The values his father instilled in him that day followed him throughout his educational career and into his current role as interim superintendent.
There are moments that change the trajectory of our lives and shape us into the people we are today, and Haddonfield Interim Schools Superintendent David Lindenmuth still recalls when that very instant occured for him. At 8 years old, Lindenmuth’s dreams of playing football were on the verge of being shattered when he revealed to his father a “C” report card.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Lindenmuth said.
With disappointment in his eyes, his father gave him an ultimatum, to either improve his grades or never play football again. Every day after, Lindenmuth made a point to go the extra mile and bring home grades that would make his father proud.
“It wasn’t because a ‘C’ was bad, it was because he knew I didn’t work for it,” Lindenmuth added.
The values his father instilled in him that day followed him throughout his educational career and into his current role as interim superintendent. Lindenmuth went on to attend West Chester University where he played tight end, graduating with an education in mathematics degree with honors.
Fulfilling his dreams of playing football, Lindenmuth coached college football at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania and Monmouth University in New Jersey. Despite getting offers to play football in Germany and Sweden, Lindenmuth turned them down to begin his professional career working with young adults.
Lindenmuth went to coach high school football at Salem High School where he would discover his passion for helping kids achieve their highest potential.
“One of my players came in pretty upset because his guidance counselor told him he was wasting his time applying for college because he was never going to amount to anything,” Lindenmuth said.
After discovering one of his players was discouraged from attending college, Lindenmuth was determined to spend the rest of his educational career encouraging students and turning their obstacles into opportunities and help them go to college.
“My big thing was always giving kids an opportunity,” Lindenmuth said.
Eventually, Lindenmuth went on to get his master’s degree at Wilmington College School in counseling to become a guidance counselor. He also went on to obtain a master’s of education degree in school leadership, and at the University of the Cumberlands he received his doctorate in educational leadership.
Lindenmuth’s experience as superintendent for Palmyra School District and Oldmans Township Schools, as well as superintendent of the Clayton School District for four years, has prepared him for his role as interim superintendent in Haddonfield.
“We had excellent candidates to choose from,” Board President Adam Sangillo said. “Dr. Lindenmuth had specialites which we felt best mapped the immediate needs of the district. He has an impressive resume which demonstrates leadership and integrity in his dealings.”
During his time as interim superintendent, which will be over six months, Lindenmuth intends to focus on improving technology and communication. By increasing the communication between schools and the public, it will foster a culture of transparency for the permanent superintendent.
“We are small enough so that everyone should be working together,” Lindenmuth said.
He intends to utilize some of the lessons he has learned throughout his journey in his temporary role, including making students a priority.
“I have learned to always be willing to do a little extra to help kids. Sometimes people get stuck on this is the basic way we do things, this is the minimum, and you kind of have to go above and beyond to help kids out. Because they need it. They deserve it,” Lindenmuth said.
“We have great kids and a great staff that are willing to go above and beyond … and the board, too, they deserve a lot of credit on a lot of the stuff they have done already.”
When leaving his role as interim superintendent, Lindenmuth plans to spend more time with his wife and six children while focusing on equity work with districts and leadership work with district administration teams.
“David is a strong leader with the vision, aptitude and disposition to make some of the hard decisions to effectively prepare our district for the permanent superintendent,” Sangillo said.
