On Thursday, October 3, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Mr. Shropshire, the school principal, and he told us about his hopes and goals for the upcoming school year. With a little over a year under his belt as the WTMS Principal, we talked with him about the previous school year, and his vision for the future.
“I think last year was a big learning experience for me, personally. I was able to reflect, make adjustments, and develop more concise goals for the school. My goal is to make sure we are providing students with great opportunities and safe learning environments.”
With every school year comes changes and new opportunities, Mr Shropshire has made some new adjustments since completing his first year as our principal.
“One of the changes I made for the 2024-2025 school year was adjusting the bell schedule. This allows for more class time, and less down time and that has definitely supported us thus far. I have also really been focused on being present in the classrooms, supporting the teachers and helping the students.”
Everybody has goals, and Mr. Shropshire is no different. He touches on his long term goals for Winslow Township Middle School.
“My long term goals for WTMS are to add more programs that are student specific, and support what the students’ want to be a part of. Last year, our seventh graders made a 26 percent gain on the NJSLA testing. That, to me, is an accomplishment in itself.”
It definitely takes a lot of hard work and dedicated people to make WTMS successful. Without our teachers, where would we be?
“I love that our teachers are up and active. When you go into classrooms, you can see that everything is hands on. Mr. Watson has taken over our Robotics program, we have added a few more computer classes, and we have expanded the Journalism program so that the TV Production and Journalism classes can team up together.”
He also describes how he would like to get the parents more involved this year with the school.
“We are utilizing the Spirit Club and trying to create parent-centered activities. We want the parents to come in and see how successful their children are. We have a few activities that work with various groups in Sicklerville as well as the Teen Summit that was successful last year. I have met a lot of parents and they have offered some great perspectives on various things.”
Mr. Shropshire explains just how proud he is of WTMS.
“Winslow Township Middle School makes me proud everyday. When I come here and see my students and they shake my hand, I know I am making an impact. Seeing the students be successful in class and being comfortable enough to come up and talk with me about it, is one of the greatest things for me. This year’s promotional ceremony will be a special one for me. I have gotten to work with these kids for their entire time at WTMS. I can’t wait to watch them get awards, and celebrate all that they have achieved.”
We can’t wait to see all that Mr. Shropshire has in store for the 2024-2025 school year. The improvements are already starting to pay off!
