Front row, from left, Rebecca Kidd, Alex Bundrick, Michael McCallie, Kathaleen Hughes and Ashley Cole. Second row, from left, Matt Allen, Drew Read '89, Jenny Suddath, Matt Pitts, Carson Murphy, Judd Potter '13 and Will Givens.
Familiar McCallie names and faces joined new names and faces as McCallie school welcomed new faculty and staff for the 115th school year in late August with a record boarding enrollment and new and renovated facilities.
In welcoming the new faculty members to the campus on the slopes of Missionary Ridge, Headmaster Lee Burns stressed the McCallie School tradition of community. “At our core we are about relationships, and relationships are vital building blocks for community. A community is an especially powerful way to experience love and support, to gain confidence, to be connected and supported, to feel purpose, to learn and internalize values, to express ideals, and to serve one another. To the extent we strengthen our community, we strengthen ourselves, and we strengthen our school.”
New faculty who were introduced to the McCallie community at a dinner include:
Matt Allen – Mr. Allen is a graduate of Tennessee Wesleyan University and is teaching 7th grade science and coaching varsity baseball and middle school football. He comes to McCallie after five years as a teacher and coach at Lincoln County High School in Fayetteville, Tn.
Ashley Cole – Dr. Cole is teaching Upper School chemistry and honors chemistry and will assist with varsity soccer. She comes to McCallie from Fort Payne High School in Alabama. She received her Ph.D. from Middle Tennessee State University in molecular genetics and worked for more than five years as a crime scene investigator with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Santa Clara County Crime Lab in San Jose, California. She has a three-year-old son, Michael Rhett Cole
Will Givens – Mr. Givens graduated from Auburn University and worked in brand identity design in Nashville. At McCallie, he will teach graphic design and photography.
Kathaleen Hughes – Mrs. Hughes returns to McCallie to teach upper school English and work in the Learning Center. She worked at McCallie for many years as a teacher and learning specialist. She and her husband, David Hughes ’78, who works in the Admissions Office, live in Founder’s Home dormitory, where she will serve as the dorm mother. The Hughes’ have two sons, David ’06 and Scott ’09.
Rebecca Kidd – Ms. Kidd joins the Admission Office as the digital communications and social media specialist. She comes to McCallie after several years in the marketing and transportation/logistics field. Ms. Kidd has a fiancé, Brandon Russell.
Alex McCallie – A 1978 graduate of McCallie and the great-grandson of one of the school’s founders, Alex joins McCallie’s college counseling team. He comes to McCallie from Westminster Schools of Augusta, Ga., where he was the Director of College Counseling for 12 years. He and his wife, Nina, have three children, Nina Jr., Sibley, and Anders.
Michael McCallie –Dr. McCallie teaches middle school and upper school classical guitar and coaches the McCallie Guitar Quartet. He received a master of music degree from Yale University and a doctorate in music from Florida State University. Most recently, he was on the faculties at Covenant College, the Cadek Conservatory, and GPS. He and his wife, Kristen, have a two-year-old daughter, Nora.
Carson Murphy – Mr. Murphy teaches Chinese I and Chinese 2 in the middle and upper schools. He comes to McCallie from Memphis, where he taught pre-algebra for five years. Mr. Murphy lived in China for six years, including while in high school, and later as a sales manager for a U.S.-based hardwood lumber company. He and his wife, Samantha, have two children, Janie-Lynne, five, and William, two, and their third child is due in September.
Tyler Newman – Mr. Newman is a 2009 graduate of McCallie and the son of McCallie’s longtime coach Mike Newman and Activities Center employee Gail Newman. He teaches a anatomy and physiology, coaches strength and conditioning, and will oversee the MTA program. He comes to McCallie from Father Ryan High School in Nashville, where he was the director of strength and conditioning. He and his wife, Promise, are excited to be returning to the Ridge.
Matt Pitts – Mr. Pitts is a graduate of the UTC where he was a member of the wrestling team. Before joining McCallie, where he teaches 7th grade U.S. history and coaches wrestling, he taught and coached at Reinhardt University and Red Bud Middle School in Calhoun, Georgia. He and his wife, Jill, have a 1-year-old daughter, Reese, and are expecting a baby boy in late September.
Jud Potter – Mr. Potter is a 2013 graduate of McCallie. He is the son of Head Football Coach Ralph Potter and math teacher Jennifer Potter, and grandson of the late coach Pete Potter. He is an assistant librarian in the middle school, teaches 8th grade English, and coaches middle school football and facilitates the student broadcasting program. He is a 2017 graduate of Samford University.
Nichole Pitts – Ms. Pitts is the new orchestra director for McCallie. She comes to McCallie from Hixson High and Middle schools. She is a long-time conductor with the Chattanooga Youth Symphony. She and her husband, Lucas, have twin 8-year-old boys, Austin and Aydan.
Drew Read – Mr. Read is a 1989 graduate of McCallie. He is a member of McCallie’s Advancement Team, where he will oversee the alumni giving program. Pryor to joining McCallie, Mr. Read worked for 25 years in the field of non-profit management in Birmingham. He and his wife, Michelyn, have a son, Tristan Read, class of 2019, and a daughter, Sutton Read, who is attending GPS as an 8th grader.
In addition to the new faculty members, Mr. Burns also welcomed the following faculty and staff members who joined McCallie over the past year:
Julie Brown – Mrs. Brown joined McCallie’s Learning Center last spring as an administrative assistant for upper school academics. She joined McCallie after working at Heritage Middle School, where she served as a bookkeeper and administrative assistant for 10 years. She and her husband, Gary, are the parents of twins, Jeb, a sophomore at McCallie, and Jenna, a sophomore at GPS.
Alex Bundrick – Mrs. Bundrick joins McCallie from Emory University in Atlanta, where she was the creative services manager. At McCallie, she joins the communications staff as director of Creative Services. She has more than 14 years of experience as a designer for non-profit organizations. She and her husband, Andrew, have three children, Tasha, who is a 7th grader at GPS, and Brandon and Evan, who are in 2nd grade and kindergarten at Big Ridge Elementary School.
Laura Israel – Ms. Israel serves as the student billing manager in the business office. She is a graduate of Auburn University and previously worked at Huck and Peck Furniture Store as a bookkeeper and ran the Chattanooga Tennis Association. She and her husband, Scott, have two children, Zach, a ninth grader at McCallie, and Maddie, a 5th grader at Chattanooga Christian School.
Bill Steverson – Mr. Steverson returns to McCallie after an absence of several years to assist in the communications office. He is a graduate of Samford University and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and is the husband of Bess Steverson in the Advancement Office.