Riverdale Country School Pays Tribute to Mr. Mike Velez
For the past two years Mr. Mike Velez, the Head of the Upper School, has been an exceptional leader in the Riverdale community. He has been a guiding presence, always encouraging students to find the best in themselves. While many know him as the Head of the Upper school andan administrator, Mr. Velez was also a Constructing America and ninth and tenth grade History teacher. Throughout his two years, Mr. Velez has not only been an amazing Head of the Upper School but has also excelled as a role model in the Riverdale community.
When reflecting on the last two years, Mr. Velez recounted that his best experiences were “ the moments that I will remember the most were the ones where the entire school came together in celebration and in community.” Additionally, when asked about his favorite class to teach, Mr. Velez had a clear choice: “Without a doubt Constructing America. I was teaching with Mr. [John] Wellington who really shifted my view on that course and the teachers in it. I had taught a similar course at Choate [Rosemary Hall] for over 12 years, and in that arrangement you had a history teacher and an English teacher. On the first day of class, Mr. Wellington said to me ‘in this class we don’t have an English teacher and a History teacher, we have two capable teachers who can lead the class in whatever it is that we are doing.’ The shift in this mindset made the class so much more enjoyable.” It’s obvious that Mr. Velez has a passion for teaching and interacting with his students, especially in the classroom. As for what he’s doing next, Mr. Velez will be embracing this love for teaching in the classroom. At his next school in Connecticut, the Westminster School, Mr. Velez said he will “be teaching 4 sections of History, coaching a pair of sports, and living on campus.” As he moves onto this next stage of his journey as an educator, Riverdale is so grateful to have had him.
Mr. Velez will certainly be missed in our community. Over the past two years, he has had a palpable impact on our community and those who worked closely with him are able to attest to his dedication. Mr. Johnny Hager, the dean for the Class of 2024 and Spanish teacher said “I always felt that Mr. Velez has always come into a conversation with an incredible amount of disposition and kindness.” Clearly, Mr. Velez carried himself with a great amount of humility in his everyday work. As Mr. Hager states “this kind of humility made me feel like I could be my absolute self.” Mr. Milton Sipp, the Head of the Middle School, expressed that “Mr. Velez has brought a commitment to young people and we love the fact that he came from this boarding school experience where it was all about 24/7 with students. That same sort of mentality of being in the trenches with the students was really tremendous.” He also recalled a story: “I took some middle school students to Greece and when we returned after 2 weeks, Mr. Velez wanted the students to have a Greek welcome in the United States so he used the flagpole in front of his house and had the Greek flag waving when they returned. This attention to detail was something that really meant a lot to us.” Mr. Velez put forth tremendous effort to be involved in the lives of students, something often difficult in an administrative role.
When reflecting on his time at Riverdale Mr. Velez acknowledged, “I’ll miss the people. Anytime you’re in a community like this you make connections with others that go beyond what happens on campus. Taking so many amazing connections, friendships and relationships will be great to take forward and you take solace in knowing that you’re going to stay connected with these great people.” However, to some extent, Mr. Velez is glad to be moving onto this next chapter: “I’ve been an administrator for the last 14 years, now I’m going to be hopping back into the classroom, living on campus, coaching varsity hockey and lacrosse and I’m going to go back to doing what I did when I started teaching 22 years ago.” Mr. Velez has greatly contributed to our community and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. Perhaps Mr. Hager put it best: “when school takes over with so much to do, it’s nice to have a good laugh and dialogue with a colleague or friend and just talk. I feel like that’s Mr. Velez.”
Though his departure saddens the Riverdale community, Mr. Velez leaves with one final piece of wisdom: “Always seek out opportunities that are transformational not transactional. Transformational opportunities are characterized by being in a group of settings where passion is really palpable. Finding ways to surround yourself with people who are passionate about what they are doing will make everyone’s experience more transformational in that way.” We thank Mr. Velez for his commitment to Riverdale over the past two years and wish him the best in his future endeavors!
