Dunbar Teachers Share Unique Hobbies
Every day, teachers come into the Dunbar building with one thing in mind: educating their students and setting them on the right path. But many teachers have a rich life outside of the classroom as well. From dancing and acting to horseback riding and even woodworking, Dunbar teachers have a variety of skills and hobbies that make them unique.
Mrs. Williams
Mrs. Michelle Williams is a social studies teacher who loves horseback riding. Mrs. Williams has been horseback riding since she was young, but when she started attending college, riding became a more serious pursuit. According to her, the best part about riding is that “you can’t think about other stuff. When you’re on the horse you have got to think about the horse.”
Although Mrs. Williams loves to horseback ride at anytime of the year, she says her favorite time is “Definitely the fall. When the leaves starts to change, everything is so beautiful.”
Currently, Mrs. Williams is the owner of a German Warmblood named Liam.
Mr. O’Bryan
Mr. Greg O’Bryan is the adviser of the EBCE and Community Service program at Dunbar. In his spare time, he is an avid runner. When he was a senior in high school, running was a stress-reliever for him. Oftentimes, he is in training for mini-marathons.
“Recently I ran a marathon, and to train I ran in the rain, the snow… I actually am running a mini-marathon, which is 13.1 miles, this Sunday. I got up this morning and went running. This past Saturday I got up at 5:00 to 6:00 [A.M.] and went running for 12 miles.”
His passion for running has allowed Mr. O’Bryan to develop goal-setting skills, make new friends and see self-improvement. “There’s just something about running a race: when you get to that finish line… it’s just such a good feeling,” he said.
Ms. Cole
Ms. Monica Cole has been teaching at Dunbar for four years, but she also teaches dance classes.
“I danced for about fifteen years when I was a kid and have been teaching dance for ten,” she said. Last year, she was able to bring her passion for dance to Dunbar as the main choreographer for the musical Bring It On.
According to Mrs. Cole, Bring It On “was a big time commitment in the spring semester… I enjoy seeing something that we have thought up come to life on stage… I hope to do more choreography throughout the year.”
Ms. Doring
Ms. Susan Doring is the Technology Education teacher at Dunbar. Outside of school, she enjoys woodturning, which she has been doing for two and a half years. “I’ve always wanted to learn how to do it… I’ve done some bowls and some cups, but mostly I do pens.”
Ms. Doring says she enjoys seeing the process and appreciates the fact that woodturning can be used to produce a useful gift. However, she did have a recent setback.
“I had a major accident with my wrist this summer, I’m just now able to write my name with my hand, so I’m hoping by December I’ll be able to turn my first piece of wood since July,” she said.
Mr. Mau
Mr. Michael Mau is a new English teacher at Dunbar who has many hobbies such as “cooking food… making artworks, acting, and running.” He said that he has a particular passion for acting.
“I like being someone else; I like the opportunity to really dive into personalities that aren’t my own, to find voices that I wouldn’t necessarily experience in everyday life, and to tell someone else’s story, but mostly I like the applause,” he said.
He has starred as Owen in Woodford Theater’s Translations and as Polowitz in One More Fine Day at the Midtown International Theatre Festival in Manhattan.
One More Fine Day was his first musical.
“I got to sing and be crazy, smoke fake cigarettes and go to New York, so that was pretty school… I never stop acting.”
Mr. Mullins
Mr. Chris Mullins is the head football coach and a math teacher at Dunbar. When he’s not at football practice or spending time with his family, he enjoys playing the guitar. When he was in college, he joined a band.
“We played music for six or seven years, recorded some albums, toured with 3 Doors Down… our album is actually is on iTunes,” he said.
Mr. Mullins’ father and wife were both musicians as well.
“My favorite thing about music is that you can get out of your comfort zone a little bit and someone will appreciate whatever type of music or art that you like,” he said. “It brings people from different backgrounds together.”
I'm Eleanor Davis and I am a Senior at Dunbar. This year marks my third year on staff and I am fortunate enough to be one of the Editors-in-Chief for Lamplighter....
