It’s a homecoming of sorts for David New, Seneca High School’s new principal.
He grew up in Tabernacle – right across the street from the high school – and attended Kenneth R. Olson Middle School.
As a longtime district employee, the parent of two Cherokee High School students, and the spouse of a Lenape High math teacher, New said he is “both honored and humbled to have the opportunity to serve the school and community that have always felt like home to me.”
Although this will be his first position at Seneca High, New has spent his entire career within the Lenape Regional High School District (LRHSD), serving the past 13 years as assistant principal of Cherokee High. He began his new role on Oct. 16.
Keven Meder is currently serving as assistant principal of Cherokee; he will also serve as athletic director in the new year.
New has the benefit of working closely with outgoing principal Brad Bauer, who remains in the district as its director of programs and planning.
Prior to his first move into school administration, New taught English at Lenape High for 12 years. That experience – combined with his tenure as assistant principal – have influenced his priorities as a school leader who wants to provide instructional leadership, operational management and data-informed decision-making to drive student achievement and overall school success.
“Throughout his career within the Lenape Regional High School District, David has reflected not only our commitment to excellence, but how we achieve excellence by working together,” said district Superintendent Matthew Webb.
“He certainly brings his own expertise to the table, but also demonstrates respect for and an openness to new ideas and practices to best serve our students.”
As Cherokee High’s assistant principal, New often reached beyond school walls to build partnerships benefiting both current and future students. As a leader of the school’s inclusivity initiatives, including the No Place for Hate program, he served as a liaison with community religious groups.
New also worked closely with Evesham Township middle-school principals to plan for students’ strong transitions into high school. To further support that, he coordinated Cherokee’s freshman orientation/Prepare to be a Chief program.
He assumed these responsibilities in addition to those as a supervisor of multiple academic departments and the school leader overseeing compliance with several federal, state and district policies.
At the district level, New has served since 2015 as the senior supervisor of English and the media center, during which he has overseen curriculum, staff development and instructional initiatives in these areas. He also strengthened the integration of media resources to support research and instructional technology and coordinated the Lenape district summer programming for English and math.
