TEACHER
Megan Angiulo, BA
“My favorite teacher: Mrs. Joyce Deen Kindergarten and 1st grade teacher. Mrs. Deen made my first experience in a classroom exceptional. I left her class feeling confident, capable, and loved!”
At a very young age, Megan learned firsthand the benefits and characteristics of great teaching. Her mother was an elementary teacher that poured her heart and soul into making learning meaningful and enjoyable for children. Witnessing her mom’s enthusiasm for teaching and the positive impact on her students was the beginning of Megan’s commitment to be an educator making a difference in the lives of children and families. Megan earned her B.A. from Piedmont College in early childhood education. She has taught for 5 years in both public and private elementary settings. Megan’s own passion for yoga led her to become a registered yoga teacher so that she could to share that passion with children. Additionally, Megan is committed to weaving nature into her students’ learning, all the while helping students understand their influence on the world and promoting sustainability for the future.
Daniel Bass, MA
“The most influential teacher in my life was Dr. Annette Parrott who taught me high school biology. She invited us to explore, question, and move through the world seeing it as more wondrous than we had previously realized. She made learning exciting and fun!”
Daniel Bass is an Atlanta native and a lifelong lover of learning! His undergraduate degree is in Spanish from Georgia State University. Daniel loves seeing boundaries between people traversed as linguistic and cultural connections are made. He has spent over a decade tutoring and teaching Spanish, English, and American Sign Language at the pre-k, elementary, and high school levels in the Greater Atlanta Area. After finishing his Master’s of Ministry degree from Richmont Graduate University in 2014, he began working as a youth pastor at a local church parish in Oakhurst. Continuing to pursue his love of helping light bulbs go off for students of all ages, Daniel has come to Hess Academy and is delighted by the collaborative, inclusive, and dynamic environment of the school! He is energized by encouraging young learners to explore their world and the world of others with wonder and compassion. When not at Hess Academy, Daniel reads voraciously (mostly theological nonfiction and fantasy novels), runs and practices yoga, and sings an alarming amount of the time.
TEACHER
Parent Testimonials
A private school for pre-k through 8th grade | Decatur, GA
Letter from the Principal
“I would almost rather we had died that day than to have found ourselves here, lost somewhere between the dreaming and the coming true.”
― Robert Benson
I have been asked the question “Why did you start a school?” more times than I can count.
Before starting the school, after 17 years in the field of education, I found myself in a disappointing place: somewhere between the dreaming and the coming true. After graduating from Kenyon College with a degree in psychology, I had landed in a most unexpected place: my first full time position was in a kindergarten classroom of children with all sorts of strengths and challenges … Luckily we were all provided with the greatest possible resource – a master teacher from whom to learn. It was during that eye- and heart-opening experience that I discovered my passion for teaching. The following summer, I jumped head first into a Master’s program at Bank Street College with exciting dreams of inspiring learners and forever changing lives.
Teaching is much harder than I understood (or imagined) when I began this journey. At times I have struggled to remain optimistic about the transformative power of schools and teachers. I have watched helplessly as students fall through the cracks. My heart fills with disappointment as a talented teacher leaves the profession disillusioned. Each educational environment in which I have worked brought varying degrees of disappointment by the distance between “what could be” and “what is.” At the same time, each of these settings has also provided inspiration for me to ruminate on in my search for an environment in which I, as an educator, and my students could flourish. So, after much prodding and encouragement from those who love and support me, I took another leap towards the larger dream of inspiring learners and forever changing lives. I, with the help of many others, have started a school.
This adventure is allowing me, my students, and my colleagues to get back to a critically important part of learning – the dreaming, and hopefully, ultimately, the joy of the coming true.