DI Families: Meet the McDermotts!
We recently sat down with Kristen and Jason McDermott and family dog, Finn. The McDermotts, both long-time teachers at the Daniel Island School and familiar faces to many Daniel Island families, recently moved from Mount Pleasant into their beautiful new home in Edgefield Park. As the couple shared details about how they met and got married on Daniel Island and decided to call the island “home” - we realized this unique Daniel Island love story was perfect for our Valentine’s Day issue! Enjoy!
Q. Where are you from originally?
Kristen Schulze McDermott (KM): I grew up in Columbia, SC, but moved to the Charleston area in 1991, earning a degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from the College of Charleston and a Masters in Reading Literacy from the Citadel. I loved Charleston so much, I decided to stay! I taught first grade at North Charleston Elementary for three years, Oakland Elementary in West Ashley for six years, then Daniel Island School where I’ve been for the past 11 years. I love teaching at DIS and I work with a fantastic team.
Jason McDermott (JM): I was an army brat. My family moved around a lot, ending up in the small town of Fitchburg, Mass. On the very day of my graduation from high school, my parents got reassigned to San Antonio. I decided to stay in the area. I went to Boston University, Fitchburg State College and Keene State College in New Hampshire. After that, I got jobs teaching high school P.E. and coaching football at the University of New Hampshire and at Plymouth State University.
After five years of the cold and snow, I started thinking about moving to a place that was warm, close to the water, with a lot of good history to it. Charleston fit that bill perfectly.
I moved to the area in December, 2006. After a long-term teaching assignment at Wando High School, I began looking for a full time teaching job. While I didn’t have my SC teaching certification, Lori Dibble, Daniel Island School’s principal at the time, offered me the opportunity to come on board as the 6th Grade Social Studies teacher, through PACE, the state’s alternative program for prospective educators.
With a major in Geography and a minor in European History, I didn’t know much about teaching Ancient Civilization. I just figured the curriculum out as I went along, blending stories about my own travelling experience together with the standards. I make sure to fully engage my students by using real world, hands-on learning in the classroom in place of textbooks. I know how to manage my classroom effectively and communicate well with kids thanks to my experience coaching football and the discipline I learned growing up in a military family.
Two years ago, I earned a Masters in Administration through Southern Wesleyan’s night program. Marty French, former DIS principal, and one of the greatest mentors I’ve ever had, encouraged me to reach higher. I have been an integral part in moving our school forward with its technology initiative. My classroom is a “blended” classroom through the daily use of Chromebooks. My Master’s thesis was on project-based learning which helped me to move in that direction.
Q. With both of you being so busy at DIS, when and how did you two get together as a couple?
KM: Initially, Jason and I didn’t know each other. Back then, in the early years of the school, there were very few interactions between the upstairs and downstairs staff at DIS. Somehow, we got grouped together on a committee to set up arrival/dismissal procedures for the students.
JM: One day, we ran into each other at Harris Teeter on Long Point. Kristen, who had just finished riding her horse up in Awendaw, was still in her riding clothes, (and) was a little surprised to see anyone from DIS. Actually, so was I. Right there, I realized that I wanted to get to know Kristen better. I didn’t know if she was married or otherwise attached, so I called on our mutual friend, Elizabeth Myers (DIS, first grade), who, I guess you could say, became our “Cupid.” As soon as Elizabeth gave me the thumbs up, Kristen and I started talking on the phone, going out on dates and hanging out at the Myers’ house. That Christmas, I proposed to Kristen right in front of the Christmas tree.
KM: We were engaged for a year and a half before we tied the knot in June of 2012. You really need all that time to plan and prepare - and book space well ahead of time, especially if you’re a Southern bride getting married in June! We got married at the Daniel Island Club, thanks to my aunt and uncle, Sally and Graham Brough, who are residents of Daniel Island Park and members of the DI Club. I had really wanted to get married on Daniel Island, the very community that had brought us together in the first place. We held the ceremony outside, with a gorgeous view facing the marsh; the reception followed inside the club.
JM: Our wedding was, essentially, a kind of Daniel Island School-as-family wedding. Amy Hardison (DIS, 7th Grade Social Studies), my first friend at DIS, was my best man...or, should I say, my “best woman.” Several administrators and all of our middle school and primary teacher friends were there to support us. Many of our students and their parents watched from the Club’s second floor porch, outside of the Grill Room. It was very touching.
Q. How did you end up choosing the Edgefield Park neighborhood and the house you have now?
KM: We looked at a lot of houses on the island. But we opted to start fresh and build on a lot in Edgefield Park...We love it here, the sidewalks, the community feel. Even our dog, Finn, loves Daniel Island. We think of our new house as our “forever home”...and we plan to stay here a long, long time.
JM: Kristen fell in love with the floor plan - and the southern-style porches! Everything’s on the first floor, including the master bedroom. There are three bedrooms upstairs for guests. We’re a block from the pool and Smythe Park. We even bought a golf cart to drive to school, which is now only three blocks away...While Kristen and I don’t have children of our own, we feel like we have lots of kids. We’ve each taught many of the same children on Daniel Island and their siblings. I get to watch boys I teach at DIS become young men at Bishop England High School where I coach many of them on the football team. It’s really rewarding to be able to help develop those kids and see them go off to college. Daniel Island is really a family environment. I am finally living my dream to be able to say I live and work in one spot. I moved around so much in my life, I could never say I came from one particular place.
Q. What are some of your favorite restaurants - on island and off?
JM: On Daniel Island, we love Vespa and Orlando’s. Thursday nights are always pizza nights - right after I coach middle school flag football. And, because Kristen loves Mexican food, we go to Agave a lot. We also love seafood at places like Vickery’s, Red’s and Tavern and Table on Shem Creek.
Q. How do you spend your free time?
JM: Teaching takes a lot out of you, so weekends are our recovery time. We love going to the movies.
KM: Especially having lunch or dinner dates at Cinnebarre in Mount Pleasant. Otherwise, we just enjoy spending time at home, going for walks in the neighborhood with Finn, and I always go out and ride my horse, Darius.
Q. Do you ever take any day trips or weekend trips out of the area?
JM: We don’t have a lot of time during the school year to travel except during school breaks. Then we try to go to Kristen’s family beach house in Debordieu, right outside of Georgetown.
KM: Several times a year, I take Darius to compete in horse shows. But that’s about it. We’re homebodies. Our hobbies are our outlets. For Jason, it’s coaching football. For me, it’s riding my horse. And of course we enjoy walking our dog, Finn, which is so much easier to do now that we live on the island. Finn loves it here!
Q. If you could sum up your life on Daniel Island in three words, what would they be?
KM: Stress-free. Without the commute and time crunch.
JM: Happy. We both love our jobs. And the community.
KM: Home.
JM: Yes! We love Daniel Island. And now we get to call it home. There’s nothing better than that!