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Jones ’77 named superintendent
Former Leopard football quarterback Mark T. Jones ’77 was recently named superintendent of Pennsville (N.J.) TownshipSchool District. He has been principal of PennsvilleMemorialHigh School since 2000.
A biology graduate, Jones ranks seventh in the Lafayette record books in career completions, with 233, and fifth in percentage career completions with 52 percent. He has 2,782 career passing yards.
As superintendent, Jones will assume control of a district with more than 2,000 students. A
graduate of the Pennsville schools, Jones rejoined the district in 1978 as a substitute teacher, then as a full-time teacher, then vice principal, and then principal.
Prior to teaching he had pursued a dream that began in high school: to play professional football, trying to make the New York Giants as a free agent. A knee
injury during his junior year at Lafayette gave Jones time to consider education as an alternative career to football. So, when the Giants’ coach told him “you’re
not good enough,” Jones had a back-up plan. He earned a
doctorate in education from WidenerUniversity in 1998.
At Pennsville, Jones was
considered an excellent teacher, one who “made things fun” for
his students. Jones, in turn, gave some of the credit to his Lafayette experience, which, he said,
“transcended all boundaries”
by bringing together people of quality from all backgrounds for the purpose of achievement.
“The team spirit existed in the classrooms, in the fraternities, and in athletics,” he says. “This spirit is indelible in my mind and has positively influenced my approach during my career as an educator and when working with parents and students. I am forever grateful to my classmates, teammates,
professors, and coaches at the ‘College on the Hill.’”