As students return to Cinnaminson High School, Principal Ryan Gorman is looking forward to seeing the building come alive again while introducing changes designed to improve focus, attendance and academic success.
Gorman has served as principal since October 2018, but his connection to Cinnaminson stretches back more than two decades. He joined the district as a special-education teacher in 2004 and became assistant principal in July 2011.
His career in education began in 2000, with previous experience at Brookfield Academy and in the Willingboro school district.
While there are few major changes to Cinnaminson’s academic programming this year, students will encounter a significant difference when it comes to their phones.
The school is implementing a new cell-phone policy intended to create a distraction-free learning environment throughout the school day. Gorman sees the policy as a major shift in expectations for students and an opportunity to keep their attention focused on instruction and interaction with those around them.
Attendance will also receive increased attention.
Cinnaminson High School has revised its attendance policy to more closely align with surrounding districts by implementing a credit-recovery model. Students who exceed the permitted number of absences will be required to make up seat time in order to receive credit for a course.
The policy applies specifically to the high-school level, where attendance can directly affect whether a student earns course credit.
Beyond those changes, one of Gorman’s biggest priorities is making sure students receive the academic and personal support they need.
The high school is entering its second year of adaptive testing for the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment, with administrators focused on making sure the curriculum remains aligned with what students are expected to know.
The school also continues to encourage students to take advantage of College Acceleration Program and Advanced Placement courses that can provide college credit while they are still in high school.
Gorman noted that those opportunities can represent significant savings for families. Students may pay approximately $75 to $200 for college credit through those courses, compared with more than $1,200 for an equivalent course once they reach college.
Another major initiative this year is the implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, or MTSS.
The state-led approach has previously received significant attention at Cinnaminson’s K-8 schools and is now being expanded at the high-school level. Gorman’s background in special education has helped shape his approach to the program.
The goal is to make supports that have traditionally been associated with formal intervention plans available to a wider range of students.
That could mean providing remedial instruction, tutoring, organizational assistance or other “universal accommodations” before a student reaches the point of needing a formal Individualized Needs and Referral Service or 504 plan.
With approximately 895 students, Cinnaminson High School is large enough to provide a broad range of academic programs, athletics, clubs and activities while remaining small enough for students to be known personally by their teachers.
That balance is something Gorman believes distinguishes the school.
Cinnaminson also uses its “Smart Lunch” period to make extracurricular involvement more accessible. All students eat during the same designated period, allowing clubs and other activities to meet during the school day.
The approach is particularly beneficial for students whose after-school schedules are already filled with athletics or other commitments. A two- or three-season athlete, for example, can still participate in a club without having to choose between it and practice.
Activities can also develop in response to student interests throughout the year, giving students opportunities to explore something new or connect with classmates who share their interests.
For freshmen beginning their high-school experience, Gorman encourages that exploration.
His advice is to find something – whether athletics, the arts, an academic subject or another activity – that gives students a passion and helps connect them to their school.
He also encourages freshmen to focus less on surrounding themselves with a large group of people and more on developing one or two dependable friendships with people who genuinely have their best interests at heart.
And one of his simplest pieces of advice may also be among the most important: Show up.
Consistent, on-time attendance, Gorman stressed, provides the foundation students need for a successful high-school experience.
The school year also comes as the district focuses on a proposed referendum. Though Cinnaminson High School would not be its primary beneficiary, Gorman said the measure is important for the district’s K-8 buildings, where enrollment has created a need for additional space.
For Gorman, that reflects the broader K-12 identity that makes Cinnaminson distinctive.
The Pirate name and imagery are visible not only inside the schools but throughout the community, creating a shared identity from the time students enter the district until they graduate.
At the high school, that translates into what Gorman sees as the best of both worlds: the opportunities students might expect at a larger school combined with an environment personal enough that teachers know their students by name.
After the relative quiet of summer, Gorman is ready for those students to return and once again fill the halls.
It is that combination of personal connections, academic opportunities and Pirate pride that he hopes will set the tone for another successful year at Cinnaminson High School.
