Marcia Ross is the new kid at Gilford Middle School

Marcia Ross has worked in the Gilford School District before, but she doesn't consider her new position as the middle school's principal a return to the school she left 13 years ago. Instead, she sees it as a different school and a new challenge.

Ross had been the assistant principal for Gilford Middle/High School before being hired as the Principal of Oyster River Middle School in Durham. When she left Gilford, the district was organized as a grade 6 through 12 middle/high school under one principal.

Ross, as assistant principal, was in charge of the middle school grades. Her new post in Gilford has her administering education for grades 5 through 8 in their own middle school building.

"Although it's the same community, the same system, it's a whole new school," she said. "I'm not talking about returning, it's just so different."

Ross grew up in Newburyport, Mass. She went to the University of New Hampshire, where she earned a bachelor's degree in history with a minor in political science as well as her teaching certification. She also has a master's in education from UNH.

"I wanted to be a teacher since I was in second grade. I had a wonderful second grade teacher, and I thought it would be great to be a teacher," she said.

She taught middle school for 15 years before becoming an administrator. Asked why she wanted to leave Oyster River Middle School to come to Gilford, she said, "You reach a point in your career, a point in your life, when it's time for a change."

When she most recently reached that point, she decided that she wanted to finish her career at a Lakes Region school, since she had been commuting to Durham from her Gilford home. Her two adult daughters both went through the Gilford school system.

Ross is excited for the first day of school on September 1. "I am really looking forward to getting to know kids, getting to know families, getting to know staff." She has been impressed to see many teachers working in the building during the summer vacation. "I think that's a really great sign."

She anticipates Gilford Middle School to have about 360 students show up for school this year. That will be a big change from what she's used to in Oyster River, which had more than 800 students at one point and most recently had 640.

As a self-described "kid-centered educator," she's looking forward to this change, which will allow her to get to know each of her students better. "I still like to think that a good education is the most important thing that we can provide our children – not an average education."

An ever-present challenge, she said, is evaluating the curriculum and methods to ensure that the education is tailored to each student and will benefit the student in his or her individual future. "That's what excites me – always asking ourselves if the relevance, the significance of what we're doing for the kids that come passing through our schools – the challenge is providing as much as we possibly can for all kids."

One challenge that every public school administrator will face is New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) test scores, with the need for schools to improve their scores year after year or face possible state-initiated sanctions if the scores fall flat. In Gilford, members of the School Board have made it clear that they expect their students to perform better than the average New Hampshire student as measured by NECAP scores.

Ross welcomes the challenge. "If you're doing a good job, you're asking yourself: How can we improve? How can we improve student learning, opportunities and outcomes?"

"We should all be striving to be above average. That is the way that you can push to see that all kids achieve their potential... If you accept being average, then you accept that there's a group of your kids that are below average, and that's not right."

Another nearly-universal challenge that she will face is bullying. Last year, administrators acknowledged the issue as present in the school and held a well-attended parent forum. In Ross's perspective, the way to curb bullying is to promote a culture at the school in which anti-social behavior isn't accepted.

"Bullying is a societal issue, but it gets in the way of learning and things that get in the way of learning have to be addressed," she said.

"All schools have to develop, grow cultures that are developmentally appropriate. You have to be very clear in that culture about language and actions... If I'm a student in this school, I'm going to know what kinds of behavior are accepted." She said the promotion of an anti-bullying culture has to constant and consistent. "If you don't keep these things at the forefront of your culture and activities, then the kids put other things at the forefront."

In closing, she said "I am excited for school to open, to get to know the kids and have a successful year. We'll know we've been successful because kids have actively learned and grown in a healthy environment."