Mr. Mike Velez ’00, third form dean and history teacher, will become the School’s next Dean of Students on July 1.
Photo by Deanna Tan/The Choate News
Last Thursday, April 4, Head of School Dr. Alex Curtis announced that Mr. Mike Velez will be stepping up as the Dean of Students next school year. In addition to being a current third-form dean, Mr. Velez is also a beloved history teacher, coach, and adviser, serving as Head of House in Combination.
A Choate alum himself, Mr. Velez graduated in the class of 2000. He said that his Choate experience was largely shaped by two factors: the guidance and support of the faculty and the strong relationships he formed with peers. Mr. Velez explained, “For me, as I move forward into this position as Dean of Students, those are two critical pieces that I really want to focus on: one — how we, as adults in the community, can continue to strengthen our support of students and make them feel as though they are having the best experience possible — and two — how do we allow students to interact with each other in healthy and positive ways.”
The new position, however, will impact some of Mr. Velez’s other roles on campus. He stated that although he would love to remain involved in teaching and coaching, it is most important that he dedicate the necessary time and focus to this new role.
When considering his goals for the future, Mr. Velez emphasized, “For me, it keeps going back to that concept of when students leave Choate, hopefully they reflect back and say that they couldn’t expect anything more out of their high school experience. That would be the ideal.”
Despite the changes it will bring, Mr. Velez is excited for his new role on campus. “I think having talked to some of my colleagues, talked to many students, some of whom I’ve never met prior to last week, there are a lot of great ideas on this campus. I think that’s what I’m looking forward to the most — constructive conversations about how we can make the experience at Choate the best one possible for our students.”
The search process for a new Dean of Students was thorough, and Mr. Velez was ultimately chosen as the best candidate. The advisory committee consisted of eight people and they shared their recommendations with the Head of School. Dr. Curtis explained, “It was clear to me that he was the right choice for this really important position at the School.”
He continued, “And he knows the School very well, and he’s been in the dean’s office so he has all that experience, but what really impressed me when he came through the interview process, meeting with all of us, was that he also has a number of fresh ideas and interesting, different perspectives, so I think we’re actually getting a lovely balance of continuity but also fresh eyes, which is a good thing.”
Ms. Nancy Miller, a member of the Search Advisory Committee, added, “We wanted someone who was student-centered [and] had good ideas.”
All across campus, students and faculty alike are thrilled by Mr. Velez’s appointment. Alex Nam ’21 enthused, “I am more than happy that Mr. Velez is going to be the next Dean of Students. Not only does Mr. Velez have the experience and positive leadership that I believe will make him a great Dean of Students, I think that he is just a great person overall.”
Ms. Diana Beste, a Latin teacher in her 32nd year at Choate, said, “I’m proud that Mike [Velez] has been appointed — he’s a former student of mine — and I wish him luck, and I wish him strength. I think it’s really important that we all support him, because he has so many roles to play and it’s a huge, huge responsibility.”
