Education:
Bachelor of Arts in History and African-American Studies, Carleton College
Master of Arts in Teaching, Washington University in St. Louis

 Darel has worked at Forsyth School since 1996, most recently as Upper Division Director. His teaching experience includes Language Arts and World History, and for a number of years, Darel was the Forsyth Outdoor Education Program Director. He is well known to TCS faculty, particularly for his work on the Steering/Super Committee of the Experiential Education Exchange. Darel helped build Greensfelder County Park’s Alpine Tower in 1992 and has used it as a teaching tool since then; he also was a ropes course/rock climbing trainer with St. Louis County Parks/YMCA Teamworks for nearly 20 years.

Darel chaired the Social Studies Committee at Forsyth for a number of years and introduced a West African oral history service-learning project called “Storyvines,” a student-led storytelling festival for early childhood students based on historical research, folktale analysis, and storytelling skills. He received the Emerson Electric Excellence in Teaching Award and was named an Independent Schools of St. Louis Teacher of Distinction.

A History and African-American Studies major at Carleton College with a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Wash U., Darel is also an EE Ford Fellowship recipient and a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow. Darel has presented at a variety of conferences, including Experiential Education Exchange (EEE), Independent Schools of St. Louis (ISSL), YMCA Conference on Experiential Education, and Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS), to name a few. Darel also served on the Forsyth Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce and has organized and hosted an ISSL workshop on issues related to diversity and inclusion.

Position: Middle School Teacher