After 10 years at Gilbert, and leading the school through a year where the community faced a worldwide pandemic, Principal Susan Sojka has retired. Sojka holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Hartford in Education, a Master’s Degree from the University of Saint Joseph in Counseling, and a sixth-year Educational Leadership degree from Central Connecticut State University. Sojka was a teacher, school counselor and an administrator throughout Connecticut and worked at Granby Memorial Middle School for eleven years prior to coming to Gilbert. Sojka started her career at Gilbert in 2011 as the associate principal to begin and lead the school’s first middle school program. Sojka has received numerous awards throughout her career, in 2017 she was named New England League of Middle School’s A+ Administrator and principal for The Gilbert School, the first-ever female principal in the school’s 125-year history.
Over the time that you spent at Gilbert, what lessons have you learned?
"I think that the main lessons that I have learned are patience, learning how to be flexible, and learning how to listen to others and assess situations.
In my 10 years at Gilbert, there have been a lot of changes. During my first year at Gilbert, the Superintendent retired, and then Head of Schools Dan Hatch retired. There were so many changes but through it all I learned that by being flexible, taking risks and trusting the process I would gain new career opportunities.
Despite all the changes that have occurred over my ten years, one thing has never changed, the importance of building a strong foundation of trust with our faculty and staff, students , parents and community. If you have that basic trust with everybody, then it’s easier to move a school in a direction of continuous growth and learning. Even when people don’t agree with a decision or understand it, they at least trust that you have their best interest in mind."
How important is it to go out of your comfort zone and meet new people to find out what you have in common with those around you instead of focusing on what separates you?
"To me, I believe this is very important. I think that taking the time to sit back and reflect upon what things are working and what is not working is key if you want to improve.
We all tend to gravitate to be with like-minded people, but we aren’t all alike. We have different opinions, experiences and values. To me, it’s really important to ensure that all students and faculty feel connected in our building and have a voice. It is our job to help others be respectful to everyone for who they are whether we fully understand another person’s viewpoint or fully agree with it. We must encourage everyone to truly listen to what someone else’s saying and listen to someone else’s viewpoint, and what they have to offer. If you stay in a little bubble, you miss out on so much, a world larger than Gilbert.
I try to go out of my circle and focus on listening to others. I take their viewpoints and collaborate. When I truly listened and asked questions of others, I grew much more as a person. My philosophy has always been to teach and to live with an Open Heart and an Open Mind. It’s really about being open to others without judgement. Though not always easy, when you can do that, that’s when we become better at what we do and grow as people."
Why is collaboration so important at Gilbert?
"I believe no one should make decisions in a vacuum, and no one should be an island by themselves. Yes, we have roles and in my role as a Principal, I have to make certain decisions at the end of the day, and some are very difficult decisions that I have to make. That’s my responsibility. But it is also important to collaborate with others and to use the people around you who have a wealth of knowledge and experience.
The students, faculty, and staff members that I worked with over the years were all like a team to me I have tried not to be the type of leader who says “this is the way that it is and this the way we are doing it. I try to look at all viewpoints before making a decision.”
Collaborating is also important because that’s what we want our kids to do. We want them to be powerful and critical thinkers and problem solvers. They need to have those 21st century skills that are important to student success in today’s world.
At the end of the day, what we are doing here is a job. And our job is to ensure that all of our kids not only feel connected to the school and feel valued, but are also learning and prepared for life beyond Gilbert. That is a huge responsibility. We all have to be in it together. That’s from everyone who works in our building, our families and community members. We are all stakeholders. Everyone, whether you are certified or not, you have that responsibility."
How is Gilbert unique from the other schools that you worked at?
"It's a smaller school and there is a rich history, with W.L. Gilbert and how he founded it. At this year’s graduation ceremony, we started our procession at his gravesite, which was special, we marched to East End Park past the original Gilbert School building at Park Place. He is the reason why we are here.
Years ago I was given this piece of advice, the best thing that you can do is to hire well. I’ve taken that to heart and that is what we try to do when we hire people to be part of The Gilbert School. We not only look at their talent, knowledge, and competence, but if they are a fit for Gilbert. That they have the same values and purpose. That’s to create a positive environment. It’s what W.L. Gilbert said: for all students to learn how to be good citizens.
That’s so basic, but it’s so strong. Anyone who comes into the building knows and feels that.
We have some of the most committed faculty and staff that I have ever seen in a building.
Everyone truly cares about Gilbert and cares about our students. In many cases, many of our faculty and staff went to Gilbert and their relatives. That to me is extremely unique. I have never been in a school system where the number of people that worked there also went there. We are talking about generations of people who have graduated and worked at Gilbert. To me, that all contributes to a sense of pride that everyone has about Gilbert."
What are your favorite memories from your time at Gilbert?
"My favorite memories are just how appreciative our students are. They have the best school spirit than any other school I have been at. Students are all very kind and appreciative. They all look out for one another. I will miss each and every one of them.
If I had to speak about recent memories, I would remember the past month. Especially after dealing with a year-and-a-half of where we couldn’t even stand close to one another and wearing masks. If we were in the same room we couldn’t even stand near each other unless there was plexiglass between us.
Being able to have all the recent activities for our students was so special; prom, middle school promotion, and Senior Night.
Senior Night was one of the best nights where we had all the students together and having fun, laughing, enjoying themselves, and being kids again. Those events, and topping it off with graduation, will be by far my top memories for this year. Having graduation in the park was perfect. It is a night I will never forget.
Just being able to be part of that, to see our students laughing, smiling, and enjoying themselves with our faculty and staff on our campus was a highlight."
In your words, describe what it is to be ‘Gilbert Strong’?
"Gilbert Strong means that there isn’t anything, ever, that we can’t get through.
There may be times where we have made decisions that we wish we had not made or something that we might have done differently.
But, no matter what happens, despite how small or how big the adversity, we will always overcome it. There isn’t a situation ever that we can’t get through.
I believe everybody that is part of The Gilbert School that is gone through the building understands that.
They also understand that, after they graduate, they truly are a YellowJacket forever, and there is nothing, ever, and there is no one that can take away their value of who they are, or keep them from achieving whatever it is they choose to do."
What are you planning now after Gilbert?
"I am going to take some time off to relax and rejuvenate a little bit. Assess what I want to do next. After that, I will figure out what my next step is. I want to take some time with my husband, family, children, and grandchildren. I want to take some time to be reflective."
What advice would you give to the new headmaster of the school?
"Take the time to get to know the faculty, the students, the families, and Winsted. Gilbert isn’t like any other school. It truly is very unique and special. Take the time to figure out what Gilbert is all about, and then enjoy the ride.”
