The Washington Township Board of Education has appointed Raymond F. Anderson III as principal of Washington Township High School, effective December 16, 2022. Anderson, who has served as principal at Whitman Elementary School since 2014, assumes leadership of the District’s flagship school following the resignation of former WTHS principal Jonathan Strout at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year. Former principal Rosemarie Farrow and current Executive Assistant Principal John Saverase have served in interim principal roles during the search process.
“Knowing the importance of placing a person of high accomplishment, energy and character in this role, the Board of Education conducted a thorough and exhaustive search,” Interim Superintendent of Schools Jack McGee said. “I am so thrilled to welcome Ray Anderson into this important leadership post. He has proven, throughout his 21 years in the District, to be an exceptional and highly respected teacher, supervisor and principal and is uniquely qualified to take our high school to new heights. The Board and District administration jointly recognize the scope, challenges, and potential of this position. We are confident that Ray will embrace these expectations with the same enthusiasm and excellence that he has brought to all his professional pursuits. We want our students, staff, and community to know that Washington Township High School’s leadership is being placed in very capable, competent hands.”
Anderson will be the educational leader of nearly 2,100 students and 200 professional staff members, overseeing the daily operation of the largest high school campus in Gloucester County. Among myriad responsibilities, he will direct the effective implementation of curriculum and state standards, staff development, master scheduling, the school budget and personnel hiring. He will assume supervision of the entire high school complex, working closely with security, maintenance, custodial and community relations staff to ensure safe, effective day-to-day operations in a positive school climate that promotes and fosters academic growth and success.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be appointed by the Board of Education as the Executive Principal of Washington Township High School,” Anderson said. “It is my proud duty to continue to serve the Washington Township community in this new capacity. I am anticipating and looking forward to working with a dedicated team of administrators, teachers, and staff to continue on the path of educating and exhibiting remarkable character to the students of Washington Township High School. My focus on student academics, personal development, and acceptance of one another's unique qualities and differences, while working to support the faculty and staff in providing a safe and secure environment conducive to teaching and learning, will remain at the top of our list of priorities as an administrative team. We will strive to encourage our students to continue to grow to become educated, well-rounded individuals, productive citizens, and assets to the world in which we live.”
Anderson arrived in the District as a teacher of German and French at WTHS in 2002, teaching all levels in both languages until 2011. He also served as the advisor for the National Honor Society, German Club, German National Honor Society, assumed the role of business manager for WTHS plays and musicals, and chaperoned numerous school functions including Senior Service Day, Senior Trip and Project Graduation. During this time, Anderson served as a mentor to novice teachers in the World Language Department and participated as a member of various District committees including the Anti-Bullying Committee (2011) and the Professional Development Committee (2006-2011).
Anderson was elevated to the role of District Supervisor of World Languages and English as a Second Language (K-12) from 2011-14. In this capacity, he supervised teaching staff, planned and implemented professional development, streamlined assessments and benchmarks, and coordinated curricula. Anderson served as a member of the Model Curriculum Committee for World Languages for the New Jersey Department of Education and authored the proposal for the District’s Involvement in the State’s Seal of Biliteracy Pilot Program.
Since 2014, Anderson has served as the instructional leader of 550 students and 100 staff members while principal at Whitman Elementary. He has served as Secretary of the Gloucester County Association of Elementary and Middle School Administrators and is a mentor to new principals in New Jersey through his involvement in the New Jersey Leaders to Leaders (NL2L) program and the New Jersey Department of Education’s Principals’ Learning Network. He also is an active member of the District’s Equity Coalition, co-presenter of the new standards on the 2022 Elementary Health Committee and current president of the Washington Township Principals’ Association. He previously served as the principal of the Immanuel German Language School in Philadelphia (2009-2011).
Anderson, an avid tennis player and a national competitor in several United States Tennis Association (USTA) leagues, is a 2002 graduate of Saint Joseph’s University, where he earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in German and French and a Bachelor of Science degree in Management. He completed a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Administration at St. Joseph’s in 2005. Anderson holds teaching, supervisory, principal and school administrator certifications.
