Darby Cooke
Darby serves as a Pre-K 4 teacher and our beloved Fun Friday Storyteller, working with four-year-olds and bringing over 16 years of experience to Faith MMO—14 of those alongside Miss Josée. She attended Florida State University with a focus on elementary education and a minor in special education, and has spent years investing in children through roles like Guardian ad Litem volunteer, Children’s Ministry Director, and leading her homeschool co-op, OldSchool.

Darby has a deep love for children and their natural curiosity as they begin to make sense of the world around them. She is passionate about laying a foundation of truth rooted in God’s Word, helping each child understand the depth of God’s love through Jesus. She considers it an honor to teach and care for the hearts of little ones, and she treasures the relationships she builds with both her students and their families. In her classroom, Darby creates an environment where children can play, discover, imagine, and begin to see the world as God created it—while learning who they are and the purpose they were designed for.

Outside of MMO, Darby has been married to her husband, Paul, for 41 years and is a proud mom of five and “Lollie” to eleven grandchildren. She continues to pour into children by directing OldSchool, her homeschooling co-op, and enjoys gardening, baking, cooking, and spending time with her family. Some of her favorite classroom reads include The Day the Crayons Quit, Don’t Eat the Teacher, and the Diary of a Worm, Fly, and Spider series. She loves popcorn, a simple medium roast coffee with cream and sugar, and a good trip to Target or T.J. Maxx. Fun fact: Darby worked and danced as a character—and later served as a Character Lead—at Walt Disney World for over six years!