Among the most recent rumors at Southern Lehigh is that assistant principal, Mr. Mark Covelle, has been hired for the same position he currently holds at one of our rival schools, Emmaus.

“The rumors are true,” Covelle said. “I will be leaving at the end of October and will be the assistant principal at Emmaus.”

Mr. Covelle has been at the Southern Lehigh High School for ten years, and has been the assistant principal for half of that time. During his first five years in the district, Mr. Covelle was an English teacher.

“I have had a great time here,” Covelle said. “We have such a talented student body and great professional teachers.”

Students have been guessing at many different reasons why Mr. Covelle would leave Southern Lehigh. Some far-fetched reasons include resigning or retiring, but none of them are true.

Mr. Covelle said he has superintendent eligibility and wants to pursue his goal into becoming a superintendent. In order to achieve this goal, he needs to build and verify his experience. He feels that the move to Emmaus, a larger school, will give him more professional opportunities in the future.

Many students believe that the absence of Mr. Covelle will make a huge impact on the school.

“Mr. Covelle has always kept everything running smoothly,” senior Amy Ramson said. “We all wish him the best at Emmaus.”

The teachers were surprised during the first week of school when Covelle announced his future departure.

Math teachers Mr. Matt Greenawald and Mr. Lou Skrapits, who have been teaching at Southern Lehigh for a combined 23 years, shared a similar reaction to to the news.

“It’s a tremendous loss,” Greenawald said. “He is a great leader.”

“It is disappointing,” Mr. Skrapits said. “He is so good for this school.”

Mr. Covelle plans to address the student body before he leaves in October.

There is no word yet on who the candidates will be for the assistant principal job, but the interviewing process will take place soon.

“It is definitely sad because we are losing such a great role model and a leader for this school,” senior Chase Asman said.

The student body thanks Mr. Covelle for everything he has done for Southern Lehigh and wishes him the best of luck in the future.