Four new faculty members have joined the visual and performing arts departments this year.
The new hires follow the departure of three longtime arts faculty in Nick Ryan, Adrian Loving and Christal Boyd. The fourth change is due to a sudden vacancy in the performing arts department leadership with the departure of Jason Strunk, former high school director of choral and vocal studies and performing arts department chair.
The new hires are Sarah Riley teaching ceramics, Mark Giaimo teaching drawing and painting, Christian Stallworth as the director of choral and vocal studies and Christian “Sully” Sullivan as the technical director and technical theater teacher.
Last year, Nick Ryan and Adrian Loving, who made up half of the studio arts department, left the GDS community. “It was an opportunity to bring in new people and to get some new ideas in the department,” said Michelle Cobb, high school studio arts teacher and department chair.
When hiring new teachers for the department, Cobb said she specifically looked for practicing artists who had experience teaching. She said that she saw value in teachers being able to “rely on their own past experiences as artists to develop interesting content for the courses.”
Giaimo has been a practicing artist for twenty years and also has experience teaching drawing and painting at the Yellow Barn (an art school and gallery), the Smithsonian and Art House 7 (an art school in Arlington). “My approach is to keep it really simple and as digestible as you can because I don’t want to overwhelm students with too much information,” Giaimo said of his teaching style. “Anyone can learn how to draw. I really believe that it’s a skill.”
Riley teaches foundations, advanced and upper-level ceramics classes, along with mentoring several art students in their independent studies. Riley previously taught at a community studio, a college art center and the Field School. “One of my favorite things has been learning from the students,” said Riley.
The performing arts department has also had staffing changes, with Stallworth and Sully replacing Strunk and Boyd, respectively. Strunk left GDS unexpectedly over the summer. He is currently the visiting director of choral and vocal activities at Shepherd University in West Virginia.
Strunk’s departure was unplanned. “[Strunk] had every intention of coming back next year,” Brad Linde, high school jazz and instrumental music teacher, said.
Stallworth now both teaches vocal studies and is the performing arts department chair, filling Strunk’s role. “As a new teacher here, I was just going to be teaching choir, but there was a need for a department chair,” Stallworth said. “I just put my name in the ring.”
Daniel Reilly, a former student in Strunk’s advanced singing class (called TOLV), was surprised by Strunk’s departure. “It was very sudden; he never mentioned it to us during the school year,” he said. “Over the summer I just got an email saying, ‘Hey, I’m not coming back.’”
The email was a note written by Strunk, sent from the high school office, which was sent to all of Strunk’s former students. It included a list of 11 “Strunkisms”—lessons Strunk meant to pass on to his former students, including “Love louder than you speak,” and “What someone else thinks about you is none of your damn business.”
Linde offered insight into Strunk’s sudden departure. “A job opened up for the director gig at Shepherd University, and, you know, I think that’s where Jason always had his eye on, doing university teaching.” Linde said. “He was given an opportunity to chase that dream”
Many students noted the importance of remembering and appreciating the former teachers. “I don’t want people to forget them, and I don’t think they will because they did have a really big impact,” said senior Sara Swamy, one of Ryan’s former ceramics students. “[Ryan] really inspired us.”
High school dance and acting teacher Maria Watson agreed that arts teachers had a similar impact on their students. “I loved working with [Strunk]. I’m sorry he’s not here anymore,” Watson said. “I know that the kids miss Jason.”
“It was a little hard for me,” said Reilly of Strunk’s departure. “There are some days where I’m just feeling overwhelmed and I don’t have him to go talk to anymore. It was like having another person you could trust and talk to, like having another friend.”
Watson and Linde both said that Stallworth brought changes to the performing arts department. “I think that Christian is really different from Jason,” Watson said. “I assume things will change but I don’t know how.”
As the year progresses, the curriculum remains at the front of many people’s minds. “Maintaining that level of performance and teaching and standards is really important to me,” said Cobb.
Giaimo echoed Cobb’s sentiment and said he hopes that his teaching style and the new curriculum can help students realize their potential. “The idea is not technique for technique’s sake,” he said. “It’s technique so they can express themselves better and maybe down the road break the rules completely.”
Stallworth said he hopes to work with other teachers to make the GDS arts curriculum more coordinated with the lower/middle school. “I really want to work carefully with the department chair at the lower/middle school to make sure that everything we are doing is aligned,” he said.