The Alumni Spotlight this week shines on Joyce Hatt Fragale of Machias, a 1982 UMM graduate with a Bachelors of Science degree in Marketing\/Small Business Management.\u00a0Joyce was recently appointed principal of Rose M. Gaffney Elementary School in Machias.<\/p>\n
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When I was in elementary school there were two schools, the Campus School and Rose M. Gaffney. \u00a0I attended kindergarten at Rose M. Gaffney Elementary School. \u00a0However, because I lived on \u201cthe other side\u201d of the river I attended the Campus School on the UMM Campus for grades 1-6, returned to RMG to attend grade 7 and then attended grades 8-12 at Machias Memorial High School.<\/p>\n
Originally my career began in Retail Management. \u00a0After graduation from UMM in 1982 I relocated to Bangor Maine and entered the Wellby Drug Store division of Hannaford Brother\u2019s training program. \u00a0Upon completion of this program I became Assistant Manager of the Old Town location, and was then promoted to Manager of the Bangor location. \u00a0Following this I was charged with overseeing remodels for Hannaford Brothers, and worked with construction and merchandising crews on the building of several new stores in that area.<\/p>\n
The expected arrival of my first child coincided with an opening for a Store Manager back here in Machias. \u00a0I relocated and began working here in my hometown in 1986. \u00a0The birth of my second child in 1989 caused me to rethink the twelve-hour days associated with retail management. \u00a0I began working for the local school system, and worked in several capacities within the Machias system for the past several years. \u00a0Most recently I served as \u201cVentures\u201d (Gifted and Talented) program coordinator for our Local AOS #96, as well as Assistant Principal for RMG.<\/p>\n
In 2014 I decided to pursue my Masters Degree in School Leadership, which I received in the spring of 2015. \u00a0I am currently employed as Principal of Rose M. Gaffney Elementary School. \u00a0I thoroughly enjoy working with an outstanding staff, and supportive parents and community members. \u00a0Of course my favorite part of the job is the students.<\/p>\n
The most valuable thing that I learned at UMM is that hard work, dedication, and focus pay off. \u00a0While attending UMM I was carrying a full class load, and working nearly full time. \u00a0I was often tempted to quit, but having a college graduate in the family was my father\u2019s dream. \u00a0He was ill, and I really wanted to fulfill that dream for him. \u00a0I often look back with the realization that had I not persevered, many doors that were opened to me would have remained closed.<\/p>\n
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It sounds clich\u00e9, but seriously, follow your dreams. \u00a0You really can do anything that you choose. \u00a0A level of intelligence helps but it is more a matter of motivation, and hard work. \u00a0Remediate your weaknesses, build on your strengths, develop good interpersonal skills, be of good character: ethical, moral and fair, and take your education seriously. \u00a0That should be your focus at this point in your life. \u00a0The rest will come.<\/p>\n
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The combined business and education background that I received from UMM is a valuable combination in the role of the educational administrator of today.<\/p>\n
For me, having a University that is local allowed me the opportunity to attend. \u00a0If I had been required to attend a college away from home, I\u2019m not sure that I would have had the resources that I needed to complete my degree. \u00a0Attending UMM gave me the confidence that I needed to pursue further certifications and degrees.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Alumni Spotlight this week shines on Joyce Hatt Fragale of Machias, a 1982 UMM graduate with a Bachelors of Science degree in Marketing\/Small Business Management.\u00a0Joyce was recently appointed principal of Rose M. Gaffney Elementary School in Machias. Tell us a little bit about what you are doing now: When I was in elementary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":431,"featured_media":12128,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,6],"academic-area":[],"umaine-feed":[884],"region":[],"class_list":["post-4022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-news","umaine-feed-bus-alum"],"yoast_head":"\n