Described by his superintendent as “a true student advocate,” Craig Reichl struck a balance between being the cool principal, while still being respected in his role as administrator.

Reichl’s second stint in Lehighton Area School District is coming to an end as he leaves his post as high school principal for East Stroudsburg School District, where he will lead J.T. Lambert Intermediate School.“It’s been a fantastic ride,” Reichl said Wednesday after he made the official announcement on social media. “To look at where the high school is now compared to five or six years ago, it’s a different environment and I put that on the staff and the students. Everyone bought in and it’s a great place to be. I have fun at work almost every day and how many jobs can you say that about.”Reichl had previously served as assistant principal in Lehighton until Nov. 30, 2011 when he resigned to become assistant principal at Colonial Academy in Wind Gap. He returned in September 2012 to become high school principal.Superintendent Jonathan Cleaver said Reichl always goes to bat for his students and it’s one of his greatest attributes as an administrator.“He refers to them as his kids and he treats them like that,” Cleaver said. “He takes the time to meet with them no matter the situation, He’s called on weekends and he’s met with them in the evenings. We’re going to miss him, but he’s left the high school headed in such a positive direction.”Under Reichl, the high school saw a rebirth of what many in the district call “Tribe Pride.” It’s a pride in the school that went far beyond the athletic field.“We extended that into the classroom,” Reichl said. “There are a lot of great things happening right now from the STEM lab coming in next year to the updated facilities. Everything we do is for the students and I think the staff there now has done and will continue to do that.”U.S. News and World Report named Lehighton one of America’s “best high schools” for 2017.Lehighton’s bronze rating places it in the top third of high schools in Pennsylvania and nationwide.“The high school has a solid faculty doing great work,” Reichl said. “I was just happy to be in a great situation leading a great school.”On Wednesday, Reichl tweeted, “my time at Lehighton High School has meant so much to me. I loved the school, the people, students and community but everything comes to an end.”Students quickly started responding.“I did not authorize this transaction,” tweeted Lucas Kovatch.“Craig Reichl leaving Lehighton is like when Yoda left Chewbacca in the Revenge of the Sith,” tweeted Cody Scherer.Reichl said his goal was to be fun, fair and consistent as a high school principal.“Kids make mistakes, but the goal is for them to learn from those mistakes,” he said. “High school is a learning experience. We had fun, but when it was time to get down and dirty, the kids respected that and knew what was expected from them.”When East Stroudsburg officially tabs Reichl for the position and Lehighton acts on his resignation, the process of naming his successor will begin.“We have a strong community here moving forward,” Cleaver said. “Craig left a great legacy, but we have great administrators here on staff and we’ll look to them for some ideas as we move forward.”