Rochefort named to School Committee
The newest member of the Norfolk School Committee has a different kind of hobby: karate.
Danielle Rochefort said she practices her moves at home with her three children -- ages 6, 9, and 11 -- who also study the martial art.
``They like when I come home and say, `Look at my new move,' and I do it on their dad," she said. ``This summer, we're going to practice out in the yard."
Karate is not the only thing Rochefort shares with her children. As cochairwoman of the Norfolk School Building Task Force, former curriculum enhancement coordinator for the Teacher Parent Association, and a frequent volunteer, Rochefort is often in the schools.
She was appointed to the School Committee on May 31 by the other committee members and the Board of Selectmen after they interviewed her and six other candidates to fill the remainder of Maureen Howard's term. Howard left after being elected to the King Philip Regional School Committee, which oversees the high and middle schools shared by Norfolk, Wrentham and Plainville. Rochefort will serve until May, when the seat will be up for grabs in the town election.
Rochefort said the biggest task facing the School Committee is to improve ``communication and collaboration" with parents, other town boards and committees .
``You really want to be inclusive and participatory," she said. ``You want to engage them early in the process."
She said her 15-plus years working in a Boston money management firm, rising to be a vice president and marketing manager, taught her to be adaptable and to build trust by taking people's concerns seriously.
These skills can apply to town government, too, she said.
Especially with the tight budget times in Norfolk, she said, the town must work together to support its schools.
One of her ideas is that the district can share certain school costs with Wrentham and Plainville, such as building maintenance and some administrative tasks.
Rochefort also recently helped to bring a new recycling program to Norfolk's schools. As of this spring, the schools recycle cellphones, ink jet cartridges, and paper. The library and the senior center now house recycling bins too, with revenue going to the school system. The MBTA station is the next site.
``It's a great learning tool for the kids," she said. ``They're saving the environment, and the school receives funds from it. It's a win-win situation."
Rochefort was approved by the selectmen and School Committee on a 4-3 vote, beating out Maryann Smith .
``Danielle comes out with a little bit of an edge for me, as far as being a collaborator, an innovator, a consensus builder," the School Committee's chairwoman, Kim Williams, said just before the vote that tapped Rochefort for the job. 