Joseph DeJulius arrived at Lenape High School in 2012, where he taught business education for the first four years of his tenure before taking on the role of an administrator.
Assistant principal DeJulius credits other staffers for award
Joseph DeJulius has been the assistant principal at Lenape High School since 2016, maintaining ties to the county where he attended high school.
Despite being an alumnus of Lenape rival Cherokee High, DeJulius has cherished the opportunity to continue his professional career nearby and guide Lenape to re-accreditation. As a result, he earned the Henry G. Cram Accreditation Leadership Award earlier this year for his work from the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools.
“I was very happy for our school community,” he said of the award. “So many people contributed to the re-accreditation process, especially internal coordinators Megan Correia and Joseph Porco. Our office manager, Wendy Botterbrodt, was also a great help.
“I am honored that the Middle States Association recognized all of our hard work.”
Re-accreditation for Lenape – a school certified by the association since 1963 – challenged the assistant principal and other Lenape administrators to “strengthen programs, develop strategic plans and grow to meet the evolving needs of students,” DeJulius explained.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in business, computer, and information technology education from Temple University in Philadelphia and a master’s degree in educational administration from Rider University in Lawrenceville.
DeJulius arrived at Lenape in 2012, where he taught business education for the first four years of his tenure before taking on the role of an administrator. Before that, he was a teacher at Eastampton Community School. Along with being responsible for Lenape’s accreditation, DeJulius oversees business and technology education and the high school’s JROTC.
Having finished his 11th year at Lenape, DeJulius described it as a whirlwind, and said his award is a byproduct of what the school has accomplished in recent years.
“The relationships I have built with students, parents, staff, and community members, the people … everyone cares and tries every day,” he noted of a career shaped by his peers in the Lenape district and the Medford, Marlton and Burlington County areas.
While DeJulius said the work done so far at the school “has been great,” there are jobs ahead.
“By meeting the research-based performance standards defined by the Middle States Association, I know that we can continue to foster a learning community that stresses innovation and problem solving,” he remarked.
“I love being able to give back to a district that has given so much to me.”
The award DeJulius won is named for Cram, who retired from the association in 2019 after serving as its president for nearly 14 years. It honors unsung heroes who devote countless hours and energy to the accreditation process.
Recipients are chosen because they have strong belief in and deep understanding of the accreditation process and a track record of creating and maintaining a school culture focused on continuous school improvement.
