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Grade

Visual Arts

Stephen Beatty

MS/HS Film Guide

s.beatty@headwaters.org
Bio
I was born in Germany to Army officer parents and moved every couple of years while growing up, eventually landing in Lampasas, TX, where I got my first job as a video store clerk. I went on to major in film at TCU.

I’ve taught Broadcasting/Video Production/Film since 2011 for Fort Worth ISD, Lake Travis ISD, and now at Headwaters.

Headwaters is an absolute dream come true for me as an educator. The holistic approach to education is not something you find every day. Positive relationships and trust are the cornerstones to the successful student/educator dynamic. I am beyond proud to be part of the Headwaters faculty!
Jaclyn Mann

MS/HS Learning Specialist

j.mann@headwaters.org
Bio
I was born and raised in New Orleans, LA, and I have fond memories of helping my mom grading papers at our dining room table—she was a middle school ELA teacher. So, whether it was nature or nurture, I made my way to teaching. My New Orleans roots also provide a deep love for home cooking, music, big family events, and spicy food (if you’re not crying, it’s not hot enough!).

In 2002, I made my way to Austin, TX via a swimming scholarship to The University of Texas to compete for the Women’s Swimming and Diving team. While there, I earned my degree in Social Work, and it was in the first few years post-college graduation that I realized that teaching and coaching would be my life’s work.

I’ve spent 15 years working in education with students ranging from two years old through high school, and much of that has been right here at Headwaters School. After over a decade in the classroom, I took some time away and worked in private practice as a tutor and Executive Functioning Coach. When I left the classroom just before the pandemic (what timing!) to scratch my entrepreneurial itch, my heart didn’t leave teaching. Working to support student success is what drives me, and while I was able to do that work in private practice, I missed the community and camaraderie that working in a school environment offers.

I have always been drawn to teaching for the neurodivergent learner. Early on, I realized that when I used strategies that best served students with challenges like ADHD and dyslexia, I was better serving every student in my classroom. Now, I get to make it my daily work to support students and Guides in this area.

I am excited to be part of such an incredible team of educators, and I will continue to work to make our school a better place for Neurodivergent humans to learn and grow.
Alison McMillin

a.mcmillin@headwaters.org
Bio
I started elementary school in Austin, but after the 3rd grade, my formative years were split between small-town Louisiana and big-city Paris, France. I have been a student of the arts for as far back as I can remember, recognizing that visual arts can express complexities beyond what I can share with language. I earned the French Baccalauréat in Arts and Letters as a high school graduate, a Bachelors of Fine Arts from UT Austin and I studied ceramics, calligraphy and indigo dyeing while teaching English as a Second Language in Japan for 5 years. I have found that I love teaching just as much as creating, going back to school while working with teens in transition from foster care for a Masters in Education, with a focus on secondary arts, from Texas State. For the past 7 years, I have taught Art, Graphic Design, AP Art History and IBDP Visual Arts at the middle and high school levels. I prefer the IB way, because it is centered around individual student interests and helps forge connections to others, and I cannot wait to meet each and every one of you! My formal training includes film photography, printing, metalsmithing, fiber arts, ceramics....I have discovered that having learned a bit of everything enables me to have plenty of know-how to help all kinds of projects see the light of day. As an artist I have shown locally, and in New Orleans, New York, Tokyo and Osaka, although the past 7 years I have been more focused on being my son Orion's early childhood side-kick. Additionally, I have worked as an intern and an assistant to a green design and architectural non-profit, a ceramist and a jeweler, and working in the design and art production-line world with masters of their craft has helped me develop a fascination with beautiful forms that are also useful, well-made and give a sense of rhythm to their creator during fabrication. Photography and Digital Art/ Design have no need to stay on the page or screen, we can and we will also make worlds come alive in 3-dimensions, maybe even 4. When I am not thinking about the arts, you can find me exploring nature with friends and family or reading novels.
John Mulvany

MS/HS Art Guide

College of Art, Design and Print, Dublin, Ireland
Sherman College of Art and Design, Cork, Ireland

j.mulvany@headwaters.org
Bio
I am an artist and art educator originally from Ireland who has been living and working in Austin for the last 20 years. I have been teaching art for 25 years and this is my 11th year at Headwaters where I teach studio art in the IB program, the high school and middle school.

Teaching art in collaboration with young people at Headwaters School has been my most rewarding and inspiring experience in education.I graduated from the College of Art, Design and Print in Dublin, Ireland with a Fine Art degree, and I also have a degree in art and design education from the Crawford College of Art in Cork, Ireland. As an artist my work has been shown in Ireland, the UK, Germany, and the U.S. I was featured in the 2009 Texas Biennial and was nominated for best artist in the 2009 Austin Visual Arts Association awards. I was a founding member and editor of Cantanker, an art magazine and non-profit art organization and am a regular participant on the East Austin Studio Tour.

I live in east Austin with my wife, Monique, and our two sons, Henry and Cormac, who are students at the Creek Campus.

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As a 501(c)3 non-profit school, Headwaters School does not discriminate because of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other classes protected by federal, state, or local law in its admissions, financial aid, hiring, or board membership processes.

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Visual Arts

Springs Campus

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18 months to Pre-K

Creek Campus

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Elementary School

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Middle & High School