Melissa Stone was born on an Air Force base on Terceira Island, Azores, Portugal, but does not remember her life there, as she grew up in Marietta, Georgia. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Information Systems from Kennesaw State University around the time of the dot-com bubble burst. She utilized her business skills as an executive assistant for several years.
Stone moved north to Pennsylvania with her spouse and daughter and realized that a job at her daughter’s elementary school would be a good fit for her family. She started as a paraprofessional substitute before being regularly called to sub in the autistic support classroom, where she realized she excelled as a paraprofessional in this setting. Her family then moved to Michigan during the Pandemic, and she again found a position at the local elementary school, Dicken, where she became a Title 1 Tutor during the 2022-23 school year before she became Secretary to the Principal in the 2023-24 school year.
Principal Heather Halabu says Stone is always calm despite the busy and unpredictable nature of the front office.
“Melissa is eager and willing to help students, staff, and families with patience and grace each and every day,” says Halabu. “Melissa is simply wonderful! I could not be more grateful to work alongside her each day.”
What’s the most surprising thing people don’t realize you do as part of your job at Dicken?
I believe that people don’t realize quite how many hats an OP has to wear between helping to make sure the substitutes are scheduled and taken care of, about classroom needs, handling nursing needs for several days out of the week, ordering supplies, budgeting, daily office needs, and the list goes on.
In a typical day, how many different “hats” do you wear?
Way too many to list!
What’s the most unusual request or problem you’ve had to solve for a teacher or parent?
Some of the more unusual requests typically involve registration and determining which documents will suffice for enrollment or which school needs to be contacted to ensure the child is properly registered. Other unique requests usually involve some form of technology or building issue.
What’s the funniest thing a student has ever said to you in the office?
One time, I had a student ask if they could guess my age, and they guessed it within a year. I wasn’t expecting that one on the first try! I have also had a grandparent ask, “Mrs. Stone, may I go to the potty?” before bursting out in laughter. That was another unexpected one!
Why do you like working at AAPS in general, and at Dicken specifically?
Dicken is a very welcoming school. The staff makes a great team, and I love being able to help meet the needs of so many people on a daily basis.
What’s the most creative excuse a student has given you for being late to school?
I have had parents list “life” as a reason for being late a couple of times, and you certainly feel for them on those days, and can only imagine the struggles they face in getting their children out the door!
What moment made you realize you were making a real difference in students’ lives?
I think that sometimes it is the little things we don’t think about that make a huge difference to students, whether it be assisting with calling home for lost homework, helping with getting the correct answers to classwork, or even playing a game of seesaw with an autistic student at recess on a daily basis. These are the things that can be very meaningful to students.
How do you manage to remember so many students’ names, and what’s your secret for making each child feel special?
I always try to be a friendly and helpful face in the office as much as possible. With so many students in and out of the office, I do try my best to remember names, but sometimes if I just can’t quite remember, I always ask them to remind me and tell them that I will try to get their name correct the next time we see each other.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your role, and how did you overcome it?
I think that one of the biggest challenges is that there are almost always interruptions, whether it be a phone call, an in-person need, or an urgent request, and I have learned that sometimes it is best to do jobs that require the utmost concentration just before school or after students are dismissed for the day.
What would surprise your coworkers to know about you? I think my coworkers would be surprised to learn that one of my first jobs was testing voting machines and assisting in the training of poll workers on the new equipment.
Favorite thing to order at your favorite local restaurant? My go-to meals are pizza or any stir-fry or noodle dish, especially foods with a lot of spices.
How do you spend your summers?
I usually spend my summers gardening, and we try to visit a favorite vacation spot in Maine at least every other year, although our goal is to go every summer.
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