William Ross is Hills' New English Supervisor
By Eleanor Mathews
William Ross, newly appointed supervisor of Watchung Hills Regional High School’s English Department, has already set his sights on three goals.
Ross, who replaces (retired) Morris Kaye, hopes to establish a writing resource center, where students will be able to receive extra help one-on-one with teachers, to build and improve their writing and editing skills. Then, since good writing evolves from reading, he would like to see the development of the Student Silent Reading Program—“If you don’t read, you don’t write well,” he says. An ambitious plan, the SSR program has every student, as well as every teacher, reading, in school, for 25 minutes a day.
And finally, some time within the next five years, Ross would like to see the International Baccalaureate in place at Watchung Hills. The IB program encompasses a curriculum of advanced work on the high school level, and, as the name may suggest, it enables students to receive accreditation at both domestic and overseas institutions of learning on the basis of the IB test results
Actually, says the new supervisor, these are not exotic goals. They mesh with the overall goals of the teaching of English: to show that English is essential in all aspects of personal and professional life; to encourage creativity; to learn to form and express opinions; to build connections.
Ross’ own area of interest is poetry. From earliest childhood, he knew he wanted to be a poet, and, indeed, he has become both a published writer and the holder of a Master’s degree in Fine Arts in poetry and writing. While he reveres Shakespeare (as do all English teachers), Chaucer is his favorite author. “Chaucer paved the road; Shakespeare drove the car,” he says. However, he gives equal time to both when he teaches comparative literature.
A native of Vermont, Ross received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont, and, in all, he estimates he “went to college thirteen years,” attending such institutions as Columbia University, Yale, and the State University of New York at Binghamton. During this time he gathered three master’s degrees in fields relating to English and a doctorate in education. He’s currently working on his Ph. D.
Yet, behind the academician/teacher, there is another Ross. His life has not been all books, all study. He was deeply involved in ballet, and was, for seven years, a professional dancer, member of the Joffrey Ballet and the Dance Theatre of Harlem in New York City . The achievement he is most proud of in his career as a dancer: the starring role of the Nutcracker in that holiday perennial, “The Nutcracker Suite.”
No longer active in ballet, Ross is now a serious cyclist. He’s a member of a cycling team involved in road-racing in New England’s mountains. As the Van Dessel Factory Team, the group is keenly competitive, but not quite ready for the Tour de France, he admits. Out of season, Ross trains by doing some 300 to 400 miles weekly, mainly in the Kinnelon area, where he resides with his wife and two-year-old daughter.
Ross comes to Watchung Hills from West Morris Central High School in Chester. As Hills’ English Department supervisor, he hopes to be a mediator, to “clear the clutter” and bureaucracy for teachers so that they can succeed in doing what they do best: teach. He himself will also teach creative writing.
“Watchung Hills is a great fit for me. I’m happy to be here, working with others who want to do the best for students,” Ross said.