All Around Pennsauken

By Frank Sinatra, AAP Editor

After a lengthy and extensive search, Ronnie Tarchichi, MEd²., M.S., M.B.S., has been selected as the new Superintendent of Schools for the Pennsauken School District. Beginning July 1, Tarchichi will help guide the future of a school system serving over 5,000 students.

“Pennsauken is a very big district. I want to impact education at a large level,” says Tarchichi. “Pennsauken had everything I was looking for. It had the size, it had the student demographic, and it had a rich history in sports, and I really enjoy that. Everything about it was appealing to me.

“I grew up in Philadelphia. I’m a product of urban education. So are my brother and sister. Pennsauken is more suburban/urban, but the students here are just like we were. I think that’s my brand, who I am. I was helped by great teachers. Now I’m going to do the same with the students here. I feel students from this realm of education deserve to have someone who has their best interests at heart.”

Tarchichi comes to Pennsauken via the Woodlynne School District, where he has served as superintendent and principal since 2013. Prior to that position, Tarchichi worked in a variety of academic and administrative roles, including vice principal of Salem County Vocational Technical Schools, Career and Technical High School, Woodstown, N.J.; district supervisor of secondary education for the high school in the Mercer County Technical School District, Hamilton, N.J.; and academic dean and biology/environmental science teacher at Abraham Lincoln High School in Philadelphia, Pa. He also previously taught at Camden County Technical Schools here in Pennsauken; Samuel S. Fels High School in Philadelphia; and Leap Academy University High School and Camden Promise Charter School in Camden. On the collegiate level, he has taught at both Burlington County College and Mercer County College and currently teaches biology at Rowan University as an adjunct professor.

The Pennsauken community welcomed Ronnie Tarchichi, the new superintendent of the Pennsauken School District, at a special reception last month.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Tarchichi continues to further his own academic pursuits. He has a Bachelor of Science in exercise physiology from West Virginia University; a Master of Education in physical education/exercise science from The College of New Jersey; a Master of Science in biology from Rutgers University; a Master of Biomedical Science from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, now Rowan University; and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from The College of New Jersey. Tarchichi is also currently completing his doctorate in educational leadership at Rowan University.

“I enjoy school,” explains Tarchichi. “As my dissertation comes to an end, I’m looking forward to the next program. I like to grow. I think if you’re in a profession, you should be the best.”

As for some initial thoughts on his plans for the Pennsauken School District, Tarchichi is looking to implement the academy model at the high school level, so that students – whatever their interest – can more adequately prepare for their future.

“Academies better the students,” says Tarchichi. “There are so many different things to major in college and students are confused when they’re in college. They don’t really know where they want to go. They also think the profession they’re going to choose is going to be lucrative and have a job waiting for them. They’re not pointed in the right direction. I think we have to start earlier and that’s how the academy model’s based. Eighth grade students will take an interest and pick academies based on what they want to do.”

There will be several academies set up in the high school. Examples include health science, engineering, career technical education, and fine arts.

“In the health science academy, you can break off into nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, medicine, physical therapy, etc.,” says Tarchichi. “It will also have a kinesiology and physical education component to tie in the athletics into the academics. We want the students who come here not just to learn; if they want to play a sport, we want them to not only do well in the sport, but be the best.”

To help facilitate the academy model, the high school will make the move to block scheduling for classes.

“It’ll allow students to take more mathematics, more sciences, allow them to really pick their profession,” explains Tarchichi. “It’ll take away the idea of taking frivolous electives and pinpoint them to take courses that will benefit them in their future.”

Tarchichi is also moving forward to create partnerships with both Camden County Community College and Rowan University to enable Pennsauken High School students to pay for college courses.

“Let’s say a student picks the health science academy in nursing,” explains Tarchichi. “They can then begin taking courses they’ll need for nursing at this level and take that into Camden County College, where they offer a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Rutgers University on campus. So they’ll start their collegiate education at Pennsauken High School and almost get an associate’s degree. The price per credit will be a lot cheaper than most schools, especially your four-year institutions. It’s going to be a tremendous savings on them and their families.”

But the focus isn’t just on college-bound students. Tarchichi also believes in the importance of offer vocational training as well. To that end, the Pennsauken School District is in the process of hiring an automotive teacher for shop.

“A student won’t have to spend $30,000 to learn automotive,” says Tarchichi. “If they go to our program in Pennsauken, they’re going to save themselves $30,000. They’ll learn engines; they’ll learn everything about cars. It’ll be huge for them. We’ll also offer CAD, culinary classes, things like that.

“There are students who aren’t interested in the four-year post secondary model. And we’ll offer that as well. We’re going to cater to every student in Pennsauken. I believe that every student is going to want to come here, because there’ll be something for them.”

Tarchichi also discussed the importance of fostering a safe environment for students to learn.

“You can’t learn in an environment you don’t feel safe in. I’m going to be taking a great look at the administrative model and identify a way to get administrators in every building,” explains Tarchichi. “I think that once you have a specific model where buildings have the correct amount of personnel, then we can concentrate on a no-nonsense, zero tolerance policy for students. Discipline will be district-focused. We won’t have students that are creating the issues we might have had in the past. I’m going to be on top of that.”

Tarchichi is excited to get started. And while he officially starts in July, he has already been a presence in the Pennsauken community.

“I will do my best,” says Tarchichi. “I don’t expect it to happen overnight, but I will work tirelessly to make sure that it does.

“I want to involve everybody. I want it to be a collective effort. I want Pennsauken to have a hand in it so that we become a district that everybody starts to take a look at.