Dr. Anthony Vladu is the newly appointed superintendent of Gloucester County Public Schools. With over 23 years of experience in education, Dr. Vladu is dedicated to collaborating with students and creating a good school environment.
Growing up, school was tough for Dr. Vladu.“A C or a D was the best grade I could get; I had to work for that because I didn’t speak English,” Vladu said. After finishing high school, Dr. Vladu entered the army, not only because he believed he didn’t have the grades for college but also because of a lack of funds. After leaving the military, he used his GI Bill, a financial aid the military gives to pay for college in return for service, to get a master’s degree in education. “For me, it was never a master plan,” Vladu said speaking on his plan to be an administrator. “I tried to be the best teacher I could be, and then I said, ‘Okay, what’s next?’” After years of teaching, Dr. Vladu went back to William & Mary and received his certification to become an assistant principal in York County. He continued to do great work throughout the years, incorporating student, faculty, and parent voices to improve the school system as much as possible.
Being a student who struggled throughout school, Dr. Vladu has a personal outlook on students who may be struggling personally or academically. “I think that students that struggle a lot sometimes have a strength others don’t… I’ve found that you learn more from failure in life than you ever learn from success. So yes, I’m a big champion of students.” He said with enthusiastic support for students. Dr. Vladu shared personal stories from his time as a student, including how being on the basketball team, in school plays, and in general having a support system at school helped lead him down this path. Despite his struggles, support from his school kept his spirit alive; and that’s what he wants to do for every student in Gloucester. In Dr. Vladu’s opinion “it’s all about responsibility”, many students have questions about school policies regarding things like cell phones and dress codes. He believes that there’s a lesson to be learned in having the responsibility of putting your phone away when it’s time to learn, saying, “There’s a great lesson in that; it’s something we do as adults.” Vladu prefers to judge things on a case-by-case basis.
Something Dr. Vladu intends to incorporate into the school is student advisory, but not in the way we’re used to. “We need to be able to hear from students,” Vladu said, “and the best way to do that is to have students meet with their administrators and give them direct feedback.” This means that every so often, students will be able to meet with their principals to discuss important issues.
As Dr. Vladu takes on his role of superintendent, he feels “humbled and grateful” for the opportunity: “My message to the community is: thank you for the trust, and the confidence that you’ve placed in me and I look forward to listening to everyone about what they believe good schooling should be.” he said.
Overall, I have found that in my time talking to Dr. Vladu, he is genuinely passionate about making school a place full of support where students have a voice, as well as staff and administrators. . He stressed the importance of community and I believe Dr. Vladu will continue to do amazing things for our schools.
