List of Daria Characters - Lawndale High Faculty

Lawndale High Faculty

• Ms. Janet Barch (first appearance: Episode #107 "The Lab Brat") — Science teacher. She is psychotically hostile towards all men (often treating the male students poorly; i.e., assigning Kevin to a science project in which he is made to look ugly and making Kevin and Mack write on the blackboard as punishment because of their gender) due to a rather messy and bitter divorce; even Mr. DeMartino fears her, and almost everything she says leads to her ranting about how her husband left her after 22 years. However, in season two's "The Daria Hunter," Ms. Barch discovers that Mr. O'Neill is actually sensitive to her plight and lets her vent her feelings, sparking a relationship in which Ms. Barch and Mr. O'Neill intermittently sneak off to make out in numerous public venues (often at Ms. Barch's insistence, as Mr. O'Neill is too passive to stand up to her). In Is It College Yet?, Ms. Barch mistakes Mr. O'Neill's pity on her on the fifth anniversary of her divorce for a marriage proposal. Mr. DeMartino steps in and urges Mr. O'Neill to stand up to Ms. Barch, who is enraged over Mr. DeMartino's words and punches him in the face. In the end, Ms. Barch still stays with Mr. O'Neill, as she is now taken with his newfound assertiveness. Ms. Barch is voiced by Ashley Albert.
• Mrs. Diane Bennett (first appearance: Episode #105 "Malled") — Economics teacher. She is known primarily for a genial disposition, love of knitting, and unexplained hatred of pennies. Her blackboard diagrams resemble football plays. She has an unseen husband, Herbert, and the two collect stuffed toys called "Fuzzy Wuzzy Weebits". She is usually seen executing a plan to undertake some marginally educational field trip or discussing the school budget with Ms. Li. Mrs. Bennett is voiced by Amy Bennett.
• Ms. Claire Defoe (first appearance: Episode #102 "The Invitation") — Art teacher. The most down-to-earth of the Lawndale High faculty, and patient to a fault. It is hinted that she may be an ex-hippie. She favors Jane Lane highly as a student, and in "Lucky Strike" she even consults Jane for advice with the picket signs during the teachers' strike. Ms. Defoe is voiced by Nicole Carin in seasons one and two and then by Nicole's sister Danielle Carin for the remainder of the series.
• Mr. Anthony DeMartino (first appearance: Episode #101 "Esteemsters") — History teacher. DeMartino suffers severe chronic stress, of which a symptom is his habit of shouting occasional syllables, getting scared or vice versa, causing one of his eyes to bulge out of its socket. Dimwits like Kevin and Brittany really upset him, but smart students like Daria actually impress him slightly. The only person DeMartino is afraid of is the misandristic science teacher, Ms. Barch, who went after him with a paintball gun in "The Daria Hunter," beat him up for replacing her yearbook pages in "The New Kid," and punched him in the eye for encouraging Mr. O'Neill to break up with her in Is It College Yet?. According to "The Daria Hunter," Mr. DeMartino's mother sent him to live with his neighbors (who were strange, twisted people) because she didn't want anyone to know she was a single mother and went to military school (just like Daria's father, Jake). Similarly, in "Anti-Social Climbers," DeMartino had a best friend, whom he hates after said best friend married his mother. In "Just Add Water," DeMartino is revealed to have a gambling addiction, which cost him his car. In the finale movie, Is It College Yet?, Mr. DeMartino is the only one who knows about Ms. Barch dating Mr. O'Neill (and only supports the faculty's rules about fraternization because of it) and sees Mr. O'Neill as his best friend. He tries to get O'Neill out of a marriage proposal to Ms. Barch—which failed when Ms. Barch finds herself attracted to Mr. O'Neill's new assertive personality. Mr. DeMartino has blue eyes, which can only be seen when they are bulging. Anthony DeMartino is voiced by Marc Thompson.
• Ms. Angela Li (first appearance: Episode #101 "Esteemsters") — Principal of Lawndale High. She is obsessed with fund raising and the school's image. She will do anything to bring fame and fortune to Lawndale High, such as accepting money for allowing Wedding and Fashion Model agents into the school, and signing an exclusive soft-drink vending contract and having a nervous breakdown trying to get people to excessively drink it, to bring in more revenue. She is obsessed with school security as well, even using a polygraph machine and buying an expensive bulletproof skylight for the school pool, possibly reflecting a megalomaniacal side. Her self-aggrandizement frequently brings her into conflict with Daria and Jane, who rarely see eye to eye with either her goals or her methods of achieving them. Ms. Li is voiced by Nora Laudani.
• Mr. Timothy O'Neill (first appearance: Episode #101 "Esteemsters") — English teacher. Sensitive "new age guy" who is always talking about feelings but doesn't have a very good grip on his own emotions, as he tends to break down and cry quite frequently. He is unable to relate to anyone at the school or in his personal life. He also tends to have a problem remembering students' names and faces (except for Daria's). Is considered Mr. DeMartino's friend, despite their clashing personalities and is the only man that Ms. Barch doesn't hate. Mr. O'Neill is voiced by Marc Thompson.
• Ms. Margaret Manson (first appearance: Episode #101 "Esteemsters") — School psychologist. She only has one speaking role, in Episode #101 ("Esteemsters"), in which she declares Daria has self-esteem issues. Ms. Manson is voiced by Jessica Zaino.