As an economist and former vice president of AdvanceCT, Alissa DeJonge is no stranger to data. At the former Connecticut Economic Resources Council, DeJonge had researched economic and public policies to help the economy and make the state more competitive.
Now, as president of Mercy High School in Middletown, DeJonge is putting those skills to a different use, whether it’s monitoring COVID cases or weather reports in the 50 communities served by the school.
“A lot of times we would say it would be great if we could better link education to employers and have a smooth transition – giving students a better understanding of what they’re learning and why they’re learning it and giving employers a better understanding of what’s going on in the classroom, â€DeJonge said.
When the post of president of the girls’ school opened, DeJonge said she saw an opportunity to bring the knowledge she had learned to the community at a micro level.
DeJonge has now completed her first year as president of the school she graduated from in 1995, and has connected students and employers by bringing in guest speakers to speak to students through clubs and “Tiger Talk”. , a podcast that students started this year.
One thing students have learned from talking to professionals and community leaders is that they don’t have to plan their lives for the next few years.
“We had several guest speakers to talk about different aspects of the business, and not just what they do in their jobs, but we also wanted them to talk about the decision-making process at different points in their journey. career, â€DeJonge mentioned. “I never would have said that I would be president of a high school, but you gain different experiences and skills and twists in life.”
It’s a lesson they’ve learned from the COVID pandemic as well, DeJonge said. “As long as you plan, things can happen that totally rock your head.”
For the podcast, students would host business leaders, media professionals, public office holders, or someone whose career simply matched their interests. Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz recently joined the school’s student council officers to discuss what it means to be a woman in a leadership role.
For Mercy’s 375 students, Bysiewicz’s message was important, DeJonge said, because the discussion allowed them to “see themselves in these leadership positions.”
For another episode, students from the Ecology Club interviewed Bryan Garcia, president and CEO of the Connecticut Green Bank, which was created by the state legislature in 2011 to obtain renewable energy sources while creating jobs.
Some alumni have also been invited to the podcast, including Lori Fazio, who is the COO of RJ Julia Booksellers. She discussed the school’s Breakfast Book Club with the student who founded the club.
From those conversations, DeJonge said, students would realize, “I can do what I love and what I’m good for, and there’s work like that,” DeJonge said, adding that she is able to use her own professional network to help connect students. “It was really fun to see my former colleagues and coworkers in this new light and they are delighted to share their experiences and pass this advice on to the students. “
COVID has been a challenge for the first-year president, DeJonge said, but despite having to understand the logistics, the school has always held traditions such as the pin ceremony and the week of the spirit, as well as its graduation and senior proms.
Having two principals at the school to handle day-to-day operations helped DeJonge focus on other tasks, including meetings with companies, including those owned by alumni of the school. The restaurant industry was particularly hard hit during the pandemic, so the school would feature them on its social media pages, DeJonge said.
And while the pandemic has forced many people to navigate difficult issues, it has also demanded that people use technology in ways they haven’t done before, something that’s here to stay. DeJonge said, citing the possibility for schools to have a distance learning day instead of a snow day.
“It won’t replace classroom learning, but we can use it to supplement and improve,†DeJonge said.