Ms. Marianna Paone is the newest member of the Upper School Social Studies department this year. Originally from the small village of Rockville Centre on Long Island, NY, Ms. Paone holds a bachelor’s degree in European History from Bates College, and she recently graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

At Dana Hall, Ms. Paone teaches three sections of Western Civilization for freshmen and one section of Comparative Politics for seniors. In addition, she is a tenth-grade advisor and an assistant coach of the Varsity Cross Country team. According to Ms. Paone, “I really enjoy the freshmen; I think their energy is super fun. They are very eager and excited. With the seniors, it’s really fun because you get to see the growth and development of how they think about things in a more complex way.” She also pointed out that it’s a great pleasure to interact with students from different grades through advisory and Cross Country.

Ms. Paone’s journey to teaching was inspired by her own history teacher. Fortunately, in her senior year of college, she received an email about an opportunity at a high school in New Jersey, where she ended up teaching Global Issues and American History for four years. 

Sara Li ‘24, a student in her Comparative Politics class and a member of the Varsity Cross Country team, noted that “Ms. Paone is a very patient teacher who is very supportive of every student in her class,” and “she demonstrates her care for every member of the team as a coach.”

Natalie Phillips ‘27, who’s in Ms. Paone’s Western Civilization class, appreciates her “kind personality, as well as her genuine passion and interest in teaching the class, while always keeping it interesting and fun.” Ms. Paone kicks off her classes with fun daily questions such as each student’s favorite dessert, whether they would have a Monday or a Friday off, or just simply about their weekend, which brings the whole class together and keeps students engaged throughout the class. Natalie said, “This is a class that I have looked forward to going to.” 

Outside of the classroom, Ms. Paone’s interests include outdoor activities like running and skiing, reading, spending time with her friends, and crafting through crocheting and knitting.

Ms. Paone, who values the warm welcome she has received at Dana Hall, says, “It’s hard to be new at a place, so I’ve been very appreciative of the support from my colleagues and students.” Ms. Paone said that she would like to learn as much as she can about the school, especially the traditions, and she hopes that “the students will come away with an excitement and eagerness to learn history.”