School Committee member and former Chair Gregory Thompson.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
EAST LONGMEADOW — East Longmeadow School Committee member and former Chair Gregory Thompson is saying goodbye after choosing not to run for reelection in this year’s election.
He spent around eight years of his 19-year career as the chair until the committee’s reorganization in March to prepare for Dr. Joanne Menard’s July start date as superintendent, nominating and appointing Antonella Raschilla Manzi as the new chair.
Thompson grew up in East Longmeadow, being one of three generations to pass through the East Longmeadow schools, and said he wanted to get involved since his daughters would be attending the schools as well.
He first became a library trustee in 2005 because his oldest daughter participated in story time, making the switch to School Committee in 2007 while she was in pre-school.
Thompson was working in education as a physical education and health teacher in Westfield and started a lawn business at the same time, leading him to make a decision between the two.
“Unfortunately, I wasn’t home often to see my two young children,” Thompson said. “So I decided to stop teaching, continue with my business and run for School Committee. To be honest, when I was all the way through high school, I didn’t know the School Committee existed, so there’s some irony to that … as I said, my daughters would be attending the school system, so I just wanted to be a part of it.”
He said joining was somewhat of a personal decision, but a decision also rooted in the fact of his desire to give back to the town and a general interest in politics.
“I think local politics is where a lot of things get done that affect our lives at a real level,” Thompson said. “I feel like, in a small way, I’ve contributed to this town and that’s why I’ve continued for so long, and really the people that I’ve worked with, the School Committee members … The staff is great. We have a fantastic superintendent and two great assistant superintendents. We’ve really worked well together.”
Thompson said that he is proud to have been able to support the students and teachers, and that budgeting can be a challenge because of the importance of fully funding education. He added that the district is great for education and that he’s proud to be a small part of continuing that reputation.
The new high school build has also been a highlight for Thompson, as he’s been heavily involved in the East Longmeadow High School Building Committee.
“Being a part of a project this size has not only taught me a lot, but has been very interesting,” Thompson said. “This school is going to be fantastic. When it’s done, I’ll really be able to look back and know the part that I played had some impact on this town because I think this high school is going to be one of the best things to ever happen to the community, not only the students, but the community as a whole.”
As a parting message to the School Committee, Thompson said to keep the focus on the students, staff and the district and that he hopes the committee continues what it’s doing to make education even better.
Thompson will still be involved after his time with the School Committee is done, as he’s been granted by the School Committee to see the high school project through with the ELHS Building Committee. He is also leaving the potential of running for something else in the future open and on the table.
“I really enjoy working on behalf of this town,” Thompson said. “I’m not going far away. I’m going to keep an eye on things and I told my fellow School Committee members if I can ever be of help in the future, I’m just a phone call away.”
He added that East Longmeadow is a great place to live and that he’s proud to have served on the School Committee for as long as he did.
“I will miss it, I will miss the people,” Thompson said. “I will miss the challenges that it has presented, but I’m certainly looking forward to the next chapter of my work with the town.”
