College & Career Readiness / Pathway Teachers

Pathway Teachers

Kathy Allen – Cyber Foundations II

Email: kallen@oxfordsd.org

Over the last 22 years Kathy Allen has taught Social Studies, ICT II and Cyber Foundations II in the Oxford School District. Her current Cyber Foundations II course offers skills in coding, collaboration, on-line etiquette, keyboarding, personal finance designing, and understanding data and its importance in our society. Students have an opportunity to explore their creativity and innovation through the creation of apps, digital games and solving real world problems. They also receive hands-on experience in collaborative problem solving and explore careers related to the content area. Hands-on projects offer students relevant experience in an environment that will prepare them for the 21st century workplace.

Mrs. Allen graduated from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelors in Public Administration and feels one of the most important parts of her job is establishing relationships with her students in order to create a safe environment that allows students to feel comfortable sharing their positive life experiences and challenges. Music and meditation are a big part of her classroom, and she enjoys moving around the classroom so dancing is an activity she encourages during breaks to bring joy and more movement in the classroom.

“I find that learning is dependent on safety, kindness and compassion. I try to listen and am always learning with my students. We are a classroom of learners and our goal is to build a community of trust, where each person is valued and respected.”
Kim Austin – Exploring Pathways

Email: kaustin@oxfordsd.org

Kim Austin is entering her 17th year in the Oxford School District and will be teaching the Exploring Pathways class. Mrs. Austin earned her degree in Broadcast Journalism and English from the University of Mississippi and later went on to earn a Master’s in Counseling Education from UM. She has taught a variety of English classes while at Oxford High School and has served as the yearbook sponsor.

“I love Oxford High School and the students there. I love watching them learn and grow, and I love being a part of that process.”
Jennifer Bennett – Student Services Coordinator

Email: jhbennett@oxfordsd.org

Jennifer Bennett grew up in Oxford and eventually graduated from the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science (MSMS) in 1992. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Mississippi State. Her co-op experience during college taught her how valuable real-world work experience is to education. After graduation she worked for over 10 years in the manufacturing industry, serving as a quality engineer, quality manager, production engineer, manufacturing engineer, and product design engineer.

She transitioned to education and taught Mathematics, earned a Master’s in Secondary Mathematics, and earned National Board Certification. While teaching in 2014 she co-authored a grant to add an engineering program to the Calhoun County Career and Technical Center, and for the next five years worked to place robotics in all grade levels by soliciting over $400,000 in grants and other support from the local community. During this time, she served as the engineering liason on the Mississippi College and Career Readiness curriculum writing teams for both the K-12 mathematics and science standards and was active with the Mississippi Engineering Teachers Association, serving as president and on the executive board.

Her goal is to use her experience as an engineer and as a CTE/math teacher to encourage students to find their passion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). She is excited about the opportunity to collaborate with parents along with business and industry leaders to promote success for all CTE students and to provide instructional, career, collaborative, and supportive assistance to all OHS CTE students.
Brodie Burns – Cyber Foundations II

Email: cbburns@oxfordsd.org

I am a graduate of The University of Mississippi. I have been teaching for 14 years. This is my 6th year teaching a CTE course. I have a wife, Anna, and three daughters, Carlyn, Brooklyn, and Lucy. The thing that excites me most about the content I teach is seeing the creative ways students utilize technology to solve problems.
Conwill Cox – Computer Science & Engineering
Warner Creekmore – Horticulture and Natural Sciences
Philip Gordon – Exploring Pathways
Midge Havins – Exploring Pathways and Cyber Foundations I

Email: mhavins@oxfordsd.org

Mrs. Havins is teaching Exploring Pathways at Oxford Middle School and over her career in the Oxford School District, she has taught Career Discovery, Keyboarding, ICT I, Cyber Foundations I and Coding. While teaching in the Oxford School District, she obtained a National Board Certification with emphasis on Career and Technical Education (CTE)/Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood.

Prior to teaching in Mississippi, she taught a variety of business subjects in New York and Texas, including Office Skills and Business Law. She held different managerial and supervisory positions in the private education sector as well as higher education. She has also worked in various positions in the business world and owned a small-business.

Mrs. Havins graduated from The State University of New York at Albany with a Bachelor’s in Commercial Business Education and earned a Master’s in Education while working at the University of Mississippi.

“As a life-long learner, my education and experience has prepared me for this position. I am excited to share my experiences and knowledge with CTE students.”
Brandon Hughes – Culinary Arts

Email: bchughes@oxfordsd.org

Brandon Hughes is entering his first year as the Culinary Arts instructor at Oxford High School. He attended Culinary School in New Orleans, LA and for the last 23 years he has been working in a variety of food and hospitality industries. His experience has led him to cooking cuisines in restaurants, catering companies, and the industrial food manufacturing industry. His personal food interests are Classical French, Caribbean, Rural Southern, and exotic cuisines.

“I am a supporter of local food sourcing and farm-to-table ethics, so we will strive to work with local farmers in our community as much as we can as well as local/regional chefs. Some of my personal philosophies are real cooks share and teach; hands on learning is the best way to teach in the kitchen; and hard work always pays off.”

Prior to coming to Oxford High School, Mr. Hughes served as the Culinary Arts instructor at South Panola High School.
Jeff Jones – Work-based Learning Coordinator
Jivaro Jones – Information Technology
Kaliah Kemp – Health Science and Sports Medicine

Email: knkemp@oxfordsd.org

Kaliah Kemp will be teaching the Health Science Core and Sports Medicine classes at Oxford High School. Originally from Clarksdale, MS, Ms. Kemp earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work as well as a Bachelor’s of Science in Athletic Training. She later earned a Masters of Education from Delta State University. She has been teaching a variety of healthcare courses over the last twelve years at the secondary and post secondary levels.

Ms. Kemp was the recipient of the Teacher of the Year Award in 2015, and she is an active member of the Sports Medicine Curriculum writing team for the state of Mississippi. She finds that sharing her knowledge of healthcare and sports is very rewarding, and her students are able to see the relevance of her content.

“I love working with young people and love having a career where I know that I can make a difference.”
Danielle Little – Exploring Pathways

Email: ddlittle@oxfordsd.org

Ms. Little is entering her 6th year as a teacher in the Oxford School District and is also the assistant tennis coach. She is a graduate of the University of Mississippi and was selected as the 2016 First Year Teacher of the Year in the Oxford School District. Ms. Little is an advocate of educating students how to effectively use technology to enhance their lives, and she believes working with all types of technology is a critical skill students will need regardless of their choice of career.

“I’m excited to start my first year in CTE because technology is something I’ve always wanted to work with growing up. I grew up using technology, including taking courses during middle, high school and college, and it is such a critical skill for our students.”
Hardy Meeks – Law & Public Safety
Stacy Murchison – Business, Marketing, & Finance

Email: spmurchison@oxfordsd.org

Stacy Murchison has been a member of the Oxford High School faculty since August of 2018. She graduated from The University of Southern Mississippi in 1994 and began a long career in the business industry with various jobs in retail, sales, and marketing. She entered education because she loves developing relationships with her community, and she comes from a family of educators. Her mother has been a teacher for over 40 years and father has been a head football coach for over 45 years. She views teaching as a calling and her goal is to make a difference in the life of each student she teaches.

She will be teaching Business, Marketing and Finance and will continue to serve as the DECA Advisor at Oxford High School. She will also be the new coordinator for the district’s Work Based Learning class, a component of the district’s overall College and Career Readiness programming. She has been involved with Career and Technical Education since she began teaching and earned an endorsement through the Mississippi Council of Education as a certified Master Teacher of Economics, Entrepreneurship and Personal Finance.

“I believe that CTE courses are vital to our students’ future success and preparation for college and the workforce. The courses within our CTE programs are set in place to engage our students with 21st century thinking skills and a learning environment that will prepare them for the future by building strong, useful real-world skills.”
Suzanne Parker – Exploring Pathways

Email: asparker@oxfordsd.org

Mrs. Parker is a graduate of Oxford High School and has 22 years of teaching experience. She began her teaching career as a teacher assistant while attending college, and she eventually graduated from Blue Mountain College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education. Throughout her career she has taught a variety of ELA classes as well as technology classes, including Keyboarding, ICT I, Cyber Foundations I and Coding. She also served as a school librarian for five years, integrating technology and language for her students. She is currently teaching Exploring Pathways at Oxford Middle School.

“I am excited to share my experiences and knowledge with CTE students. As a life-long learner, my education and experience have prepared me for this position, and I believe the work we are doing with our students will assist in their long term success.”
Helen Phillips – Contemporary Health

Email: mhphillips@oxfordsd.org

Helen Phillips has been working in the Health Science field since 1988. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration and then became a registered nurse and worked in a variety of careers across the Public Health, Mental Health, and School Health sector. As she transitions to a teaching role in the district, she looks forward to assisting students as they explore the healthcare field and helping them understand all of the career opportunities in healthcare.

Ms. Phillips has lived in Oxford for 21 years, and prior to working in the Oxford School District, she was an active supporter of the school system, serving on the Oxford School District Board of Trustees. She also served on the School of Applied Technology School Board, and both of her sons took courses at the School of Applied Technology. She was co-chairman of the school district’s $30 million bond issue in 2010, and she has also been chosen as the Oxford School District Citizen of the Year. Since joining the district as a school nurse, she has been chosen as an Employee of the Month several times.

She has been an active member in other parts of the community as well, helping start the Oxford Medical Ministries and serving on the Leapfrog Board of Directors. She was also a 2019 Girl Scout Nominee Woman of the Year and has been recognized as a Paul Harris Rotary CLub Fellow and Exchange Club Honoree.
Wendy Raby – Cyber Foundations II
Justin Robinson – Construction Core
Charley Sabatier – Engineering

Email: chsabatier@oxfordsd.org

Charley Sabatier is a graduate of Oxford High School and has been teaching science for 17 years, the last four 4 years in the Oxford School District. He is certified as an International Baccalaureate (IB) and Advanced Placement (AP) physics teacher, and he earned his National Board certification in 2008.

Mr. Sabatier earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Mississippi and went to work in the Fairfax County Public Schools after graduation. While teaching in the Farifax County Public Schools, he earned a Masters of Educational Leadership from Johns Hopkins University and has been a Knowles Senior Fellow since 2010. His colleagues in Fairfax County selected him as teacher of the year in 2012 and he later served as the district’s lead science teacher.

“I am excited about helping students develop engineering skills by participating in real world engineering projects through partnerships with the community.”
Keith Scruggs – Television & Broadcast Production

Email: kwscruggs@oxfordsd.org

Keith Scruggs is entering his third year in the CTE department, teaching Television and Broadcast Production. This is his eighth year in the teaching profession, and prior to teaching, he worked in the banking industry for 25 years.

Television Production has always been a passion for Scruggs. He earned his BA Degree in Radio, Television, and Film from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1987. He is currently working on a master's degree in Education at Ole Miss.

“Every day I get to watch my students make magic with their video work; it never gets old to me. I challenge and encourage my students to have fun and have pride in what we produce. Our goal is to be the best TV Production program in the state!”
Misty Whitehead – C Spire Software Development Pathway and Exploring Computer Science

Email: mlwhitehead@oxfordsd.org

Mrs. Whitehead has been teaching since 2013 and has been at Oxford Middle School since 2017. She received her undergraduate degree from The University of Mississippi and her Master's of Arts in Teaching Secondary from Mississippi State University.

Mrs. Whitehead has won multiple grants for her classes including a Lowe's Toolbox for Education grant in 2018, a MECA mini grant in 2019, a TVA mini grant in 2019, and an Oxford School District Foundation grant in 2020. She is also the recipient of a Lucile Cornetet Professional Development Award from the Delta Kappa Gamma Education Foundation to aid her in working towards National Board Certification.

“I am excited about bringing more computer science classes to the high school and having the opportunity to share my programming passion with students. Computer Science is one of the fastest growing fields with a projected 22% over the next ten years, so I look forward to sharing that information with my students and preparing them for the future.”