Norwich ― Debby Allard greeted students on the first day of school Wednesday as new director of the Integrated Day Charter School, but she already knew many of their names.

Allard has spent most of her professional career as a teacher and administrator at the public charter school at 68 Thermos Ave. in the former Thermos Mill complex on the Thames River.

To her, the integrated day philosophy of pairing consecutive school grades in combined classes and stressing cooperative education, family involvement and research projects has come alive with passion at the school. The IDCS was founded in 1997 by former Norwich Public Schools teachers who had practiced it in a smaller program in the district and applied for a state charter.

“I find things humbling,” Allard said, “like the idea that my grandmother once worked in the Thermos factory where I now get to watch students grow. The passion of every adult in our building to support these students is overwhelming and enormous.”

The school has 364 students in grades preschool through eight, with about 60 staff members.

She said she loves the school’s opening day tradition in which students are handed a single flower as they enter the school. In their classrooms, they place the flower in a vase, where it becomes a bouquet ― a lesson that individuals contribute to the beautiful community, Allard said.

McKenna’s Florist in Norwich donates the flowers, and owner Mike Rankowitz addresses students on how flower arrangements are created.

Allard, 41, grew up in Preston and graduated from Norwich Free Academy. She earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and special education at the University of Vermont, with the goal of becoming an advocate for families. But her career took a turn as she realized her greatest love was working with students.

She earned her master’s degree at Sacred Heart University, where she took a class that explored different teaching philosophies.

“I didn’t know this place existed,” she said. “I came and saw the beauty of the community and saw how they were teaching and engaging students and the family involvement and it became apparent it was really a special place.”

She started as an intern in 2006, “with so many questions,” she said. She then became a third- and fourth-grade teacher. She departed in 2011 to teach in south Florida and returned in 2018 as sixth-grade teacher. She served for the past three years as assistant director and starts as director this school year.

“The founders are now grandparents here,” Allard said. “We have teachers who were students here. It’s more of a family.”

Allard and her husband live in Westerly and have two children in the school system there.

c.bessette@theday.com