Beyond the classroom: The impact of Jane Fondulis

The impact of Jane Fondulis’ decades of playing a part on countless students’ success stories will not be forgotten when she retires from the district this October.

Fondulis is retiring from the school district Oct. 31 after 29 years of helping kids in various roles. Most recently, she served as the director of beyond school time, a branch of the district she helped create 14 years ago.

Fondulis’ career began in 1996 teaching sixth, then eighth graders science and while a classroom teacher, she began working to get the middle school the 21st Century Community Learning Center grant which helped fund after school programs.

“We first had it for the middle school, then for the minot forest school, then for the decas school and then we got it for the high school,” Fondulis said.

Due to the influx of grant money, Fondulis and the superintendent at the time had the idea to pool all of the money she was getting into one place which became the office of beyond school time in 2011.

“People had a pocket of grant money here and a pocket of grant money there so by creating the office we were able to provide more programming to our students and families in the community,” she said.

In the early days of the office, Fondulis worked with Maureen Manning on securing grants and the two had their distinct roles as well. Manning managed the high school exchange program that brought students to Wareham and sent Wareham students across the world while Fondulis oversaw academic support and managed a variety of after school programs.

While the pandemic ended the exchange student program, Fondulis’ work never stopped. She continued to grow the fully grant funded office into what it is today.

“During the school year we have after school programming at all grade levels,” she said. “We do a five week summer program and we’ve had a partnership with the Buzzards Bay Coalition for about 18 years. When they opened up the Onset Bay Center, we used one of our grants to fund a playgroup there focusing on literacy for ages 2 through 6.”

Programs like the partnership with the Buzzards Bay Coalition offer a different way to learn for many students, she added.

“The kids learn to kayak and sail and we have kids going to the YMCA every afternoon where they get free outdoor swim time and they do a team building activity,” she said. “We had a group go out to Patriot Place to get autographs. They’re given an opportunity to do things they otherwise may not do.”

To grow the office, Fondulis has secured $1 million in grant money and each grant has a different focus, some of which extend into the home.

“We have the parent plus program that provides home visitors to support families with kids up to age 4,” she said. “The visitor supports the family with what they need literacy wise and the visitor brings developmentally appropriate toys for the kids.”

Through programs like this, Fondulis said she has been able to connect with families in a way she couldn’t as a teacher.

“I love teaching and I love the kids but I felt like we didn’t have as much connection with the families,” she said.

Fondulis has also been the principal of the night school for eight years which she has helped grow to help more students earn a Wareham High diploma.

“When I took it over most of our students were juniors or seniors who just wanted to get their diploma and get to work,” she said. “Now we’re seeing a lot of 16-year-olds who could be teen moms or need to work during the day. It’s a wide range of why students come to us.”

The night school has always served ages 16 to 21 according to Fondulis but due to more younger students enrolling, Fondulis said she expanded the school to meet their needs.

“We expanded to four nights a week instead of three because they’re not coming to us with enough electives,” she said. “We now have culinary arts and we have a great partnership with the New Bedford Mass Hire Workforce. They come in and do a lot of college career readiness, social-emotional learning and they bring food so the kids love it.”

Much like the day school, night school students walk across the stage to get their diploma wearing a cape and gown and a select two students get to speak to their peers every year.

“One of the speakers this past year was a student who would make us so frustrated because he would start and then disappear. We would try to get him back but his family situation was not good so he kept going away,” she said. “We never stopped reaching out to him and finally about a year-and-a-half-ago he came back and stuck to it.”

In her retirement, Fondulis said she plans on spending time with her six grandkids before returning to support Wareham Elementary Principal Bethany Chandler who will take her place Nov. 1.