Middle Township High School Names Instructor for Navy National Defense Cadet Corps

COURT HOUSE – Middle Township High School has appointed Lt. Cmdr. Susan J. Blood to lead its new Navy National Defense Cadet Corps (NNDCC) as Naval Cadet Instructor.  
According to a release, “We are thrilled to have Lt. Cmdr. Blood lead this new initiative,” stated Superintendent David J. Salvo, Ed.D. “We’re confident that with her experience and passion, she’ll not only complement our program, but she’ll provide exceptional leadership and guidance to our students.” 
Blood served in the Coast Guard for 14 years. During her years of service, she taught chemistry at the Coast Guard Academy and served as a company officer leading and mentoring cadets.
Blood left the Coast Guard with an honorable discharge in 2006 and decided to pursue a career in teaching. Her most recent role was as a science and math teacher at Middle Township Middle School.  
Of her new role as NNDCC Instructor, Blood stated, “I’m very excited to serve in this role as it draws from both my military and teaching experiences. This curriculum will be completely new for most of the students, but they’re eager to learn. I’m looking forward to watching their confidence grow and transform throughout the school year.”  
Beginning in September, Blood will welcome the first students accepted into Middle Township High School’s NNDCC unit – one of only 300 approved by the Naval Service Training Command of the Department of the Navy.  
Under her leadership, students will receive a foundation that is challenging academically and provides them with the skills to become successful, active citizens.
The program will instill students with the values of citizenship, service to the United States, personal responsibility, and sense of accomplishment.
Additionally, cadets also will receive an introduction to navigation, nautical astronomy, oceanography and electronics including shipboard radar, sonar, and guidance systems.” 
“It is such an honor to have Lt. Cmdr. Blood at the helm of this program,” stated Toni Lehman, Ed.D., director of Curriculum and Instruction for the district. “Her enthusiasm for this particular curriculum coupled with her extensive experience working with, counseling, and mentoring cadets, made her the ideal choice for who we wanted to lead our first class.” 
Blood graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Science.
She served as an engineer onboard a 210-foot Coast Guard cutter in Southern California and provided engineering support to 30 patrol boats on the West Coast.
She earned her master’s in chemistry at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and spent two years teaching chemistry at the Coast Guard Academy.
Her last tour was at USCG Training Center Cape May where she served as chief of the Military Indoctrination Branch for recruit training.
After leaving the Coast Guard, she taught chemistry at Cumberland Regional High School and then began teaching math and science at Middle Township Middle School.