I just returned from a luncheon that honored Valley Women
Making a Difference at the Grassy Hill Lodge in Derby. All of the women being honored both
past and present are truly some of the unsung heroes of our Valley
community. I wanted to spend some
time focusing on one of those women honored today…Gloriann Albini of Derby.
Gloriann is an incredible role model who has a demanding job
as a Nurse Practitioner and yet still finds the time to volunteer her time more
than anyone I have ever met.
It was just a little more than two years ago that St.
Mary-St. Michael School in Derby was rumored to be closing. As a result of that rumor, parents
pulled their children from the school in order to ensure seats for their
children in other private schools.
We watched the school graduate 25 eighth-graders and then saw the enrollment
drop to 65 children (in the entire school).
The school was on life support and that is when I saw
Gloriann the leader in action.
Before moving on I’d like to distinguish between two types
of leaders…positional and transformational leaders. Positional leaders are not really leaders. They get to lead because of their job
title. Sure, there are some
excellent positional leaders, but I think most people would agree that there
are many poor bosses and supervisors out there who know nothing about
leadership. They get to lead
because of their position or title in the company.
Transformational leaders are a whole other ball game. They are the leaders who “get it.” They lead by example and by the way
they conduct themselves. They have
the ability to get others to follow them not because of their title, but
because people relate to and believe in them. It may come as a surprise to discover that some of the
greatest leaders are those who lead groups of volunteers. Try getting people motivated to give up
their time and money to do something for free. It takes an exceptional leader to motivate people when there
is very little incentive to do so.
When I first watched Gloriann in action, I knew we had a
transformational leader among us.
Gloriann was part of a group of parents who went to Hartford
and argued to keep the school open.
She was part of the team that created a financial plan that was accepted
by the Archbishop of Hartford. She
was also on the hiring committee that hired the current principal (Linda
Coppola).
There was a time when the school was between
principals. One principal was
retiring and we were waiting for Mrs. Coppola to arrive. During this period, Gloriann kept the
team focused and guided the team through some rough times. The Duck Race went on, the school was
painted, a Summer Institute was started, and the school remained open.
Fast forward to today.
Not only is the school open, it is thriving. Despite never writing a grant in her life, Gloriann has now
written several grants resulting in thousands of dollars of much needed cash.
Look at the school, we constructed a playground, instituted
a drama club, our basketball teams remain competitive and this year we even
introduced a new sport, soccer.
We’ve secured white board technology, iPads for our students, weekly
Bingo, and so much more.
The school sends Facebook updates, Tweets, blogs, and never
misses an opportunity to get their message to the community nearly every single
day.
Gloriann and her husband George, take care of the grounds of
the school. Every weekend, you can
find them cutting the lawn and weeding the garden beds.
To make a long story short, the school has undergone a
tremendous transformation and much credit deserves to go to one of our
transformational leaders. We have
an active and thriving community of children, parents, teachers, friends, and
supporters. Enrollment today
stands at 139 students and is on the rise.
When I reflect on where the school was just a mere two years
ago and think about where it is today, I get excited to think about where it is
going.
Valley Women Making a Difference…you made an excellent
choice by selecting St. Mary-St. Michael School’s own Gloriann Albini for this
honor.
Very well deserved honor!
ReplyDeleteWay to go Gloriann
You are a role model for us all
I am proud to say I know you
Congratulations!! Very much deserved
Sue Goncalves