Mr. Joseph Grucella: English Teacher

Rebecca Grum, Lily Ingraham, and Christian Meyle • November 24, 2025

Mr. Grucella joins Southern Lehigh faculty, teaching 9th, 10th, and 12th grade English.

This year, Southern Lehigh welcomed a new member to the English department, Mr. Joseph Grucella, replacing Mr. Jeff Hershey, who retired in June. Residing in room 181, he teaches English 9, English 12, and Applied English 10.

Mr. Grucella attended Penn State University, originally majoring in Marketing, but then made the switch to Secondary English Education.

“[Becoming a teacher] was something that I always had interest in doing, but was unsure if I would like [it],” he said, “so, I decided to take a risk with it!”

Mr. Grucella began his first year of teaching at Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia, but decided it wasn’t the right place for him, as he felt the environment wasn’t a good fit.

“I decided to apply for a job at Southern Lehigh,” he said. “It seemed like a great school with a student body that was very passionate about their school.”

After spending a few months at Southern Lehigh, Mr. Grucella said he has come to enjoy teaching at the high school.

“I like it here,” he said. “The people here are friendly, the students do their work, and there’s a lot of spirit.”

This year, he plans to get involved in the school and stay organized.

When Mr. Grucella was in high school, he ran cross country and played basketball briefly, and he still enjoys playing basketball now. In his free time, he also enjoys reading, watching movies, and watching sports.

About the Contributors

Rebecca Grum, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Sophomore Rebecca Grum is a second-year staff reporter for The Spotlight. Rebecca is passionate about writing, with hopes to major in political science in college and have a future in journalism. At Southern Lehigh, she is an active member of Aveidum and Teen Counseling. She participated in ice hockey for seven years before recently taking a step back due to a change in her interests. Outside of school, Rebecca enjoys listening to music, baking, and watching TV. Her favorite shows include Gilmore Girls, The Summer I Turned Pretty, and Gossip Girl. During her time writing for The Spotlight, she learned that it is important to approach and talk to new people, especially when it comes to interviews. Rebecca’s favorite part of working on the newspaper is interviewing new people because she gets the chance to improve her writing and people skills.

Lily Ingraham, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Sophomore Lily Ingraham is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Spotlight. She has been participating in the Spotlight since her freshman year by writing articles once a month. Outside of the Spotlight, she is involved in Habitat for Humanity and varsity club. As an active member in Southern Lehigh athletics, she plays field hockey, swims, and spring track. When she’s not at practice, Lily enjoys babysitting and baking while spending time with her dog, Maggie. After high school, she plans on attending college to eventually become a pilot.

Christian Meyle, Staff Reporter

Freshman Christian Meyle is a first-year staff reporter. Outside of school, he likes to play the guitar, and has been playing for three years. In the future, Christian would like to attend LCTI and possibly pursue welding to attain a successful career.