Two Rochester middle schools have spent months under one roof — a collaborative effort that culminated in a recent building-wide Career Day — but that’s about to change.
Northwest and Andrew Langston Middle Schools have shared the Douglass Campus on Fernwood Park in northeast Rochester since the start of this school year, but only one will remain in the building next year: Andrew Langston. Northwest will no longer exist.
Before their time together comes to a close, the principals of both schools and their staff brought together more than 70 presenters to teach students about the jobs they do and the path they took to get there.
“What's really powerful is we do have a lot of Black and brown presenters that are here that look like our scholars,” said LaCassa Felton, principal of Andrew Langston Middle School.
“We want to make sure that they're exposed to maybe some careers that they haven't heard of,” she added. “And the folks that are here are presenting, they're sharing their journey, their educational journey, they're sharing their careers.”
It is common for career fairs and events to take place for high schoolers. The choice to introduce younger students to various careers was intentional, and for Principal Rodney Moore, this was the biggest career day he’s been a part of, in large part due to the collaboration between counselors and staff across schools.
“This is the time to start planting those seeds, because kids can see, ‘Oh, you know what? This is something that I may want to do.’ But they still have time to change their mind,” said Moore, who oversees Northwest Middle School.
Moore was apprehensive going into the school year, he said, not knowing whether there’d be a clash of cultures between the schools. But he said the reality was a pleasant surprise.
“We've had the opportunity to really work with each other's strengths, to make sure that all kids on both campuses can receive the rewards of what we do well," Moore said. "And we work together, we meet together, we plan together, we celebrate together. And today was an example of that.”
The Rochester Board of Education voted last spring to bring both schools together under one roof.
The district put Northwest on the chopping block and planned to move Andrew Langston, which had recently opened at the Jefferson Campus as part of a reconfiguration plan headed by former Superintendent Carmine Peluso, to account for renovations as part of a years-long Facilities Modernization Plan.
The reconfiguration plan was established in 2023, and it separated middle school grades from elementary and high schools. Principal Felton said that’s a decision she supports as it has allowed her and others to focus on individualized support for students who are in a developmental transition in their lives.
'Not only are we looking at outcomes for students that are on the behavioral or social emotional level, but also on the academic level,” she said. “That has been a lot of what we've been doing as a leadership team to make sure that our students are really showing growth in varied areas.
The board’s unanimous reversal came after community pushback. Then in December, the school board adjusted course again after Superintendent Eric Rosser, who inherited the former decision, proposed closing Northwest. This is Rosser’s first year in the position.
“There's a legacy here at Northwest. It's been around for a long time and many of our staff members have been here in the building for a long time," Moore said. “Our students will be here under one building. So, I think that's the most important thing as we've been working together to build a singular culture. It really is about the students.”
