Manchester's Trethaway Honored As Regional Superintendent Of Year

MANCHESTER, NJ — Manchester Township Superintendent David Trethaway has been named the 2019 Regional Superintendent of the Year for Region III, South Jersey by the New Jersey Association of School Administrators.

Trethaway was honored with Mackey Pendergrast of Morris School District and David Aderhold of West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, who are the Region I and II winners, respectively.

One of the three regional winners will be chosen to represent New Jersey as the New Jersey Superintendent of the Year in the American Association of School Administrators’ 33rd National Superintendent of the Year Award, which recognizes and honors the extraordinary contributions of the nation’s leaders in public education.

In June, Trethaway was named Ocean County Superintendent of the Year by his peers in the Ocean County Association of School Administrators.

A graduate of Wilkes University, Trethaway began his education career as a math teacher and spent 25 years in Jackson as a teacher, coach, supervisor, vice principal and acting principal. He was elected to the Wilkes University Athletic Hall of Fame as well as the Luzerne County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame.

In 2000, he became the assistant superintendent at the Central Regional School District and was appointed as superintendent of schools the following year.

In 2008, he was appointed superintendent in Manchester. In his 11 years in Manchester, Trethaway has served on numerous committees, boards and panels in a variety of areas including curriculum, instruction, school funding, security and legislation.

He currently is the Ocean County representative on the association's executive committee.

The association chooses the regional superintendent honorees based on a number of leadership criteria, including meeting the needs of all students, strength in personal and organizational communication, a commitment to professional development and growth, and active community involvement.

"I am grateful to my colleagues for selecting me for this honor and working with such excellent administrators it is truly a humbling experience," Trethaway said. "Any recognition given to a superintendent is really a recognition of the school district and their achievements and is a result of working with outstanding leadership from administrators, professional and caring teaching and support staff, committed and hardworking parents and students, a supportive community and a dedicated board of education. I am very fortunate to be a superintendent in a school district that has all of these positive things in place."

In a video submission for the regional superintendent selection, Trethaway listed some of the district’s accomplishments, including welcoming Lakehurst students and staff to Manchester school buildings last fall when their building was inundated with mold; the implementation of block scheduling at the high school; being named to the AP District Honor Roll for improving student participation in AP courses; offering dual credit with Ocean County College; technology improvements that put devices in the hands of all students; and improvements in school security as a result of working closely with the Manchester Township Police department.

He was honored for his selection as regional superintendent at the district's school board meeting and in Atlantic City last week.

The state Superintendent of the Year will be selected by a committee of past presidents of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators and former regional superintendents; that announcement was expected by Nov. 1.

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