Darlington

Gehrke began working for the DCSD in 2005 as an English teacher at Lamar High School.  She also taught and worked as an administrator at Spaulding Middle School and Hartsville Middle School.  She holds a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from the American College of Education and a Bachelor of Arts in English with Secondary Certification from the College of Charleston.
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The district also announced that Kacy Woodham Keels will be the district’s new Director of Early Childhood Education.  In her position, Keels will supervise the development, organization, implementation, coordination and evaluation of early childhood instructional programs to ensure that all students meet or exceed state and national academic expectations.
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Keels previously worked for the DCSD during the 2012-13 school year, when she was named Thornwell School for the Arts’ 2013 Teacher of the Year.  She has also served in other school districts and schools as a reading interventionist, literacy consultant and first grade teacher.  She most recently worked as a literacy coach at McBee Elementary School in Chesterfield County.  She holds a Master of Education in Language and Literacy and a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education from the University of South Carolina.
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The district further announced that C. Matthew Ferguson, the district’s former coordinator for K-12 English/Language Arts (ELA), Social Studies and early childhood, will become the new Director of Personnel.  Ferguson will develop and manage screening, recruitment, retention, and employment evaluation practices.  He will assist in all facets of the district’s Human Resources domain.  
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Ferguson began working for the DCSD in 2008 as an English teacher and an Adult Education site coordinator.  He has also served as the director of the Darlington Summer Academic Program, ELA coordinating teacher and Title 1 coordinator.  He holds a Juris Doctor from the Charlotte School of Law, a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from the American College of Education, a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Lesley University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and English Education from Coker College.
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“All three of these individuals bring unique and welcome skills sets to their positions. We are fortunate to have their leadership in our district and I look forward to seeing what they accomplishes in their roles,” said Dr. Eddie Ingram, DCSD superintendent.