Schools
Former Stow High School Assistant Principal to Bring Expertise, Enthusiasm to Cuyahoga Falls
Don Ross to serve as new assistant principal and athletic director for Woodridge High School.
Former assistant principal Don Ross has one goal in mind when he starts his new position as assistant principal and athletic director of on August 1.
“Keep the good things going and not mess those up,” he says. “Where there needs to be improvement, work on those things.”
Ross comes to Woodridge High School after five years as an assistant principal at Stow-Munroe Falls High School and 15 years as a teacher and head football coach at .
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“It’s no different than when I was a coach,” he explains. “I want to do the right things and do them properly and don’t want to disappoint those people who show a lot of confidence in me.
Joel Morgan, principal at Woodridge High School, knew of Ross’s experience and passion for kids firsthand. That made him an outstanding pick for the assistant principal and athletic director at the school, he explained.
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“I taught and worked with Don at Cuyahoga Falls High School for 14 years,” said Morgan. “Throughout those years, I saw how he worked well with parents, teachers and staff. When I became principal at Woodridge, I knew he was definitely someone we wanted to interview and bring here.”
Although Ross will be in a new position this fall, one thing that is not changing is his philosophy toward students and their high school experience.
“One of my biggest things I like to do with kids is get them to understand this whole high school thing is a one shot deal and you can’t come back to it,” he explained. “If you have that potential and ability, you need to use it, participate and get involved. Everything after this is when it gets real and the real world can be brutal.”
Ross said he doesn’t hesitate to take a student aside for an impromptu talk.
“I don’t want to see anyone fail, especially if I had the opportunity to say something to them to avoid that failure,” he said. “I’ll talk to you over and over and over. I don’t want to feel like, gosh, what if I could have done more. I seize those learning moments and hope they stick.”