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06/20/2018 08:30 AMNot even the allure of Florence, Italy could keep wife, mother of three, college professor, and chair of the East Haven Board of Education Michele DeLucia, away from what she loves most: family and the town of East Haven.
“This is my home,” says Michele, as she animatedly speaks about why she loves the town in which she and her husband grew up, met for the first time, and have grown their own family.
Her goal now, she says, is to do all that she can to make the education system in town the best it can possibly be.
To that end, Michele is looking to implement some positive changes in the realm of education and she is hoping the community supports her goals.
“We have a lot to offer here in East Haven and sometimes that is overlooked, especially in our education system, and I want to help change that and make it better,” says Michele.
Accomplished in her area of expertise, Michele is a professor of psychology at Southern Connecticut State University, however she admits that public speaking is not her forte.
“In my classroom, that’s different, I am the expert there,” she says, “but speaking at graduations and board meetings is a little nerve-wracking for me.”
Michele overcame her fears recently as she spoke at both the middle school and high school graduations.
Some kind eyes in the audience to look at included those of her own middle school daughter who graduated from 8th grade and is moving on to high school in August.
“I am invested in East Haven’s education, not just because I love the town and want to make it better, but because I have three kids who are currently in the school system and their future relies on the changes we are able to make,” says Michele, who believes East Haven offers its students a positive educational experience.
“We need to make people more aware of the opportunities here in East Haven,” says Michele. “There is absolutely no reason our education system should be looked at as inferior to any other system. When I read through the course catalog at the high school, to be honest I am a little a jealous of all the interesting and exciting electives we offer our students. It’s almost like being at a university.
“With more support we can do more,” she addss. “I look at education as it is what you make of it.”
Michele has served on the BOE since 2013 and has been the chair of the Wellness Subcommittee in the past, drawing from her psychology expertise and knowledge.
Michele has added more schooling of her own to her already-full schedule and is currently in the midst of getting an Ed.D doctoral degree in educational leadership at Southern Connecticut State University. She earned her master's degree in applied industrial/organizational psychology with a concentration in conflict management and negotiating from the University of New Haven in 2000.
“I think it only makes sense, to serve the BOE the best of my ability, that I pursue my doctorate,” says Michele.
She added that so far, being the chair of the BOE, has been a new and very exciting endeavor.
“Progress is exciting and I hope to see a lot of it in East Haven’s future. Not only does our school system rely on it, but so do the futures of our students and our town in general. No one looks to move to a town that is perceived as not having a great school system. So, it’s all tied together, property value, school system, student success.”
She praised East Haven’s Superintendent of Schools Erika Forti for having the same goals and pointed out that in 3rd grade all the children in the East Haven school system have Chromebooks, which is not offered in every district. She also commended the outstanding sports teams at the high school and the theater program at the middle school (which she was instrumental in getting in place).
“I know, from my work, that all kids need to be able to excel in at least one thing,” explained Michele. “We need to make sure they have that opportunity. For some kids it’s academics and that’s great, but for the ones that don’t excel in that area we need to be sure to offer excellent sports team, and arts programs so each student can find their niche and be proud of themselves and feel good about themselves. I think we are doing a good job at that in East Haven with all our programs, in and out of school.”
When Michele is not working hard teaching others or advocating for educational success, she is spending time with friends and family as well as enjoying all kinds of arts. In fact, she studied art history in Florence, Italy and was offered a teacher’s assistant job there. However, her love affair with East Haven prevailed and she refused to the position to fly back home.
“I just love it here. We have beautiful beaches, a close knit community, and great schools. This is where I am from and exactly where I want to be,” Michele says with a smile.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly state DeLucia was currently attending UNH to receive her master's degree in applied industrial/organizational psychology degree with a concentration in conflict management and negotiating; she earned that degree in 2000 and is currently pursuing an Ed.D doctoral degree in educational leadership at SCSU.