About
Bob Rodenbaugh
Bob Rodenbaugh, Principal
Mr. Rodenbaugh has been a part of Westbridge Academy, formerly Child Development Center, since July 2001. As Principal, Mr. Rodenbaugh has had the opportunity to work with a wonderful staff that has been able to fully utilize his leadership skills and experience. Together, they have brought Westbridge Academy into the 21st century as a premier therapeutic school.
Mr. Rodenbaugh affirms that John F. Kennedy’s quote, “All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have equal opportunity to develop our talent,” is one of his guiding principles in education. His body of experience with the Juvenile Justice Commission’s educational programs as well as Newark’s Gateway Academy and Twilight Programs all involved special education students and at-risk populations. Mr. Rodenbaugh’s approach to working with students is a dynamic mixture of special education, alternative education and traditional education.
Mr. Rodenbaugh’s previous experiences and the additional skills gained as Principal of Westbridge Academy are the basis for his innovative brand of leadership. His aim is to realistically integrate the needs of both the students and staff while creating an environment that is as least restrictive as possible. The successful teacher mentoring program has served to decrease teacher turnover and produce a staff that is team oriented, focused on the benefits of the whole school and not just the individual classroom.
The many positive changes over the past 10 years include: enriching self-contained classrooms with adaptive departmentalization: introducing the concept of separate elementary, middle and high school programs; integrating Community Based Instruction; expanding Transition Planning curriculum; developing an award winning behavior modification program, and increasing crisis management services.
In his off time, Mr. Rodenbaugh is a very popular soccer coach for two teams, one co-ed and one all-girls team. Additionally, he is the PTA treasurer for one of his town’s elementary schools.
Mr. Rodenbaugh holds teaching certification in the Social Sciences, a teaching endorsement in Psychology, and a Teacher of the Handicapped certification. He has his Bachelors degree in Psychology and his Masters degree in Administration and Supervision from New Jersey State University.