New principal Dan Hemberger's vision reveals a bright future for Bridgewater-Raritan High School

Dan Hemberger has a vision—and he is thrilled to share in his new role as the principal of the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School.

Dan was appointed to his position on March 8 and will launch his first school year come September at what he proudly called “to be a part of a flagship school in a premier school district,”

Dan has arrived at the sprawling campus that stands on Garretson Road with a mindset that he is determined to put into place.

“I view myself as a consensus builder and I want to create unity and vision for our school,” Dan explained. “It is a skill set that I believe I have and I took this job because I felt that I would be successful.”

Success is featured all through his impressive resume.

Dan came to Bridgewater-Raritan from a local neighborhood—Manville.

He served in the Manville School District for the past five years, including the 2021-2022 school year when he held the role of Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction. The previous four years he served as the Manville High School Principal.

When Dan was appointed in March, Superintendent Bob Beers of the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, reported on the new hire’s impact during his stay in Manville.

According to Superintendent Beers, Dan spearheaded an effort to improve the school district’s academic programs. Under his guidance, Manville achieved a 200 percent increase in passing scores for the Advanced Placement exams and he also boosted more programs in STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics) and in the arts.

He also assisted in creating a partnership with Raritan Valley Community College and increased college scholarship offers for the Manville students. The result was prominent—Manville High School as a whole gained a top 25 percent ranking of all high schools in the country over the four years, in a report announced by U.S. News & world Report.

“Mr. Hemberger is an excellent educational leader with a proven record of success,” Superintendent Beers said.

Prior to his tenure in Manville, Dan served as Vice Principal at A.L. Johnson High School in Clark, was the Curriculum Director at Delaware Valley High School in Frenchtown and held the position of English Supervisor at Piscataway High School for two years.

A graduate of Hackettstown High School, he returned to his alma mater after he received his bachelor’s degree in English Literature from East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania and his master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Centenary University, which is located in Hackettstown.

 He instructed English for nine years at Hackettstown High where he coached the school’s wrestling team. Under his guidance, Hackettstown captured two state sectional tournament and two district tournament team championships. He also was the advisor of Hackettstown High’s literary magazine and its technology coach.

But there is more to his success. And that is his personality..

“His humanistic approach to students and families represents his biggest strength,’ Superintendent Beers said. “He is a kind and decent person, whose personal attributes will resonate with the Bridgewater-Raritan community in a positive way.  I am sure he will be able to lead our flagship school for years to come.” 

Dan and his wife, Melinda, and their two sons, Benjamin (age 20) and Will (age 18) reside in Hunterdon County’s Califon.