her talents with others. -Stacie Davis Rapson ’83
excitement to reading and writing. Diane has always loved a good story, and so did her students. She dedicated afternoons to the writing club, inspiring young learners to write anything and everything without limits. She encouraged them to explore writing fiction with their full imaginations, believing that it allowed her students to write from their hearts. “Children are natural storytellers,” she says. “And for kids—that is the perfect opportunity for reading and writing.” Diane held her students’ stories dear, turning many into teaching tools to inspire students in moments of challenge.
Diane Dalbo
Lower School teacher 2001-2018 Diane Dalbo first found herself part of Westminster’s community as a parent of three Wildcats, Ansley ’95, Raegan ’98, and Austin ’03. Previously a volunteer tutor, she saw Westminster as the perfect full-time opportunity to further her impact on young people. In her 16 years teaching at Westminster, Diane says she felt blessed to have worked with talented co-teachers including Elizabeth Hemphill and Patricia Shande. “The co-teaching model is so beautiful because it’s like parenting,” she says. “You’ve got someone to bounce ideas off of, and it’s great for the children because it gives them more one-on-one time. I wish all schools could have this model.” Through collaborating with other faculty, Diane discovered teaching methods that worked for her, giving her the drive to take risks and try new things. “Collaboration made me become a better teacher and better person,” she says. “I felt energized the most when embracing the model of letting my students dive right in.” It brought creativity and
Having taught second, fourth, and fifth grades, Diane thrived when teaching students who were ready to learn more deeply, like fourth graders: “They begin to realize that things are not just black and white. And, they start to characterize how they feel, what interests them, and how they can work with others,” she explains. One of the most rewarding experiences of Diane’s teaching career was working with Middle School English teacher Judy Gale. When Diane took a year off from Westminster to attend graduate school, she spent several weeks observing and learning from Judy. When Diane returned to Westminster, Judy invited her fourth graders to pair with her sixth graders for peer editing. Judy says: “I first began hearing about Diane through students coming into my sixth grade English class. They raved about how she taught them to write and how writing mattered. Although she treasured their stories, she made her students feel treasured first.” Every year, Diane cherished watching her previous students walk proudly across the stage during commencement. “It’s like church for me—a time for self-reflection and a very spiritual, rewarding experience,” she says. Having watched her own children work so hard and thrive at Westminster, she knows the sense of accomplishment students feel at that point.
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