News

Rugby named 'School to Watch'

By Bill Moss, Published: August 28, 2015

Rugby Middle School has been named a “School to Watch” for the fourth year in a row by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. It is one of six middle schools nationwide to achieve the designation.

The national designation, applied for by middle schools on three-year cycles, recognizes high-performing schools that are academically excellent, developmentally responsive to students in early adolescence, and equitable in their provision of teachers and resources to all students.

“The Schools to Watch" designation validates that this school is really centered on the very unique set of needs that middle school kids have – academically and socially,” said Principal Scott Moore.

Rugby Middle excels at targeting adolescent learning by using teams of teachers to create interdisciplinary curriculum for 7th- and 8th-graders, Moore said. Each team is comprised of a math teacher, social studies teacher, English teacher and science teacher, who collaboratively teach their group of the same students throughout the year.

Moore also cites Rugby Middle’s “One Book, One School” initiative as a tool to engage students in the same learning activity in a school community setting.

In its fourth year, One Book, One School has each student and teacher reading the same young adult book that features a character trait or action important for youth development – such as perseverance, as highlighted in last year’s book, “Bluefish” by Pat Schmatz.

“It’s our thematic focus of the year,” Moore said.

In Henderson County, Apple Valley Middle also received its third Schools to Watch re-designation in 2015. Flat Rock Middle has received the designation three times and Hendersonville Middle received the designation twice; both schools are eligible to apply for re-designation in 2016.

The only other North Carolina middle school to receive a fourth Schools to Watch re-designation was Ashe County Middle in Warrensville.