Michelle (Mickey) Spaulding–Upper School Assistant Dean of Students and 12th Grade Class Dean–joined Dana Hall in the 2022-2023 school year. She currently lives on campus in Grey Lodge.

“The best part of my job is being the 12th Grade Class Dean, and that’s really fun. I get to support Seniors through their traditions and that feels really special and really important,” says Mickey.

As a 12th Grade Class Dean she manages senior class meetings and traditions. Claire Oh ‘24, the 12th Grade Boarding Representative, describes Mickey as “very very organized. She makes sure that everyone is included in the program she manages.”

“I admire her ability to be able to think through difficult scenarios around student conduct. She’s someone who is warm, inviting, wise. Someone who brings a lot to the team,” says Ms. Mariela Hernandez Cruz, the Student Affairs Administrative Assistant. “She has a great way in connecting with students.”

 As Assistant Dean of Students, Mickey works in Student Affairs to help manage the attendance system, detentions, and also works closely with Student Council for campus initiatives and club approvals. In addition, she is also a 9th grade advisor where she supports students new to the Upper School or Dana Hall.

Outside of Dana Hall, Mickey bakes and reads. Every year, she picks a theme to read about, and this year is memoirs. She is currently reading The Women in Me by Britney Spears. She also likes to travel and go on day trips. She is a big Nintendo fan and is currently playing Zelda on her Nintendo Switch.

All of her pets are “named after sweets.” Her cat’s name is Cannoli, and her dogs’ names are Mousse and Snickers.

At The American University of Rome, she majored in communications with a concentration in film, specifically horror movies, and minored in creative writing. “It’s really fun because now, when I watch a scary movie, I can tell you from the first five minutes who’s gonna die and who the killer is,” says Mickey, “The Cabin in the Woods is one of the best for film theory, but I really also love the Scream series.”

Mickey worked at the Interlochen Center for the Arts before coming to Dana Hall and has spent the last 15 years working in student affairs or residence life. She says, “It’s really rewarding because this is such a formative time of [the student’s] life, and it feels really special to get to be a part of that.” 

Working briefly as a recruiter was her most important professional experience before coming to Dana Hall because she had to cold call people, which helped her learn how to interact and start conversations with people who might not want to be a participant in the conversation. “And this has really helped me because sometimes we have to have meetings with students who don’t necessarily want to be there and have this conversation,” says Mickey

Last year, she was the 11th Grade Class Dean and Coordinator of Community Life.