This fall, Mz. Lauren Kelly joined the Upper School English Department, where she is teaching two sections of Lit Comp II and two sections of AP Lit: Women at the Edge. She chooses to go by “Mz.” instead of “Ms.” as a rejection of women’s titles being related to their marital status, but she is also fine with being called “Ms.”. In addition to loving literature, Mz. Kelly also coaches JV volleyball.
Mz. Kelly grew up on Cape Cod, and while she loved reading as a child and frequently got in trouble for reading when she wasn’t supposed to, she “didn’t always know” that she was going to be an English teacher. However, after receiving her MA from the University of York, she decided to take a substitute teaching and coaching job at the Sturgis Charter Public School on the Cape, which set her on the path towards becoming a teacher. “I just really loved it,” she said. “I figured out that it could be my job to read and talk to people about reading.” She chooses to go by “Mz.” instead of “Ms.” as a rejection of women’s titles being related to their marital status, but she is also fine with being called “Ms.”.
Before moving to Natick this summer to teach at Dana Hall, Mz. Kelly taught at St. Mark’s School, where she lived on campus. “This is my first time not living on campus at a boarding school,” she said. “I like the difference, but it’s taken some getting used to.”
But Mz. Kelly is excited to now be teaching at an all-girls school. She spent her undergraduate years at Mount Holyoke, where she enjoyed the “support and enthusiasm that you can kind of only get when it’s all girls together.” She also thinks that it’s easier to be intersectional at an all-girls school. “When you speak to a group of mixed genders, people can be a little touchy talking about sexuality and marginalized people’s rights.” She acknowledges that this still can happen with a same-gender group, but she thinks “the defensiveness falls off a bit… and we can kind of just take off our masks, which is what every teacher wants.”
Mz. Kelly enjoys teaching both seniors and sophomores because of the unique experiences that come with each level of education. “With the seniors, we can go deeper because you have more under your belt, but I think with the sophomores, it’s also fun because they’re discovering things more.” Cassie Sophocles ‘26 expressed that “Mz. Kelly brings such a positive energy to Dana and to AP Lit. She’s always friendly and helpful, and she makes the challenging material we’re covering in class fun.”
She also appreciates her role as the Assistant Coach of the JV volleyball team, saying that “Coaching takes a bit of time, but it’s a really rewarding experience.” As Assistant Coach, she worked closely with Coach Ms. Melissa Palmer throughout the season. Ms. Palmer says that “it was an absolute blast coaching with Mz. Kelly. It can be nerve-wracking getting a new coaching partner, but it was awesome right from the start. We communicated well, she had an awesome coaching philosophy, and the whole season was easy and smooth with her by my side.”Outside of teaching and coaching, Mz. Kelly likes reading in her free time, especially Native American and Gothic literature. She also enjoys crafting: one of her favorite pastimes is making fake succulents using beads and suncatchers. “I’m also in the midst of making a Dana Hall sweatshirt for my dog,” she says, referring to her small dog Mr. Bingley, named after the character in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Mz. Kelly is also excited to present at the National Council of Teachers of English annual convention this week.