Introducing the Interim Director of Common Ground High School, Monique Frasier!

Common Ground Community:

In advance of the 2024-25 school year, Common Ground High School (CGHS) welcomes Monique Frasier to the post of Interim School Director.

After three years leading CGHS as School Director, Cherry Pacquette-Emmanuel made the decision to step away to prioritize the needs of her family, while remaining a part of the Common Ground community. Her successes as Director include building one of the most diverse teaching teams in the state, earning a three-year charter renewal, and increases on students’ average SAT scores.

Monique Frasier comes to the role of Interim School Director with valuable experience and deep roots at Common Ground. She began her career as an English teacher on our urban farm campus in 2004 and went on to fill several leadership positions at Common Ground over the course of 15 years, including Assistant School Director.  Three years ago, she stepped way to lead a Hartford Public High School. But she never really left our community; for the past year, Monique served as a committed member of the Common Ground Board of Directors, and on the board’s School Committee. Keep reading to learn about Monique’s background and her approach to school leadership. 

Hello, I’m Ms. Monique Frasier and I’m extremely proud and excited to introduce myself as the Interim Director of Common Ground High School. Born and raised in New Haven, and a long time member of the Common Ground community,  I’m so excited to be back at work in the place I call home. My career in education started in 2004 as an English teacher here at Common Ground, and over time, I took on many leadership roles, including becoming a literacy coach and resident Reading Specialist.  I moved into school administration as the Assistant Director of Common Ground after 15 years of successful classroom service.  Three years ago, I stepped away to become Assistant Principal of Bulkeley High School in Hartford, CT.  I received my bachelor’s degree in English Literature from California State University Fresno and my master’s degree in Education as well as my 6th year diploma in Advanced Reading from Southern Connecticut State University.  

Now, I am ready, eager, and grateful to be returning to lead Common Ground, and to be rejoining this powerful community of educators, students, and families. As we start this new year and begin setting our goals, I want to provide you with some insight into who I am, and how I have shown up throughout my career. I am a zealous educator who believes lifelong learners are created in our classrooms. My time in the classroom has been one of the greatest joys of my life and I’ve built my career on academic rigor and high expectations for all students.

Although I have worn many hats in my career in education, the label I’m most comfortable with is Principal teacher. During my fifteen years as a classroom teacher, and my five years as a school leader, I have learned that being highly qualified to lead a school means more than just meeting a list of requirements. There is the question of what you do with those qualifications, and for me, the answer is using my professional training and years of experience to create an atmosphere of learning that values an exchange of information between student and teacher. It means collaborating with students, teachers, and staff to create systems of equity, advocacy and transparency. It also means recognizing when I need to step forward or step back in order to best serve students and the larger school community.

Although I’ve worked for five years as a school leader, it is my belief that I’ve only just scratched the surface of what highly qualified truly means. Being a school leader has been the most reflective and informative position of all my various roles in education. I’m so eager to collaborate with our students, families, faculty, staff and broader community to make this our most successful year yet at Common Ground!

This year I am committed to ensuring our students continue to get the highest quality education as well as opportunities to learn, grow and explore their personal strengths. Through collaborative work of the strong team in place at the high school, I am committed to supporting students in reaching high standards, increasing SAT scores, and graduating ready for college and leadership. Thank you all for welcoming me back, I look forward to all we will accomplish together.

—
In the coming weeks, Monique will be reaching out to many members of our school community to learn more about their visions for the school year. Contact her at monique.frasier@commongroundct.org to say hello!

Monique and a Common Ground alum in 2017!