Meet Lower School Dean of Students Sean Melia
Officially, the role of Shore’s new Lower School Dean of Students is “to work alongside the Head of the Lower School to implement a focus on character education and uphold school policies relating to behavioral expectations.”
In other words, says Sean Melia—the Grade 4 teacher who takes on that role this fall—it’s all about community.
“I’ll be focusing on students and student life in a big-picture way, and working to create a community across the entire Lower School. I’ll be that person who is helping to connect all students across grades, so we don’t have any child who feels they’re just in their own classroom.”
The focus on community is a top priority schoolwide; it’s a major component of Shore’s new house system—which unites students of all ages, faculty, and staff in six distinct houses—and it’s just as important throughout the Lower School, says Melia.
“Good schools like ours have a sense of pride, a sense of who they are,” he argues, “and good schools have the ability to inspire confidence and a sense of comfort in kids when they come together, whether they’re a second grader walking among seventh graders or a sixth grader walking among ninth graders.”
“That’s also the biggest challenge,” Melia continues. “How do you communicate across this wide range of ages in the Lower School, how do you adapt the message but share the same big ideas with a four-year-old and a 10-year-old?”
One answer may be inside a mailbox. Among other exciting goals for this year—including learning every Lower School students’ name by the end of September—Melia, along with new Lower School Head Sara Knox, are planning a new Lower School community mailbox: literally, a life-sized U.S. Postal Service-style mailbox designed by Innovation Lab Manager Cam McNall. It’s just one of several new ways they’ll highlight students’ work and examples of good citizenship.
“The mailbox will be an opportunity for people to tell us stories that are connected to Shore’s Community Code. Anyone can submit something: parents, faculty, staff, students. We’ll then pull these out on occasion and share them with the whole Lower School.”
At the same time, says Melia, he’s excited about focusing on his own fourth grade classroom, where he’s going to be sharing with students his own work-in-progress, a book written for and about fourth graders. It tells the fictional story of a boy who moves across the country and has to adjust to a new school.
“I’m looking forward to getting some real fourth grade feedback,” he says.
He’s also looking ahead to changes in the reading curriculum. “We created a new short story reader to start the year, with a collection of different kinds of reading and different ways to read. It will give every child a chance to find a book they feel good about.”
Even with all that’s new this year—evolving the curriculum, completing a book, and uniting the Lower School—Melia still finds time for sports. In October, he’ll run his first full marathon, in Newport, RI. “I’ve been training a lot this summer in the heat. I’d say I was looking forward to it, but do you look forward to running a marathon?”
He’ll also continue coaching the soccer team, which he says is a great opportunity. “I see kids I taught in fourth grade who are now in seventh, eighth, or ninth grade. It’s a great experience to reconnect with them three or four or five years later.”
With connections always top of mind, it’s clear this Dean of Students is ready for duty.
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Melia in his Grade 4 homeroom this summer
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Selfie with a student who demonstrated kindness
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Unveiling the Community Mailbox
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Shore Country Day School’s mission is to provide an education that inspires a love of learning and encourages children to embrace academic challenge. We seek to build character, cultivate creativity, and value diversity as we help our children become healthy, compassionate citizens of the world.
The School admits qualified students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law, and extends to them all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its admissions, scholarships, and loans, and its educational, athletic, and other programs.