Kathy Chenowith is a first-year teacher at Dulaney where she teaches art and photography. Chenowith decided on education as a career path after being curious about the educational opportunities for her own children as well as volunteering at elementary schools. 

Before coming to Dulaney, Chenowith taught at Halstead Academy in Parkville for six months, primarily teaching elementary school, then Southwest Academy where she taught for three years, Loch Raven Academy where she taught for 15 years and finally Chesapeake High School for five years. 

“Throughout this whole time, I always had a love for photography. It wasn’t my major, but I pursued it on a personal basis. And you can find me on lots of weekends out in the woods in the Loch Raven area, and Gunpowder area, doing photography, taking pictures,” said Chenowith. This year, she is also the advisor for Dulaney’s photography club. She explained that she wanted a change of pace which is why she started teaching at Dulaney.

“I love the big school atmosphere. That’s something that’s completely different… I’m also really interested in Dulaney students because they’re, you know, as a pretty general population,  I feel like they’re very motivated and really open to try new things,” said Chenowith.

She encourages students to take an art or photo class since it can enhance and enrich lives and future career paths. As a teacher, she hopes to promote collaboration and communication among her students. Chenowith wants her students to know that she is open-minded.

“I’m accepting of a lot of different people. And I hope that my students who I teach, know that they can talk to me about a lot of different things,” said Chenowith.

Hailing from Northfield, New Jersey, Christina Donall was immersed in a strong music program from a young age. She graduated from Towson University with a degree in Music Education before teaching in Baltimore County and Washington County. Now, in her fourth year teaching and her first year at a high school, Donall is excited for all the opportunities at Dulaney.

At Dulaney, Donall teaches band and music technology where she alternates being at Dulaney on A-days and at Parkville High School on B-days. She is also the co-director of Dulaney’s marching band.  Donall loves working with the band and has always wanted to run her own marching band. 

“When we have our big performances, you get to show off what they’ve been working on and they feel good about themselves… it’s a nice closure to like a unit or a couple of months or the year,” said Donall. 

In addition to the band, Donall boasts an impressive track and field career. She attended Towson University on a track and field scholarship where she competed in throwing events. Donall also loves cruises and traveling, often going to Ocean City. 

English teacher Landon Friedman is excited to be at Dulaney, marking his 15th year teaching and first year at a high school. A Maryland native, Friedman attended college in Connecticut before transferring to Tufts University as an English major. Friedman then received his Master’s degree in writing from Johns Hopkins University. 

Before becoming a teacher, Friedman worked in the real estate field. After a conversation with a teacher from Howard County, Friedman was motivated to begin substitute teaching where he taught in Howard County for a year. After being a middle school teacher in Baltimore County for the past 14 years, Friedman is ready for a change teaching at the high school level. Friedman views teaching as a crucial and fulfilling endeavor. 

“I think one of one of the most fulfilling aspects is building the relationship with students…  and knowing that I’m not only a teacher of a certain content area, but I’m a person that they can talk with as a human being and get to know and, you know, build a strong relationship with,” said Friedman. 

As an ardent reader, Friedman enjoyed reading Kurt Vonnegut and Bret Easton Ellis in high school and college. In his free time, you can find Friedman on the mountain where he is an avid skier. Friedman also boasts an impressive travel experience, visiting 27 countries including Japan, Peru, Denmark and Switzerland.

Introducing Laura Gillis, Dulaney’s newest Spanish teacher. After majoring in modern languages with a minor in business, Gillis was initially not interested in becoming a teacher. She was planning on pursuing a career in the State Department or the FBI. However, after a stint substituting at Harford County Public Schools during her senior year of college, she fell in love with teaching.

“I was subbing for a math class, and I help somebody hit like the aha moment. Like I helped to explain a concept and I’m like, I love this. The rest is history,” said Gillis. 

Gillis comes from a long line of Dulaney alumni, both her parents and two uncles graduated from Dulaney. Previously, Gillis taught at a private school and then transferred to Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) where she taught at Overlea High School for the past five years. In addition to Spanish, Gillis also picked up German, Latin and Czech as a student. 

“My love for languages started back in my early childhood with the movie Atlantis, and I just kind of loved learning about different cultures… I picked up German through middle school and high school and started Spanish my senior year of high school. And then I took Czech and Latin in college,” said Gillis.

Gillis describes herself as chaotic but fun. She enjoys learning new things about her students and wants to help them better understand themselves through a cultural lens. As a self-proclaimed nerd, Gillis is geeked out about all things Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Dungeons and Dragons, Marvel and DC. Gillis also likes to keep active and her favorite activity is rock climbing. 

Extending a warm welcome to Kathy Rink, Dulaney’s newest Special Ed teacher! Before becoming a teacher, Rink was a computer major and then received her Master’s degree in Special Ed. Deep inside, Rink knew that she wanted to be a Special Ed teacher, and has been teaching for 25 years. Before coming to Dulaney, Rink taught at Cockeysville Middle School for 15 years in the autism program. 

At Dulaney, Rink teaches reading, math, science, social studies and career vocation to older students – the age group from 17 to 21 year-olds. 

“I want to accomplish just to be able just to learn what it’s like for these kids to transition out of here when they graduate. So I’m going to work on learning the transition process to see when they turn 21,” said Rink. 

Outside of school Rink is an avid golfer and pickleball player. She loves scary movies and most recently ran a 10K. Rink is looking forward to getting to know the other teachers at Dulaney. 

When asked about her favorite part of teaching, Rink said, “Just to see the kids smile every day and know when they get something. Like if we teach them a life skill. Once they get it, I’m just like, so happy.”