Former Rochester Memorial School teacher and soon-to-be former Rochester and Old Rochester School Committee Chair Sharon Hartley is retiring from education after more than 50 years jam-packed with accomplishments that took her far beyond her local roots.
The Mattapoisett native is soft-spoken and humble, yet obviously proud of achievements that include becoming principal of two Cape Cod elementary schools, one of which was new and that she helped establish, and also serving in Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Murphy’s office working on education-reform measures.
Hartley said her career started as an elementary school teacher at Rochester Memorial School from 1973 to 1988. After 15 years of teaching at Rochester Memorial School, she applied for and was granted sabbatical leave. Consequently, in 1988 she joined a program at Boston College called “Women in Politics and Government.” During that program, she served as an Education Coordinator on Murphy’s “Blueprint 2000” team, responsible for research and analysis of educational issues and collecting feedback from legislators and educational leaders. She traveled throughout the Commonwealth with Murphy to hear testimony from citizens regarding the needs of schools and to assist with understanding educational issues.
“My time in the State House was very exciting,” Hartley recalls. “I learned a lot from the Lieutenant Governor and her staff, and I was inspired to pursue a Master’s Degree in Education at UMass Boston.”
While at UMass Boston, Hartley worked as an educational specialist at the Massachusetts Department of Education in the area of teacher licensure and later was hired as associate director of a program providing professional-development programs for teachers.
After she earned her Master’s Degree in Educational Administration in 1993, it still was not time for her to stop and rest.
“I wanted to return to public schools,” she said.
Hartley became the principal of Harwich Elementary School and, a few years later, was hired as the principal of an elementary school in the Dennis-Yarmouth School District that was still under construction. In this role, she worked with the Building Committee, helping with decisions about design and furnishings. Hartley was also tasked with interviewing and hiring the staff for the school of 600 students. Hartley became the school’s first principal and stayed for 12 years. It was to be the foremost school in the area for technology, she said.
While establishing that school and her staff, Hartley designed a team-building retreat and took the staff to a local Coast Guard station for a unique and significant professional-development experience. “The process of guiding the beginnings of this school was an incredible and exciting challenge,” she said, “and I learned a lot about how important leadership and team building is to the success of a school.”
Not that this lesson was removed from her philosophy from the beginning, Hartley said that, from a young age, she believed that education’s most important goals are expressing care toward children and inspiring teachers. She always wanted to be an educator, mentioning teaching her dolls as a young child.
So, it’s no surprise that she eventually returned to her Tri-Town roots in education. In 2005, she was elected to the Rochester Memorial School Committee. In 2007, she was appointed to the Rochester Building Committee to help create an addition to Memorial School. In that role, she represented the Rochester School Committee and helped shepherd that addition to completion. For that effort, she earned regional media recognition.
All along, Hartley’s focus has been caring for and inspiring students and teachers.
“Through the years, I have been committed to the importance of collegiality and building relationships among the adults in schools,” she said. “It’s the spirit and the caring attitude of the staff that has a significant impact on students, as well as on the school’s quality and character. I value the environment of the educational community in our schools. It’s the caring adults in this school system that have made the difference for our students.”
By Michael J. DeCicco