Piedmont Has New Headmaster

When Piedmont Academy welcomes students for the new school year Monday, it will be under the leadership of a new headmaster.

Dr. Michael Rossi takes over after having served the last seven years as the headmaster of the North Broward Preparatory School in Coconut Creek, Fla., a PK3-12 school which grew from 600 to more than 1,900 students and 325 employees during his tenure.

Dr. Rossi’s impressive education background is as follows:

•Ed. D. Educational Administration and Policy Studies, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 1998.

•M.A. Educational Administration: Supervision of Instruction, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 1990.

•B. A. English Literature and Composition, Belmont Abbey College, Belmont, N.C. 1981.
He is married to Kristen L. Rossi, who is also an educator, and they have three children: Michaela, 10; Kristina, 8, and Christopher, 5.

Piedmont Academy, a much smaller school than the doctor’s previous one, has a 2006 enrollment of 362 students. Fifty-nine percent of this total are from Jasper County. Another 23 percent come from Newton County, 12 percent from Butts County, and the remainder from Henry, Putnam, Monroe, Rockdale, and Walton Counties.

Originally Dr. Rossi and his family planned to move to North Carolina in order to be closer to their families in Virginia, where he planned to consult for a year while he searched for a headmaster position.

However, one evening during this planning period while he was on line, Dr. Rossi said he somehow ended up at the web site of the Georgia Association of Independent Schools and saw the opening for a headmaster for this year at Piedmont Academy.

“It just fit everything we were looking for—a rural community and a smaller school for my children and myself.”

When asked about his goals at the academy, Dr. Rossi said, “Initially, I want to look at expanding certain academic and non-academic programs, but since I’ve only been here five weeks, I’m still formulating long range goals.

“I’m excited about being at Piedmont Academy and in the area of Monticello, because of the feeling I’ve gotten from people welcoming us. In 24 years in education, never before has anyone brought me fruits and vegetables, and that’s a great sign!”