The new school year brings a new teacher to the history department, Nicholas Ruggerie.

Ruggerie was previously a student teacher here last semester while finishing his senior year at York College of Pennsylvania. His mentor teacher, Teri Marlowe, commented on his performance in student teaching, “There is a reason we hired him. He is confident in his teaching and exemplifies strong bonding skills with his students.”

Ruggerie appreciates the department’s support and encouragement. He says, “(It) makes it incredibly easy to transition from student teaching to teaching.”

Along with teaching, Ruggerie looks forward to getting involved in different clubs and sports. “I played baseball throughout my life, so perhaps transitioning to some sort of coaching position could be on the horizon.”

Ruggerie is a 2020 alum of Spring Grove, and throughout his high school experience, many teachers inspired him and kindled his love for going to school every day. Ruggerie says, “I hope to inspire current and future students as my teachers did for me. I enjoy being able to interact with the students and create a positive learning environment that can help my students grow as learners and individuals.”

Ruggerie understands that high school can be stressful but can fly by. “High school was quick for me, especially with being involved in baseball and multiple AP classes. However, making friends and learning new things made me enjoy high school.”

Ruggerie looks forward to supporting his students in his first year in the classroom. “My goals for my first year are to build positive relationships with the students and implement a variety of different methods of instruction that can help out an array of differences.”

Ruggerie will be filling the shoes of former history teacher Douglas Hoover.