MARY O. DOBROTH[she, her, hers]

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

A collaborative educational leader; helping schools advance their mission through innovative, competency-based curriculum, programming, and professional learning opportunities. Mary offers creative approaches to curriculum and instruction; is an effective communicator with strong interpersonal skills; and a lifelong learner who is passionate about supporting and encouraging teachers, students, and families. 

CORE STRENGTHS

• Strategic Planning 

• Mission-Aligned Professional Development 

• Curriculum Renewal Processes 

• Competency-Based Curriculum and Program Development

• Backwards Design 

• Transformative Technology Integration

PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS 

Competency-based Curriculum Development

• Lead a team of Lower School teachers through a process to develop and pilot a mission based ePortfolio program. 

• Collaborated with Math and Science teachers to seamlessly integrate computational thinking and computer science skills into the curriculum. 

• Lead a team of teachers to evaluate opportunities for computational thinking and computer science which led to the creation of  the Computer Science Department at Holton-Arms 

• Collaborated with Lower School teachers to renew 5th grade Design Technology course integrating robotics. 

• Created new Computer Science course offerings  in grades 7-12 to provide opportunities for computational thinking. robotics, computer modeling, and 3D printing. 

• Created Computer Science asynchronous course offerings where students experience self-paced online learning with the benefit of in-person support as needed.

Backwards Design and Curriculum Documentation

• Worked with teachers and leaders to develop goals and competencies that weave together the school’s priorities of wellbeing, global competence and diversity, equity and inclusion

• Designed a template for documenting curriculum that promotes backwards design of courses and the evaluation of goals and competencies 

• Established a system for mapping curriculum 3-12 to track the departmental and school-wide goals that are being assessed in each course. 

• Created a template for teachers to provide detailed instructional plans enabling the school to pivot quickly to synchronous online learning during the COVID pandemic.

Professional Learning 

• Rethought and redesigned academic technology professional learning opportunities to provide hands-on learning, direct application, and often a teachers teaching teachers model. 

  • Created Lunch and Learn workshops, an academic technology newsletter and Tech Tip Tuesday emails, Tuesday/Thursday Summer Trainings, and week long summer institutes.  

• Hosted a variety of AIMS workshops to share technology integration and STEAM ideas. 

• Created school-wide, full day, professional development opportunities in Blended Learning and Global Competence

• In collaboration with the Director of Diversity and Academic Dean created a faculty summer institute at the start and end of the school year; topics include Differentiated Instruction, Backwards Design, Competency-Based teaching, Anti-Racistcurriculum development, and Social and Emotional Learning.

Technology Integration and Digital Wellbeing 

• Created and led the Academic Technology Committee of 3-12 teachers to evaluate current programs, establish technology competencies, and plan professional development opportunities.

• Created a parent partnership program to support parents as the navigate parenting in the digital world

• Partnered with the MS Guidance Counselor to integrate digital citizenship and digital wellbeing into the Middle School program. 

• Served on the Association of Independent Maryland Schools [AIMS] Technology Committee to plan and run professional learning opportunities.  

Strategic Planning 

• Appointed by the Head of School to be an “accelerator” to strategically plan the implementation of the Learn Well, Live Well, Lead Well philosophy of education which weaves the school priorities of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Global Education, and Health and Wellbeing into the fabric of the school programming. 

• Worked on the Learning Commons team to research and brainstorm the initial Learning Commons plan for Holton-Arms.