East Lyme — Early in her tenure as principal of East Lyme Middle School, Judy DeLeeuw said a teacher approached her with the idea of creating a platform so students could learn what the expectations are for their behavior and how they treat other people.

DeLeeuw encouraged the teacher to "go for it."

Today, throughout the halls and classrooms of East Lyme Middle School, posters on the wall list the expectations for how to behave with regards to respect for self, others and environment, one of the components of the program. The program, Positive Behavior Intervention Supports, culminates in an assembly at the end of the year to reward positive behavior.

It's this kind of collaboration among her staff that DeLeeuw said she has worked toward building at East Lyme Middle School. 

"I see my teachers as colleagues," she said. "We work together and we decide on everything. I like the environment to be an environment where the teachers can come to me and say: 'Judy, what about this? Can we do this? Can we do that?'"

After 10 years as principal at East Lyme Middle School and 35 years in education, DeLeeuw, 59, will retire on Monday.

DeLeeuw, who is from the East Hartford area and now lives in Essex, began her education career as a special education teacher in Vernon. She then got her administrative certification and became a department head at an alternative high school in Vernon. From there, she became director of pupil services in Coventry and then director of special services in South Windsor.

DeLeeuw said that in those central office positions, she was mainly having meetings and working with parents, principals and teachers. As she listened to stories from her friends who were principals, she realized she wanted a job where she could be around students more. She made up her mind to become a principal.

After first working as principal of the Francis E. Korn School in Durham, she was principal of Nathan Hale-Ray Middle School in East Haddam, when she heard about the opening for principal at East Lyme Middle School, a bigger school than the one where she was — and wanted to apply — but the closing date was the next day.

She stayed up until about midnight to finish the application and drove at the end of the school day to East Lyme to hand it in. Then, after about 11 hours of interviews, she found out she got the job.

"I was ready for a bigger school and new challenge after that so it was really exciting to actually go through the process and get the job," she said.

DeLeeuw, who earned her doctorate in 2012, teaches school and district leadership at Central Connecticut State University to teachers who are aspiring to become administrators.

In her 10-year tenure at East Lyme Middle School, DeLeeuw counts some of her proudest accomplishments as getting a special education teacher on every team of about 90 students. She also said she developed a sense of professional learning communities within the different academic subject areas, so teachers can get together to discuss topics, such as instructional strategies and activities.

"I think I brought this faculty together to be one big community of teachers that know and support each other and that count on each other," she said. "It’s a very professional environment for the teachers. They work together. They're excited about coming here every day to work with each other."

When the Connecticut Association of Schools named East Lyme Middle School as the 2012-13 Middle School of the Year, DeLeeuw said the honor resulted from the entire school community coming together: teachers and staff members contributed to writing narratives about the school, and students and parents met with members of the association's team.

DeLeeuw, who was named the Connecticut Association of Schools' Middle School Principal of the Year in 2015, said that honor also reflects on the school.

"I think that it was a reflection of what we can accomplish here," she said.

The middle school years, from fifth grade to eighth grade, represent a "big growing curve" with a lot of development happening for students, DeLeeuw said.

"I just want it to be a place where kids feel safe and they feel like we care about them, and I want to put the best teachers in front of them and give them the best skills we possibly can give them so they’re prepared for high school and the future," she said.

She added that she also wants students to know they can have fun at school, whether it's through the lessons the teachers put together, or the school's approximately 30 clubs — including science club, math club, sports, art club, Pokémon club or guitar club — that allow students to socialize with each other. 

"We try to provide kids as many opportunities as possible so that they can explore different interests," she said.

In her retirement, DeLeeuw plans to spend more time with her family and four granddaughters. She will continue to teach and also will mentor individuals during their internships to become administrators.

Assistant Principal Jason Bitgood will become the new principal of East Lyme Middle School. Jennifer Frost will move from the 10-month assistant principal position to the 12-month assistant principal role.

Frost described DeLeeuw as a "whirlwind of energy" who encourages collaboration and has an "open-door policy" so anyone can stop by her office.

"It makes for a really vibrant learning environment when everyone can be part of the discussion," she said.

k.drelich@theday.com