Teaching duo moved across the world. Now, they’re a few doors away in Rock Hill
Not many work just a few doors away from their first love, but Michelle and Dan Stone found themselves doing exactly that.
The two originally retired from the Denver Public School District in Colorado in June 2023 and chose to live in Greece for a year and a half. They traveled the world and were living most people’s dream until they came to the realization that they were not ready to stop teaching just yet. The Stones returned to teaching in October and joined the Rock Hill School District ready to embrace anything that came their way. They were also among the 100 educators who took part in a new educator orientation last week.
A little over a year into teaching in Rock Hill, the two say they feel blended into the district community in a way they never experienced in Denver.
“It really feels like a hometown community, where we feel we could walk into any district building and quite a few people would actually know who we are,” Dan Stone said.
Dan and Michelle have known each other since they were 14 and 12 years old, respectively. Michelle’s best friend was Dan’s sister. Years, marriages, kids and divorces later, the two rekindled their friendship over Facebook with a simple “Hey, how’s it going,” recalled Michelle Stone.
They were married 16 years ago and are making a point of working together in any school district they join.
The Stone school connection
“We love going to work together in the morning,” Michelle Stone said. “We get a little bit of time to just wind down before we come to school. And then on the way home we get to decompress and I can talk to him about my day and he understands the inner workings of a teacher so he doesn’t have to question how or why.”
The couple joined the Rock Hill School District because a former principal they worked with in Colorado, Bradford Every, mentioned they would love to work in Rock Hill, Michelle Stone said.
It’s a drastic scenery change from their 10 years in Colorado. And the two at first planned to be substitute teachers, but they jumped in full time instead. Starting this fall, the Stones will be teaching third and fourth grade at Richmond Drive Elementary.
One of the added benefits of teaching just a grade apart is all the third-grade students that Michelle Stone teaches can dive straight into Dan Stone’s fourth-grade class.
“She would tell me what she’s working on so I could make adjustments to sort of nicely segue them into fourth grade so there wouldn’t be any gaps in their education,” Dan Stone said. “And if there was any issues at the beginning of the school year, I could go back to her and say ‘hey I’m having a little bit of an issue with this one kid, whats the best way to reach them?’”
And it’s clear they’ve made a mark. Students from years prior have not forgotten the Stones — their favorite teachers, Michelle Stone says — and send graduation cards.
“I know it’s a cliché but it’s the truth, we truly are the first point of contact for these kids where academic learning is happening. And we truly want to make that difference to those students,” Michelle said.
New teacher orientation
While they have already worked in Rock Hill, the two never experienced the new educator orientation that takes place just two weeks before school.
During the two-day orientation last week each of the new teachers came together and learned about each other and ways they can make this upcoming school year memorable and impactful for Rock Hill students.
“This is always a special time of year as we welcome new teachers and returning educators who have chosen Rock Hill Schools,” said Superintendent Deborah Elder. “Our Learning to Rock program is just one of the ways we invest in our educators from day one.”
Laurabree Monday, Rock Hill Schools public information officer, said seven of the 100 educators participating last week are returning teachers. More than half bring multiple years of teaching experience to their roles. Fourteen are Rock Hill district alumni and seven are transitioning into certified teaching position roles through Rock Hill’s Grow Your Own and South Carolina’s Department of Education.
This story was originally published July 28, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
