Cinnaminson High School is proud to introduce seven new staff members to its faculty. One of them is former Bordentown teacher, Colin Heminway, who said he is excited to be a part of the CHS family. When Heminway joined the CHS Social Studies Department this fall, he brought with him a love of history and a lot of school spirit. He will be teaching World History, Intro to Economics, and US History I. Heminway expressed his enthusiasm about joining the CHS family.
“I’m very happy to be at Cinnaminson. I’m not just saying that because they just hired me and you’re asking me in this interview, I think everyone’s super supportive here,” Heminway said. “I think the administration and all of the veteran teachers here are super helpful. I’m the new guy, and everyone is reaching out and trying to help and look out for me and all those things, which is great.”
One of the big things that Heminway said he recognizes about CHS is the work ethic shown throughout the student body. Heminway observed the students’ eagerness to learn and deep care for education, and most prominently, their sense of community.
“We have kids here who are second, third, and fourth-generation Cinnaminson residents. Their families have lived here forever. That’s a place I want to teach,” Heminway said. “This school is really, really nice. I hope to work here for the rest of my life. I really do.”
Heminway grew up in Hainesport, New Jersey, attending Rancocas Valley Regional High School and later received his bachelor’s degree in secondary education with a focus in social studies from Penn State University. When asked about his high school years, Heminway admitted he wasn’t the most focused student.
“Definitely, my first couple of years of high school, I was a dumb freshman boy. Super immature, played a lot of sports, but really didn’t care about school that much.”
However, Heminway changed things around in his later years of high school.
“Junior and senior year, I matured a little bit, got my priorities in line, did well in school, got really active in school events, and had a lot of school spirit. I finished high school way better than I started high school, for sure,” Heminway said.
After graduating from RV, Heminway attended Penn State University, where he began exploring what he wanted to do next.
“I decided to become a teacher partially because not a lot of other careers interested me.”
He originally planned to major in business, but quickly realized it wasn’t for him.
“I always had a passion for working with people and helping people,” Heminway noted. “Once I started to narrow my options, I realized teaching was the best fit.”
Heminway joked that picking which subject he wanted to teach wasn’t exactly a tough decision.
“I hate math, no disrespect. I don’t like reading fiction, so English is out. Science doesn’t make any sense in my brain, so process of elimination again, yeah, history. I liked history,” Heminway said.
Outside of the classroom, Heminway brings the same energy and dedication to athletics.
“I’ve coached cross country, I’ve coached basketball, and I’ve coached lacrosse,” Heminway said. “I’m currently coaching cross country here. I’m hoping to be coaching lacrosse in the spring with Mr. Angelini and Mr. Firmani. I hope to coach basketball here eventually.”
He added that while the boys’ basketball team doesn’t have any openings right now, he plans to apply when they do.
“I don’t know about the girls’ [basketball] program yet, if they have openings or not. I’m an all-year coach, so I’m a three-sport coach. I’ve got two sports down that I think I can coach here. I’m hoping to get a third one in the next few years or so,” Heminway said.
Adjusting to life as a Cinnaminson Pirate has been exciting, but also challenging for Heminway.
“Things are definitely different here – in a good way,” Heminway said. “I feel much more experienced than I did in my earlier years of teaching. I know how I want my class to run, and what I want to do every day.”
His most difficult challenge, however, has been remembering everyone’s name.
“I have a lot of students, and I know a lot of staff members here. I’m definitely overstimulated with all the names and faces. It’s going to take me another month to get fully adjusted,” Heminway said.
Heminway especially just wants to get a hold of the ground under him. He said he hopes to achieve a routine and be able to get into the swing of things, even when it comes to things like knowing his own schedule three weeks ahead of time, which Heminway admits, takes time.
Concerning his students, Heminway wants them to feel like they belong in a classroom that’s welcoming and healthy for everyone.
“I don’t expect people to care about what happened in Jamestown 400 years ago in Virginia, what I do hope is they gather some sort of idea of what it means to be a decent person,” Heminway said. “What does a democracy mean? How should countries run and interact with each other? What’s the value of understanding how the economy works? Why is money important?”
Heminway understands and sympathizes with his students’ understanding that it’s rough being a teenager in 2025, and he cares about their well-being.
“Just in general, do they show up to my class, and do they feel like they want to learn? Do they feel like people care about them? Do they feel like they have friends there and people that they can socialize with,” Heminway explained. “I would hope my classroom can serve as a place where people have a spot and have a place to be themselves.”
Though living in rival Delran with his wife, Heminway voiced his excitement about becoming part of life in Cinnaminson.
“I want to be active in the town,” Heminway said. “I coach three sports, so it’s difficult to juggle, but I want to show up to some sporting events. I want to make myself seen around here… I hope to teach here for a really long time, and I think in order to do that, I need to be fully immersed in Cinnaminson as a town, not just as a school.”
For him, being a Pirate means more than school spirit, it’s about caring for and being present in the school community.
“I come from RV, and I’m a third-generation RV student. That’s the type of school I want to be at, where there’s a lot of story and history, and people really care about this community,” Heminway said. “That’s what it means to be a Pirate. I want to be part of a place where people care about where they’re from.”
