Ms. Deborah Connolly Selected as Assistant Principal Yokosuka Middle School

Dr. Judy Allen, DoDEA Pacific East District Superintendent, is pleased to announce the selection of Ms. Deborah Connolly as Assistant Principal for Yokosuka Middle School.

Ms. Connolly began her DoDEA career in 2003 teaching at Argonner Elementary School in Germany until the base announced its closure in 2007. She then moved to Okinawa, Japan to teach at Bechtel Elementary School. During her eleven years at Bechtel, Ms. Connolly taught grades K-3 and served as a Reading Specialist. In addition to these duties, Ms. Connolly held many leadership roles to include FRS, CSI committee chair, grade level team lead, and served on multiple accreditation teams. These same roles and responsibilities continued when she moved with her family to Yokosuka, Japan to work at The Sullivans School as a fourth-grade teacher in 2018. During her second year at The Sullivans she co-chaired the Yokosuka Complex Teaching and Learning Conference, which provided collaboration and professional learning opportunities to more than 200 educators. In February 2021, Ms. Connolly was given the opportunity to serve as Interim Assistant Principal at The Sullivans School during the 2020-2021 school year, where she built strong relationships with the School Counseling Department, Special Education, and the CFAY community.

Ms. Connolly was born in Tokyo and moved in tandem with her father’s Air Force career. She is a product of DoDEA schools, having attended elementary through high school. She then earned her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1999, immediately beginning her teaching career in the same area. In 2007, she earned her master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University. Growing up in the military community has given her the unique advantage of understanding the experiences and needs of military-connected students. As with many military families, she has had the opportunity to live in various locations, including the U.S., Europe, and Japan, affording her the opportunity to experience many different cultures and views.

Ms. Connolly is excited about this new phase and is looking forward to the privilege of making a greater impact at Yokosuka Middle School while working with the teachers, staff, students, and families that she will serve. She strongly believes that children learn and grow in an environment they feel safe to explore, which allows them to grow into amazing individuals. This is this type of school climate Ms. Connolly hopes to contribute to and cultivate.

About DoDEA

DoDEA plans, directs, coordinates, and manages pre-kindergarten through 12th grade education programs for school-aged children of Department of Defense personnel who would otherwise not have access to high-quality public education. DoDEA schools are located in Europe, the Pacific, Western Asia, the Middle East, Cuba, the United States, Guam, and Puerto Rico. DoDEA also provides support and resources to Local Educational Activities throughout the United States that serve children of military families.