The human heart pumps blood throughout the body. Its steady beat keeps our circulatory system functioning properly and supplies our tissues with the oxygen and nutrients we need to grow.
In many ways, the superintendent’s role is to be the heart of any school system. His or her steady beat keeps the district functioning properly and the student body in good health.
Dr. Joseph Meloche knows a little something about the importance of a steady heartbeat. Nearly two years ago, he underwent heart surgery. Meloche has since emerged with a fresh lease on life, and it’s his impressive heart that has earned him the title of New Jersey’s 2021 Superintendent of the Year by the New Jersey Association of School Administrators (NJASA). He is now a candidate for the National Superintendent of the Year Award by the American Association of School Administrators.
A Cherry Hill student himself, Meloche moved to town with his family in March, 1977. He attended Kingston Elementary School, John A. Carusi Middle School and Cherry Hill High School West.
He always knew he wanted to be a teacher, and upon graduating college, Meloche taught in the Willingboro and Maple Shade school districts. Becoming a superintendent wasn’t necessarily in the plan, but at one point, he was intrigued by the idea of becoming a principal and returned to graduate school before becoming a principal in Maple Shade.
From there, Meloche had the opportunity to come back to Cherry Hill and serve as principal at Kingston, a special chance given that his oldest daughter was a student there at the time. In total, he spent 13 years as a principal, the last seven at West.
Meloche later became director of curriculum and said his choice to be part of central administration came with sacrifices, including being further removed from daily work with students.
“There is pure joy in working with students,” he noted.
But Meloche decided the sacrifice was worth it because the new role allowed him to make a larger impact on the system. From there, he rose to assistant superintendent before stepping into the top role in August, 2015, the first alumnus to serve as Cherry Hill superintendent. When the position opened up, Meloche set his mind to it and decided it was something he wanted to do.
“I believed at the time — and I still do — that I had something to offer this community,” he said.
Meloche’s primary focus as superintendent has always been to empower students and their voices. He believes in a constant cycle of improvement, and even if not everyone in the community agrees, all voices deserve to be heard.
When the student voice said “Black Lives Matter,” Meloche listened, and as of September, 2021, all Cherry Hill students will be required to take an African American Studies course as part of their graduation requirements.
His most challenging time as superintendent has been in the last eight months, as the world deals with COVID and the uncertainty that comes with it. Meloche said throughout his last five years as superintendent, the most challenging times have been any time of crisis, whether people are experiencing trauma in their personal lives or as a community, such as in the aftermath of the Parkland school shooting in 2018.
The superintendent said many members of the Cherry Hill community have been forced to confront and live with racial disparity, so it’s been especially important to him to understand that pain, convey the trauma and lend support to students.
Conversely, the most fulfilling part of Meloche’s role has been nurturing and establishing relationships with students and families. He’s enjoyed watching students grow up and figure out who they are. Whether at school, the store or in church, he’s enjoyed seeing students past and present and knowing their story.
Meloche also said it’s been special to watch Cherry Hill become more diverse with each passing year, and to let families know they’re accepted and heard.
“It’s incredible to watch that happen and to know even in a small way that I’m part of welcoming families and advocating,” he said.
Meloche’s work as superintendent was temporarily put on hold nearly two years ago, when he underwent heart surgery in January of 2018 to replace damaged valves with mechanical ones. The experience brought him a lot of sleepless nights and hours of thought and reflection. But ultimately, it also gave him a fresh perspective.
The surgery shifted things into focus for Meloche and has since made him look differently at how he gets things done. He said if he has the choice to do something that will positively impact a child, that’s the option he’ll take every time.
“Every day I think about the things for which I am thankful and remember those,” he noted. “I can tell you it’s been enlightening as an experience.”
One of the things Meloche is most grateful for is the support of his wife and four daughters. His family has also made sacrifices for the job when it requires his time and attention, and he believes the five of them should also be recognized with the superintendent’s award given how they’ve enabled him to do the work each and every day.
Meloche said he’s honored to have earned the title of New Jersey’s 2021 Superintendent of the Year, but in his usual self-effacing way, he said it’s not his work that brought the title to the district.
“It gets to be my name and my image, ([but) I do think that it honestly is a reflection of all the great work that’s been going on here in Cherry Hill. It’s a collective (win).”
