By A.V. Musick

“Am I going to be on social media? Can you make me famous?” a student asked excitedly as I began asking what his favorite part of 5th Grade history was. There is no shortage of excitement in Middle School teacher (and my mom) Katie Roski’s classroom, especially when filled with 16 restless and eager 5th Grade boys. 

Her students are restless and full of energy, but with many years of experience, Roski has mastered the art of keeping them engaged. During my observation, I noticed the beginning of her class consisted of her boys filling in a religion worksheet, but it somehow ended with ten-year-old boys screaming “Golden” from K-Pop Demon Hunters at the top of their lungs while playing history musical chairs. Roski’s knowledge continued to unveil itself throughout my visit and conversation with her. 

After graduating from high school in Fredericksburg at 17, Roski moved to Charlottesville, where she later earned a bachelor’s in English Language and Literature from the University of Virginia. Shortly after graduating, she set her sights on the Big Apple, hoping to make it big in the corporate marketing world. 

In New York, Roski became an Assistant Account Executive at RF Binder, a public relations firm. A year later, she took a job with Richmond-based Martin Agency, where she worked as an Account Executive for their former sports marketing division, MVP Group. Roski reflected, “the sports marketing world was exhilarating. I had the opportunity to manage clients’ sponsorships in the U.S. Open and Fashion Week in New York City!” She “met a lot of really cool people,” including Serena Williams, Paris Hilton, and Heidi Klum. Despite all the glamour, Roski was not feeling fulfilled in a way she had hoped.  

Roski then applied to the New York University’s Steinhardt School of Education, where she completed a three-semester accelerated Master’s program in Childhood Education. She said, “I had always considered teaching, so after I dabbled in marketing, I decided it was time to listen to that voice in my head.”

Roski in 2016 with members of the class of 2026.

After graduate school, Roski moved back to Richmond, where she started teaching 3rd grade at Kersey Creek Elementary School in Hanover County. After teaching there for three years and having two children, Roski began to think about her family’s future. She quickly grew tired of the forty-minute drive each morning, so she initiated a search for schools closer to her home.

As a result of her search, Roski discovered Collegiate, just ten minutes away, and she didn’t waste any time applying for a teaching position. Roski’s Collegiate career began with teaching 3rd Grade in 2009. She taught in the Lower School for nine years and did not leave without noteworthy accomplishments. In her time, Roski created the classroom economy model, a favorite activity among 3rd Graders. Students collected classroom dollars by doing classroom jobs. They then created a project to sell on “Market Day,” where they could buy other products from their peers, as well as make money to use in an end-of-year auction. Kyla Williams (‘26) recalled, “OMG, the 3rd Grade market was so fun, though I fear I was not the top businessman by far! I distinctly remember [Mrs. Musick] telling us to be creative!”

Roski and her current advisory on pajama day.

When I, her oldest child, graduated from the Lower School, Roski was ready for a change herself. After teaching 3rd Grade for 12 years, Roski traveled across the bridge in 2017 to teach 5th Grade girls in the Middle School: “One day, I literally just woke up and I said, ‘I wonder what it’d be like to teach Middle School?’” Roski followed that voice in her head and quickly reached out to then Middle School Head Charlie Blair to inquire more about the Middle School at Collegiate. When Roski heard about an open position teaching 5th Grade, she jumped at the opportunity, eager to learn and teach a new curriculum. Roski still currently teaches 5th Grade girls English, reading, history, and advisory, as well as 5th Grade boys history.

When asked about the differences between teaching Middle and Lower School, Roski stated, “As an English major, I love teaching novels and reading novels with students, and I was sort of missing that in 3rd Grade.” She believes this change will prolong her teaching career and give her a rush of excitement going forward. To this day, Roski is still delighted with the change she made back in 2018: “The Middle School is a very fun place! The teachers are fun to be around. We have a really collaborative environment, and we have a lot of fun together.”

Roski and colleagues at The Reading League conference in Chicago.

In addition to teaching, Roski is also the English Department Chair for the Middle School. This past summer, Roski, alongside a small team of other English teachers, redesigned and improved the grammar curriculum throughout the Middle School. After extensive research, Roski decided to implement a technique using mentor sentences, which “teaches grammar concepts in an authentic way.” Mentor sentences are sentences from “real publications” that show students real-world examples, “rather than filling in blanks and doing worksheets.” Roski and her team believe this model will better prepare students for success going into their Upper School and college careers. 

One thing Roski does not lack is love of learning. She recently took a trip to a reading conference in Chicago, where she learned about “the science of reading and evidence-based strategies for teaching literacy,” which she hopes to implement into the Middle School reading curriculum, similar to her work with the grammar curriculum. 

Outside of teaching, Roski spends her time with her friends and family, reading, doing puzzles, or going for walks. All of her family lives within several miles of her home and school, which she is grateful for. Roski’s reflections surrounding her time at Collegiate were filled with positivity and joy. Her contributions and dedication to her students and fellow faculty cannot go unnoticed, as she is bound to have a lasting impact on Collegiate in years to come. 

All photos courtesy of Katie Roski.