Mercy High School Administrative Ready For New Year

 

This year, the trio of President Alissa DeJonge ’95, Principal Melissa Bullock and Assistant Principal Lauren Daniels Geary ’04 will be working closely together as they guide our community through its 62nd year as a high school.

 

In July, Bullock’s title was officially changed from Principal of Academics and Technology to simply Principal to reflect the full duties of the job.

 

As Principal, Bullock is the instructional leader of Mercy High School, ensuring that the mission and vision of Mercy is alive and active. Geary will collaborate with Bullock and have as a primary focus, student life. Both Bullock and Geary will also meet regularly with DeJonge, who serves as the chief executive and strategic leader for the school’s growth and sustainability as President.

 

After an extensive summer preparing for the new year, DeJonge, Bullock and Daniels Geary are ready to create a variety of experiences and moments for the growing community, which has seen enrollment go up the last four years. It is the goal of DeJonge, Bullock and Geary Daniels to use the guiding principles of the Sisters of Mercy and Mercy education as an example of how to lead, while looking forward with fresh ideas and eyes.

 

“I want to express my deep gratitude to Melissa Bullock and Lauren Daniels Geary, who are leading with clarity, compassion, and courage,” DeJonge said. “I know that our Mercy families will be inspired by their vision for our school, and you will see the impact of their leadership every day.”

 

Together, the trio have been part of the Mercy community for over 45 years combined, and they each bring their own unique story to the Mercy “front office.”

 

DeJonge and Geary are both graduates, who had influential experiences at Mercy during their youth, and were excited to give back, and Bullock, while not a Mercy High School alumna, did receive her School Supervision and Administration degree from Mercy University in New York, and has a deep connection to the Mercy value system. It is important to all three that Mercy stays true to its mission and remains at its core a place where everyone can shine, and be part of the experience.

 

“What a blessing it is to work with two true Mercy women!” Bullock said. “I am looking forward to continued collaboration, planning ways to make concrete the dreams we have for our students.”

 

Collectively, the three women boast an impressive resume as a team.

DeJonge is a graduate of Boston College, where she got her Bachelor of Arts in Economics, and Yale University, where she received a Master of Arts in International and Development Economics. In 2021, she also received a Certificate of Advanced Education Leadership from Harvard University.

 

Before being named the fourth head of school at Mercy, DeJonge, a former Valedictorian at Mercy, was employed at AdvanceCT, formerly the Connecticut Economic Resource Center for 20 years. In her final seven years with the company, she was the Vice President of Research, where she was responsible for the company’s business and economic research services and performed extensive research and analysis concerning state and regional issues. Earlier this summer, the Connecticut Technology Council (CTC) named DeJonge a finalist for the Academic Innovation and Leadership (Secondary) Award at 20th Women of Innovation Awards.

 

Bullock, now in her 26th year as a school administrator, has degrees from Mercy University, Fordham University and St. Joseph’s College (Maine). From 2007-2012, she was the Assistant Principal at St. Catharine Academy in the Bronx, where she supervised a faculty of 40 high school teachers, and from 1999-2003, she spent five years at Our Lady of Victory Academy in Dobbs Ferry as an Assistant Principal in charge of Academics and 30 high school teachers. She is also a former Mercy Secondary Education Association President and Board Member. Bullock’s degrees range from history and political science to school supervision and administration. She also has experience as an educational technology specialist.

 

After graduating from Mercy, Daniels Geary got her Bachelor of Arts in History from Sacred Heart University and her Master of Arts in International Studies from the University of Connecticut. However, the lifelong learner, has since received her Masters of Arts in Teaching, Secondary Education, from Sacred Heart University, and recently finished her Educational Leadership certification from Quinnipiac University.

Daniels Geary started at Mercy in 2011 as a history/social studies teacher, where she has taught AP World History, AP & UConn ECE European History and AP Capstone Seminar, and later became the Department Chair. She also serves at the Curriculum Liaison between Mercy, Xavier and St. John Paul II schools.

 

“Together, Ms. DeJonge, and Mrs. Bullock and I hope to use our unique strengths to continue the legacy of the Sisters of Mercy by educating young women,” Daniels Geary said. “We are excited to continue to build a community where all our students can thrive.”