The Arrow Fall 2019

OHA Welcomes

Clif Conley Mr. Clif Conley, from Galax, Virginia, joins Oak Hill Academy as a resident manager. He at tended Emory & Henry College for two years where he studied Economics before graduating from Asbury University with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration in May 2019. Mr. Conley also played college basketball throughout those four years at the NCAA D-III and NAIA D-II levels. He and his fiancée Lauren will have their wedding this upcoming August! Mr. Conley has an older brother, Cole, who lives in Raleigh with his wife, Haleigh. His parents, Larkin and Steve, remain in Galax. During his downtime, Mr. Conley enjoys working out, playing basketball, watching sports, listening to music, and singing! He is extremely excited to be here and very thankful to be a part of Oak Hill Academy. Mr. Dion and Mrs. Martha Dacons Mrs. Martha Dacons is the Learning Specialist/Librarian in her first year at Oak Hill. She gradu ated from La Salle University (Philadelphia, PA) with a Bachelor of Arts in three majors: Special Ed ucation, Elementary Education, and American Studies as well as a minor in Leadership and Global Understanding. She also received her Masters of Education from Penn State University with a con centration in English as a Second Language (ESL). Prior to coming to Oak Hill Mrs. Dacons was the School Based Teacher Leader at Widener Memorial School and the La Salle Autism and Develop mental Disabilities Education Resources (LADDER) Educational Coordinator in Philadelphia. She is originally from Statesville, North Carolina, the same hometown as her husband Dion Dacons, who is the Resident Manager of Dixon Hall as well as an Assistant Coach for the Gold Team. Mr. Dacons is a 2003 graduate of Oak Hill Academy. While at Oak Hill Mr. Dacons was a member of the Gold Team from 2001-2003. After leaving “The Hill,” Mr. Dacons attended Temple Uni versity where he played for Hall of Fame Coach John Chaney on the men’s basketball team. He graduated from Temple University with both a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology as well as a Masters of Education with a concentration in Sport and Recreation Administration. Mr. Dacons also re ceived his Masters of Business Administration from La Salle University with a dual concentration in Finance and Business Systems & Analytics. Prior to coming to Oak Hill Mr. Dacons worked at Murrell Dobbins CTE High School in Philadelphia as the Assistant Athletic Director as well as the Sports Marketing and Management Instructor within the business administration department. The Dacons have a daughter, Cameron Grace, and a beagle, Muggsy. They both enjoy watching and attending sporting events, especially basketball and football, spending time with family and friends, and being outdoors. They are excited about being at Oak Hill and look forward to making great memories while on “The Hill.” Mrs. Jess Fisher Mrs. Fisher joins Oak Hill Academy as an ESL Teacher and an Admission Assistant. She was born in South Korea and educated in Australia. Mrs. Fisher completed her Bachelor of Music in Perfor mance, and majored in classical Flute at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University in Bris bane, Australia. Before she started working as a teacher, Mrs. Fisher also lived in Germany, where she continued studying classical music and obtained TestDaF Certification in German language at Studienkolleg Goethe Universität in Frankfurt. Previously Mrs. Fisher worked as a Music and English teacher in Seoul, South Korea where she met her husband Mr. Griffin Fisher. In her free time she likes to practice yoga and zen. She also enjoys traveling and learning new languages and cultures. Mrs. Katherine Giszack Mrs. Giszack is the daughter of teachers and her favorite childhood game was “playing school.” This shaped her career path as she earned her BA in English Education from Virginia Tech and her M.S.Ed. from Radford University in TESOL Education. After teaching English and ESOL for 15 years, she worked with international programming and enrollment for several years, all while liv ing on a boarding school campus for over two decades. In her free time, Mrs. Giszack enjoys writing, chasing her dog, Piper, playing the piano and dis covering new places, near and far. She and her husband Todd have three sons: Micah, Jared and David, and they are all happy to be part of the Oak Hill community.