Mrs. Dona Jo Brown’s passion for education began long before her formal teaching career, starting in a small playhouse in her parent’s backyard in Darlington, SC. As a teacher cadet in high school, she discovered her love for science and knew she had found her calling in secondary education. After double majoring in Biology/Chemistry and Science Education, she was honored to be hired as a physical science teacher at her alma mater, St. John’s High in Darlington, SC, in 1993.
In the 1996-1997 school year, St. John’s High and Mayo High consolidated to form Darlington High School, where Mrs. Brown has remained throughout her career. At the end of DHS’s first year, she was named the school’s first Teacher of the Year and was a finalist for the district’s Teacher of the Year award. In 1999, she earned a Master of Education in Remediation, and she became Nationally Board Certified in 2002. In 2013, SHE Magazine featured her in their annual Educator Edition, where she discussed the impact her favorite teacher had on her life. In 2015, Mrs. Brown was named the Darlington Chamber of Commerce Educator of the Year. Despite these accolades, her most significant achievement is the daily opportunity to impart science knowledge to her students.
Now in her 32nd year of teaching, Mrs. Brown currently teaches Biology I CP/Honors and Biology II Honors. She resides in Darlington, SC with her husband, Barry, and is the proud mother of two sons, Brycen and Brayden, who she had the privilege of teaching three times each during their time in the Early Honors College at Darlington High. Mrs. Brown holds a BS in Biology and Chemistry and an MEd in Remediation from Francis Marion University. She serves as the Science Department Chair, Advisor to the Anchor Club, and a new teacher mentor. She has also served on the District School Improvement Council, coached cheerleading, and spent many years as the “Concession Stand Chef” at the DHS Baseball Field.
