The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
‘A true woman of Mercy’
School community surprises longtime president upon retirement
MIDDLETOWN — The weather Tuesday fluctuated between light showers and heavy downpours, but the temperament of the Mercy High School community was sky-high as members bid a fond adieu to the school’s leader of nearly a half-century.
Retiring President Sister Mary McCarthy, outfitted in an embroidered white dress with a peach sweater and sandals, was led outside the facility for a surprise caravan of alumnae, current students, friends and family, led by a contingent of Middletown fire trucks, police cruisers and others who honked their horns, waved and called out greetings.
The love the community has for her was apparent, a feeling echoed by many staff.
Once she spied the procession snaking its way around the parking lot, McCarthy oscillated between astonishment and faux chagrin, repeating the words, “Oh, my God,” as staff applauded the occasion.
The school community recently welcomed McCarthy’s successor, 1995 graduate and valedictorian Alissa K. DeJonge.
McCarthy, who has ushered more than 9,000 students toward their futures, has enjoyed an illustrious career, following her graduation from Waterbury Catholic High School in 1960. She forged a career as a high school teacher and assistant principal at Lauralton Hall in Milford. Beginning in 1975 at Mercy, McCarthy rose from dean of studies to principal, eventually leading the facility.
When asked what she’ll miss most about her time at the school, Dean of
Students Annie Drewry, an alumna, piped up, spelling out her name, as McCarthy laughed, saying “the miracles that people like this could turn out well.”
All kidding aside, McCarthy expressed her true feelings: “the sense of community; the girls, the daily interaction with students. It’s been great.”
“The legend has retired,” a sentiment shared by all in attendance, was written with blue icing on McCarthy’s going-away cake. McCarthy hopes to continue to serve the school in some way.
The last quarter of the year involved distance learning because of the coronavirus pandemic, something that brought a sense of poignancy to the day.
“That was hard for everybody, not just me. It was such a long period where there was no contact. In a school like this, where people really appreciate each other, enjoy each other, love each other, the lack of that was difficult,” McCarthy said.
Officials made an extra effort to give the students a special sendoff, including a class video, a cap and gown drive-by pickup for seniors, and socially dis
tanced graduation ceremony during which students and their families stayed in their cars.
“They all appreciated it. It wasn’t what they expected, but it was flawless and a happy time for them,” McCarthy said. Mercy women always rise to the occasion, she said. “We did the distance learning so well, but it was hard for them.”
McCarthy joked with staff about the last 44 graduations being a success — that is, until the last one. “But it was worth every minute.”
“Aside from all the festivities and celebrations, they missed the interaction that’s such a part of the school community,” she said. “People tell me when you walk through the door, you can sense a happy place.”
Many graduates went on to becoome staff members “at every level,” McCarthy said.
“She gave it her all every single day,” said Drewry, who graduated in 1997 with Mary-Clare Wamester,
director of admissions.
“I feel so fortunate to be a part of the legacy that will be carried on for her,” Drewry said. “I feel such happiness that she has put her time in, and now she can sit back and enjoy her life’s work and the people she has reared — building our character, strengthening our faith.
“We know her expectations to have this community remain hospitable, friendly, and a second home to so many,” Drewry said.
“She’s taught me what it means to be a true woman of Mercy, and that started when I was in high school and carried on to being an employee,” Wamester said. “Not only is she a great leader, but she’s been the most wonderful boss you could ever ask for.
“For me, it’s her being in the trenches, not afraid to get her hands dirty in the most poverty-stricken area in the northern hemisphere” during mission trips to Haiti together, she said.
Madeline O’Hanlon, a 2019 graduate, is interning at Mercy. “She is a strong woman building other strong women she fosters, a community of supportive, encouraging and loving girls and staff.”
Communications Director Marie Kalita, also an alumna, is beginning her 10th year at the school. She welcomed DeJonge, a former board member. “She’s been here, so there’s a lot that doesn’t have to be learned.”
Over the past four-anda-half decades, McCarthy touched many lives in countless ways, Kalita said.
McCarthy saw Kalita had potential. “People have their personal stories, and some of them will never know what they are — anything from helping financially to helping girls get their Mercy education to steering them in the right direction while they’re here,” she said.
“Maybe high school wasn’t their thing to learn, but giving them the compassion to go forward and do your best and to achieve,” Kalita said.
“She’s been a prime example of what it means to be a successful woman in the workforce,” O’Hanlon said. “It’s definitely a sad day.”