Every educator dreams of creating the “ideal school.” Administrators in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, had precisely that opportunity when they were given one year to remodel an older building and to plan the mission, vision, and curricular framework of their new magnet middle school. A decade later, Rosa International Middle School is a testament to the vision, the energy, and the commitment of that dedicated team. One of three middle schools in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and the only one to select students randomly by lottery, Rosa has emerged since its founding as a stellar middle school. Of the district’s three middle schools, it has the lowest number of disciplinary referrals, the greatest measurable involvement in service to the community, and the highest scores on the New Jersey standardized assessments, at all levels and in all areas. Principal Ed Canazese attributes the success to a shared vision of educating “the whole child,” an exceptionally dedicated faculty “who bought that vision,” and the strength of an intellectually challenging International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme.

Read more about Rosa International in the 2008 NSOC book: “Creating a Better World”

Video: Rosa International is featured in this NJ Classroom Close-up segment, co-produced by the New Jersey Education Association and NJN Public Television. Watch video.

Video: Arne Duncan, US Secretary of Education and New Jersey’s Governor Jon Corzine’s visit to Rosa International Middle School in Cherry Hill. Watch video.

Student Article: It’s a Small World After All: Rosa’s Efforts to Bring Clean Water and a Better Schooling to a Ugandan Village By Kaylin Magosin, Grade 7. Read article. 

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