By Bryanna Allen
RUTLAND HERALD STAFF WRITER | August 12,2015
There has been movement at Stafford Technical Center this summer.
Director Ted Guilmette has retired, and taking his place is Glenn Olson, who leaves behind the title of assistant director.
But that title isn’t empty: Melissa Connor will be the new assistant director of the technical center.
“It’s really exciting,” Connor said in her new office.
She worked as a business teacher at the River Valley Technical Center right after graduating from Castleton University, but after a short stint there moved to Martha’s Vineyard to be with her fiancé.
“It wasn’t like I was deep into my career at that point,” she said. “I was 25 and had the chance to move there to be with him, so I took it.”
She fell in love with the ocean, the smell of salt water and the movie “Jaws.”
And even though she moved to the island without a job lined up, she wasn’t unemployed for long.
Connor landed a job with a food distribution company — drastically different than her classroom experience — but said in the end, it ended up giving her more knowledge once she found her way back to the classroom.
“I found that working for a business, and knowing a business really helped me teach business when I got back into teaching,” she said.
She and her husband moved back to Vermont in 2003, where she got her old job back at River Valley.
“My husband lost his job on a Friday, and by Monday, I had seen the job opening and applied,” she said. “It was as if it was all meant to work out that way.”
There she worked for more than a decade, but said she was looking for a way to keep her interest in education sparked as well as get more involved in the administration side of things.
“I was worried that I would get complacent,” she said, “because I had been there for so long. This was a hard move to make, but I know it was the right one.”
Leaving behind the students, as well as the staff, some of whom she had known for years, was the most difficult part.
But now, Connor will have the chance to drive with her son, Zachary, each day to and from school as he is about to start his freshman year at Rutland High School.
“We’re close, so this will be a good way to spend time together,” she said.
And while she may see him from time to time around the campus, they are separated enough so they will not get on each other’s nerves or risk embarrassment.
What she is most looking forward to is getting to know the students, staff members and programs.
“I have a lot to learn, so I’m going to learn what I can about everything that goes on here,” she said.
And while she would love to perhaps contribute some of her own ideas to the school down the road, she said she is in no rush to make any drastic changes before understanding the lay of the land.
“Everyone here has been so helpful so far,” she said.
And one of those people helping her out is Olson, as he knows that job fairly well.
“I would’ve liked to have learned even more from Ted before taking his spot,” Olson said. “I have some huge shoes to fill.”
When Olson came over to Stafford from RHS, he said he knew next to nothing about the tech programs.
“I had a clean slate coming into that job,” he said. “And I’ve gotten to know so much about each of the programs.” Olson said he loves how at the tech center, the teachers and students get to know each other on a deeper level than in a traditional classroom because they spend so much time together.
“It’s a very valuable connection, between educator and student,” he said.
Olson said they have a great crew on board this year, and everyone is looking forward to the start of the new school year as “it’s almost here.”