Goss Named Warwick Veterans Middle School Principal

Goss, who has an extensive resume working in education, is excited about taking over the position of Principal at the school. 

Assistant Superintendent of Warwick Schools, Bill McCaffrey said Goss is well qualified for the position bringing with him a tremendous amount of experience. 

“He is a great benefit to the Warwick School system,” said McCaffrey confidently. “Jeff will move the school forward. He compliments our teachers and he will be a great lead administrator at Warwick Veterans.”

With a goal of improving the climate and culture of the building, while at the same time paying close attention to working on improving the state test scores, Goss’s most pressing endeavor, he said, is to make Veterans Middle School an enjoyable place to be for staff and students alike. 

“I believe if you have happy teachers, who enjoy coming to work every day, that it will carry over to the classroom,” said Goss. 

Attracted to the Principal position by the opportunity to work in a middle school, but also the outstanding staff at Veterans, Goss explained, “I said if I ever took another principalship, I would need a team of administrators around me. I did my research and discovered Vets had two strong assistant principals in place, with Kristy Patten and Michelle Devine. We added Sarah LaPointe, who I worked with during my time in Woonsocket. I also felt comfortable with the leadership of Bill McCaffrey.”

Originally from Maine, Goss, who attended Springfield College and played college basketball, is a transplant to the Ocean the State who came to Rhode Island back in 1991 to work with the Pawtucket Red Sox, since then he has gone on to follow in the footsteps of his father, who also worked as an assistant principal and principal. What he enjoys most about his educational vocation, he said, is the connections he is able to make with the students and families. 

“I always put the students’ best interest first and I am here for them. I don’t rush to judgment and I listen to every student’s side of the story, no matter how much trouble they have been in before,” said Goss. “I feel my biggest strength is my ability to work with the most difficult students and their families.” 

Having spent the majority of his administrative career in High Schools throughout Rhode Island as a principal or assistant principal, at schools like Woonsocket High School, Portsmouth High School and Rogers High School, Goss is super excited about working in a Middle School. “It’s where I feel I can make the greatest impact,” he said.

Goss added, “I have always looked at the middle school level as a place where I could make a difference and when this opportunity presented itself, I decided to jump on it.”

Goss is eager to start the new school year soon. He sets his educational compass by a phrase coined by the late George Nasute, “Have respect. Get respect.”

“I feel this sums up how I operate,” said Goss, who wants the parents, students and staff at Veterans Middle School to know that they are always welcome in his office.

Author: Karena Garrity

Karena Garrity, a contributing writer for WarwickPost.com, has covered local news and feature stories for several publications, including CTNewsJunkie, Connecticut Magazine, Westerly Sun Newspaper, Northeast Equestrian Life Magazine and Patch.com.