Welcome parents! My name is Michelle Hattingh, and I am incredibly excited to be the School Director at Celebree School of Dulles at Arcola. I’d like to take a moment to introduce myself to our community and to share a bit about my background and what led me on my path to becoming a School Director.
I was born and raised in South Africa, and at the age of 20 I moved to Dubai. While living in Dubai, I got married and had 2 beautiful kids – who are young adults now and remind me constantly how old I am.
In 2009, we moved to Canada, and it is here that my educational journey started. I got my Early Childhood Education diploma and began my career as an elementary school teacher, where I taught first-grade students. After teaching first grade for a few years, I was promoted to Vice Principal. I remained a Vice Principal for a few years, and loved my school and community, but life has a way of changing in an instant; my husband was offered a job in the USA, so we once again packed up our family and moved to the USA.
Shortly after arriving here, I started teaching in an elementary school in Alexandria, VA, as a first-grade teacher, and then as a second-grade teacher. After 3 years of working for that elementary school, I made the decision to pursue my education further. I earned my bachelor’s degree in business administration and got hired as the school director at a preschool in Manassas, VA.
In June 2025, I was honored to step into my role as the school director here at Celebree School of Dulles at Arcola. Celebree School’s motto is ‘We grow people BIG and small’, and I can attest to their commitment to live up to this motto. The support and guidance I’ve received from my boss Namita and from our corporate office, has made it abundantly clear that Celebree School is the most amazing school to work for, and that everyone who works for Celebree has an unmistakable love, passion, and dedication to ensuring that all the families who are enrolled in the school are given the utmost respect, provided with the best quality care, and that education is the driving factor in growing both their students and staff to be the best versions of themselves.
As I step into my role here and prepare for our school to open in a few months, I bring with me years of experience, a global perspective, and the ability to see situations from a teacher’s perspective, a director’s perspective, and a parent’s perspective.
I look forward to meeting our new families, and to being part of this wonderful new school – my door is always open to our parents, and I invite you to come and chat with me anytime.
