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PRINCIPAL

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students and to achieve the best possible education.”

“I value building relationships and connections that fosters a positive selfconcept and confidence for students to achieve at their highest level,” Blount declared.

Blount, currently residing in Plainsboro and a lifelong resident of both Mercer and Middlesex counties, said he choose the Pemberton high position because it is a school that is within a “close-knit community” and part of a “close-knit diverse community that values the whole child.”

“I want to ensure each student develops their unique talents and interests, and has a post-secondary plan after high school, which includes college, a career, military or vocational school,” Blount maintained.

Joseph, who ended his 19-year career in the Pemberton district last week, leaving for an assistant superintendent position at Burlington County Institute of Technology (BCIT), declared on Sept. 22 that “whatever that narrative is that some people like to spread about PTHS students,” he “believes the majority of our students do right.”

“I always love my people,” he declared, maintaining that if one replays a video of their high school days, they would probably find times where they were engaged in an aimless or errant activity. “Teenagers make mistakes. But I am proud of the students who were and are here, and I am also proud of every single one of us who walk the halls on a daily basis.”

Rob Horn, president of the Pemberton Township Education Association (PTEA), declared following Joseph’s goodbye remarks that he is “really going to miss ‘EJ.’”

“He is phenomenal administrator, and a great guy,” Horn told those who were gathered at the Pemberton school board meeting.

The PTEA president recounted that he first met Joseph when the latter was a Language Arts teacher at Pemberton’s Helen Fort Middle School and recalled that “he was sort of popping into the classrooms” because “he would come around and talk to the kids.”

“He was not popping in to observe, he was coming in be part of the team, and part of that community,” Horn contended. “He was interested in what we were teaching. He was interested in what the kids were learning. You could see that enthusiasm. He was not here to micromanage us; he was there to kind of reinforce what we were doing. He wanted to know what we are doing. He wanted to know all about writing process, for example. He was a math guy … and he wanted to educate himself on subjects that weren’t his specialty so that he could help the kids.”

When Joseph ultimately came upon a student who was off task, according to Horn, “he would refocus that kid.”

“He reinforced what we were doing, and whenever he was around, it felt like we had another advocate in the classroom,” Horn declared. “It was a phenomenal approach – he was always present. I have had very few administrators do that – to be present to the point that you know they really support what you are doing.”

Joseph’s goal, according to Horn, is that he wanted “to keep the kids focused and learning.”

“And the kids knew that too,” Horn asserted. “And they got the message. Again, it was a phenomenal approach. And now, having worked with him as the PTEA president, he has been great to work with. He did everything for the kids. They know he was there for them.”

He added that whenever there was an “inadvertent violation” of the teacher’s union contract, Joseph was “quick to correct it.”

“He really does respect the contract that we all agreed to,” Horn declared.

Pemberton Superintendent of Schools Jeff Havers, in helping to give Joseph a proper sendoff, said that he hoped the latter “enjoyed” his time in the classroom and as a principal, describing that when he had transitioned from a principal to a central office administrator, “you leave that interaction” with the kids, and are “going to miss it.”

“I know you will, because I know how much you value it,” Havers maintained.

Joseph, as he waved goodbye to Pemberton students, parents and staff from the front row of the high school auditorium, received a standing ovation for his service and a loud round of applause.

“I would like to thank Mr. Joseph for his many years of his service and dedication to our children,” Havers declared. “I think it is obvious all of the great strides that were made during the high school under your leadership, and under your passion. I am grateful for everything you have done for our kids pre-COVID, during COVID, and during our return.”

Blount, on his LinkedIn profile page, describes himself as a “highly regarded 20year school administrator and “professional development provider.” He also describes that he is an “in-demand inspirational speaker impacting hearts and minds of teachers and students, improving culture and achievement.”

The new principal of Pemberton high lingered in the high school auditorium after the Pemberton school board convened a closed session, notably talking one-on-one with parents and teachers.

In an “about me” section of his online profile, Blount notes he is “skilled in high-yield instructional strategies, social emotional learning, student self-efficacy, early college, leadership, training and research.” He considers himself a “strong educational professional with a master’s degree focused in Educational Leadership from The College of New Jersey (TCNJ).”

Blount, who has also served for the past six years as a “leading expert” and “board member” of the George Washington Carver Education Foundation, providing, in part, “guidance in developing early college high school programs,” initially received a bachelor’s degree from Stockton University in Business Finance.

Also sent off on Sept. 22 by the Pemberton school board was Pemberton School Business Administrator and Board Secretary Dan Smith, who recently accepted a position with the Egg Harbor Township School District to become its new business administrator.

Havers maintained Smith has “done a great deal of work in our community,” including overseeing a “tremendous amount of facility enhancements,” in addition to performing “a lot of advocacies.”

Between Smith discovering that the Pemberton district qualified for “municipal overburden” with respect to school funding, and his campaigning for “military aid,” which the state ultimately began providing school districts last year, according to Havers, the business administrator probably found “close to $15 million for our district.”

“He is a great person to work with, and has an excellent sense of humor too …,” Havers remarked. “He also carries with him a strong work ethic … He worked up to the finish line to make sure Pemberton is in the best possible place before he leaves.”

Pemberton Board of Education President Tom Bauer declared that, “I don’t know if I could do this job without Mr. Smith always guiding me in the right direction.”

“He has been an absolutely super employee of the school district,” Bauer added. “In my long, long time here, in many different roles, he is one of the best. He really is. I wish you all the best in the new position. Many of us in the community will miss you sincerely.”

While the latest school board session again featured public comments that highlighted what Bauer described as “negatives,” the Pemberton school board president maintained he wanted the new hires to know – including Michelle Sanchirico, who will replace Drew Besler as an assistant principal at Helen Fort, that they are “working in a really great school district.”

“I started here in 1974,” Bauer said. “I have had the time of my life here. I have always been respected. I have been able to accomplish a great deal. A community as diverse as this is really a special community. I really would not work in any other place than here. And somehow, I became president of the school board, and have been on it for 12 years.”