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Date: 5/18/2022
GRANBY – During their May 10 School Committee meeting, Superintendent Stephen Sullivan announced the appointments of two principals in the district.
Terms were agreed upon to allow Lisa Desjarlais to become principal of the East Meadow School beginning July 1, 2022,. Current Granby Junior-Senior High School interim Principal Alison Jordan will take on full responsibilities of the position as she becomes full-time principal for the 2022-2023 school year.
“I am excited to appoint Mrs. Jordan to the full-time principal role at Granby Junior-Senior High School (GJSHS). We are fortunate to have someone who has continuously demonstrated such a strong commitment to the Granby Public Schools since she started working in the district seven years ago,” Sullivan said.
The superintendent said that he looks forward to working with her and her team at the high school and building on their strengths and working to address areas where the school can improve. He added that he has no doubt in Mrs. Jordan finding success in this work.
Jordan graduated from Westfield State College in 2004 with a major in movement science and concentration in health fitness. After graduating she attended Worcester State University and received her master’s in health education while assistant coaching the womens soccer team.
She began her educational career in 2006 as a health education teacher in the Amherst Public Schools before transitioning to Quaboag Regional High School in a similar role. She eventually assumed many leadership roles such as class advisor and advising the student council. This is where she shifted her mindset for aspirations as an administrator.
“She is excited to continue her journey as new principal of Granby Junior Senior High School,” Sullivan said. “I think one thing that we often look for in staff is consistency and stability and someone who is going to be committed to the district. We don’t want to be going through this again in two years or three years and I think we have that in Mrs. Jordan and I am excited she is on board to take on the position moving forward.”
Jordan spoke after the announcement and said she was really excited to be in the new role.
“I went into the year thinking to continue steering the ship and now we’ve switched the analogy to landing the plane but the wheels aren’t quite out yet but our seatbelts are on and the oxygen masks are down,” Jordan said with a laugh. “I’m super excited. I am a firm believer that being in the classroom is important. Learning how to be a leader and in my position as assistant principal I learned so much. I really believe that it’s helped me shape who I’ve become and established this position that I’m in in the district.”
Sullivan then introduced Desjarlais as new principal of the East Meadow School. Desjarlais is a longtime resident of South Hadley and has served as a principal of Gale Elementary for the past two years. Prior to that she was principal of Pelham Elementary since 2010 and served as an assistant principal in Amherst for one year before Pelham.
She also worked as an elementary school teacher for 16 years at Mosier Elementary School in South Hadley. Prior to being in the field of education, she worked for 10 years in the mental health field. She received a bachelor’s degree in education in human services from UMass and a master’s degree in special education from Westfield State University. Desjarlais has also served on the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Principal Advisory Council and has experience working with special education, mental health and restorative practices.
“In regards to East Meadow School, I am happy to put the search process behind us and begin working with Ms. Desjarlais to transition into this role. Ms. Desjarlais brings with her a wealth of experience that I am confident will have a positive impact on students, staff and families at East Meadow School,” said Sullivan.
Sullivan added Desjarlais was very excited and eager to begin working at East Meadow. She will be attending school community events in the coming weeks while also visiting East Meadow School, hosting meet and greet events to begin her transition into the school and making new connections with the Granby school community.
“I was delighted to get a phone call from Mr. Sullivan while I was in Stop & Shop in Holyoke,” Desjarlais said. “I can’t say enough, I am so excited to be joining this district. I’ve grown up next to Granby and it’s such a close community. It’s always struck me as such a wonderful community feel and I am so honored to be a part of it.”