Newark Native Tapped To Lead METS Charter School

NEWARK, NJ — A native Newark resident and former salutatorian of Science High School has taken over the reins at METS charter school’s new facility at 909 Broad Street, which will serve an initial student body of 250 in grades 9 to 12.

According to the college prep school, which launched its Jersey City campus in 2011 and celebrated a ribbon cutting at its new Newark location last week, here are some of the reasons that administrators chose Diemecha Harris as the school’s inaugural instructional leader.

“Mrs. Diemecha Harris was born and raised in Newark, graduated as salutatorian of Science High School and earning her Bachelor of Science in Economics at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. After a career in banking she decided to transition to a career that better utilized her math skills and made a difference in the lives of urban youth. She completed teacher training in conjunction with AmeriCorps, and began teaching middle school math at First Avenue Elementary School. Harris soon realized that she could make a much larger impact at the high school level by serving as a role model to spark interest in STEM careers. While teaching at Elizabeth High School, she served on school leadership committees and pursed an Educational Leadership Master’s Degree at Cappella University. She received her first STEM Vice Principal assignment during the 2016 - 2017 school year at M.E.T.S. Charter School in Jersey City and will begin as Instructional Leader of the METS Newark Campus immediately.”

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Harris said that she is looking forward to helping students and their families in her hometown.

“Growing up in Newark wasn’t easy, but I had exceptional teachers who mentored me and emphasized that the key to a better life was through education,” she said. “I took their advice, studied hard, and became the first person in my family to graduate from college.”

METS currently partners with Essex County College, Hudson County Community College, New Jersey City University, Rutgers University, and the University of Texas, as well as Liberty Science Center and the New Jersey Center for Teaching and Learning (NJCTL).

The school has a 100% high school graduation rate and 97% four-year college acceptance rate, according to Ian Fallstich, lead administrator and CEO of the METS Charter School network.

• READ: 3 Newark Charter Schools Ordered To Shut Down

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Photo: METS

Caption: (from left) Newark METS Instructional Leader Diemecha Harris; Governor Christie; Kimberley Harrington, Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Education; Ian Fallstitch, METS CEO and Lead Administrator; and Madelyn Dullea, Assistant Lead Administrator and Director of Student Services surrounded by students