Debbie Rose, Park Road School
By: Kevin Doran
Updated: April 13, 2011
The first call we make to set up a News 8 Golden Apple surprise is to the school's Principal. But when the Principal is getting the award it makes it a challenge. Tonight we surprise Debbie Rose at the Park Road School In Pittsford.
We hid in the library waiting for Mrs. Rose to come to us. "I'm speechless" she said. "I'm never speechless. You know somebody just said to me on the way down here. Channel 8 is here! And I said are you kidding me?"
Debbie Rose has spent a lifetime in education, 37 years all together. 17 as a Principal. She was nominated by friend Carol Shepard. "She's an amazing lady. And you figure the administrator of this school has so much more responsibility and you hardly ever see them get recognized. And Deb's getting ready to retire and I think it's an appropriate send off for her."
Pittsford Superintendent Mary Alice Price even showed up to help with our surprise. "And she is just a fantastic Principal and wonderful person. She's made so many contributions here I couldn't even go through all of them with you. But she's a great instructional leader. She loves kids and works so well with people. We're really thrilled we've had her here for so long."
Whether it's helping tie shoe. Selecting a book to read or receiving a special card made by a student, Mrs. Rose says it's the children she'll miss the most when she retires. "Oh, The smiles, the waves, the loose tooth falling out, all those kinds of things. You know, the kids is what I'll miss."
Debbie Rose is a News 8 Golden Apple Award winner. You can read Carol's letter below.
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Dear Channel 8,
Debbie Rose is the Principal at Park Road Elementary School in Pittsford. After more than three decades in education she will be retiring after this school year. I think it would be a nice send off for her to receive the Golden Apple Award. Thank you for consider Debbie for this outstanding award.
Sincerely,
Carol Shepard
Comments
PSB and Sup. Price backed Debbie Rose who has been a consistent poor performer.
Park Road kids are always the least prepared against there other district counter parts when entering Middle school.
Mrs. Rose has continued to support poor teachers and failed to recognize truly great educators.
Channel 8 should be ashamed of themselves for making a mockery of a program originally designed to highlight outstanding education professionals. If anyone at PR school deserved recognition it was Kim Marshall, 4th grade teacher extraordinaire.
Mrs Rose has always embodied all things you do not want in an Elementray school principal!
Should have given her the rotten apple!!!!
Large numbers of parents have expressed there disrepect of the job she has done largely around the environment of cronie-ism with regards to teacher selection.
It's ironic that the Mary Alice Price showed support considering she expressed to several groups of parents recently that she was expediting the retirement of Mrs. Rose due to poor performance.
Golden Apple is a joke. Apparently there is no real criteria to win this award.
