St. Thomas More
Catholic School
Principal Wins Award
Bethel Park resident Joseph Rosi was awarded the
Pennsylvania 2018 Primary School Administrator Award.
BY W.B. FRESA
W
ith only one year on the job,
Bethel Park resident and St.
Thomas More Catholic School
Principal Joe Rosi has already
made a huge impact on faculty and students.
By introducing the use of more improved
technology into the curriculum, he’s pushed the
envelope for everyone involved and people have
taken notice.
“The funny thing is, I studied Political Science
in college,” says Rosi with a chuckle. “It wasn’t
until I coached soccer at the local YMCA that I
decided to go back to school and get my degree
in education, and then later a certification in
administration. I’ve been fortunate to work
with, and be mentored by, really great IT
administrators who demonstrated the significant
value of tech integration.”
When he applied for the open principal
position, Rosi talked about his passion for
technology. “My priority was to bring 21st
century skills into the classroom and teach them
to our kids,” he recalls. “I knew it had to be a large
part of our educational climate. Once I found out
I was selected for the position, I got input from
everyone. I’m an all-inclusive type of person and
I wanted this to be a group effort. My supervisors
were very supportive and let me really run with
getting teachers and kids the tools they needed.”
Getting buy-in from his supervisors was one
thing; developing a knowledge base and finding
the money to buy the technology would prove
challenging. “Because our school is funded
primarily through tuition, our excess money
for additional upgrades is limited. So, I began
applying for grants and looking for donors,”
explains Rosi. “With that money, we were able to
give each student in grades three through eight
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