Welcome to George Washington Middle School, one of two unique middle schools located in Ridgewood, New Jersey.  In Ridgewood, we believe that students should be a part of a connected, caring, intimate learning environment. At the middle school level, in order to support this belief, we have created a "school within a school" model for students in grades 6 through 8. Students are placed into one of two houses upon entering grade 6. The houses at GW, Godwin, and Monroe, are each led by an Assistant Principal. The AP for Monroe House is Dr. Michelle Melucci, and the AP for Godwin House is Mr. Timothy Monahan. At Ben Franklin Middle School, Mr. Tony Orsini is the principal. There are two houses at BF as well - Ridge and Franklin. The AP for Ridge is Mr. Greg Wu, and the AP for Franklin is Ms. Shauna Stovell.

The house principle is simple: students attend core curriculum classes (Science, English, Social Studies, World Language, and Math) with their "home" group. For specials, such as music and art, students from both houses are combined. Core content teachers are assigned to one house, and students are assigned to the same house as older siblings. In this way, parents and students are able to get to know – and form lasting bonds with – the members of the GW faculty over the course of their time with us.

At GW we have a motto: "Dreams are born; Leaders are made; Kindness is valued." We prize the life of the mind and want our students to know that we will help foster their dreams while giving them the intellectual tools and individual skills necessary for success. At the same time, we work hard to develop within our children a sense of responsibility and independence. We put a premium on community, and value deeply the strong ties that have been built between the students, staff, parents, and other members of the village. We operate under the umbrella of kindness and respect, striving to do our best to learn from and with one another in a safe and fun environment.

GW is a very special place. We encourage you to stop by and visit. Better yet, we invite you to become a part of our unique educational community!

Best regards,

Dr. Katie Kashmanian
Principal