Dr. Rose Traficante, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, will be retiring at the end of this year after 15 years of working in Edison and 35 years in education in general.
Traficante first came to Edison as the principal of Woodrow Wilson Middle School and served in that capacity until the end of the 2004 school year, at which point she came into her current position after the retirement of her predecessor, Robert Ranta, on the recommendation of former superintendent Vincent Capraro.
Traficante, having grown up in Union County and living in Monmouth at the time, was already familiar with Edison and the diversity of its community. She said that since becoming assistant superintendent, she has been very active in change and reform within the district.
“It motivates and challenges me,” Traficante said in a phone interview.
Looking back, she is proud of her record on reforms, especially with regard to the language arts and literacy program. She further felt that bringing the three career academies to the high school deserved special attention.
When asked what she’ll miss the most when she’s retired, she didn’t miss a beat when she said, “The people.”
“People, people, people. The parents, the children, the community members, the administrators, my fellow colleagues, all the
wonderful people,” said Traficante.
She said that upon her official retirement, she plans to move to Cape May, though doesn’t have too many specific plans beyond that. When asked what she’ll do with all her free time, she laughed.
“I don’t know what free time is. I have no specific plans. I kind of go where life takes me from this day to the next, but I will be living in Cape May with my husband and my German shepherd and my garden and
my books,” said Traficante.
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