TOWAMENCIN- Walking into North Penn High School this year, one would, as usual in a new school year, notice that there have been many changes. Whether new to North Penn or not, seeing a friendly face in the halls will always brighten one’s day. Mrs. Katie Grunmeier, the new swimming and health teacher who takes over the swim classes from Ms. Selma Robinson after her retirement, never fails to pass a student in the halls without a smile.  Her infectious laugh and good sense of humor, along with her eager and dedicated personality makes her a great asset to the Health and Phys-Ed department. Although new to North Penn High School as a teacher, Mrs. Grunmeier is very familiar with the aspects of the pool. While a rookie in the high school teaching ranks she is a veteran in the high school coaching ranks.

“I believe this is my twelfth year coaching.  I have been coaching with Mr. Bartle for eleven years and with Miss Young during my first year,” said Grunmeier.

Mrs. Grunmeier, or as some may know her as Miss Plewinski (referring to her maiden name with which she began her North Penn career), transferred over from Penndale after being a health and physical education teacher for eight years.  She has been coaching swimming and water polo for many years, but also played club water polo when she attended West Chester.  She graduated with a degree in Kinesiology and played lacrosse for the Rams. Grunmeier is also an alumnus of Hatfield Elementary, Pennfield Middle School and North Penn High School.  Accustomed to the North Penn School District, Grunmeier knew she wanted to come back to North Penn to teach and coach.

“I love seeing our team start in August and progress to the end. I really love when people think our team is awful and we surprise everyone at the end and we beat everybody. I really like seeing the kids growing throughout the season, not just as athletes, but also their personality and them as people. When kids come in as freshmen and they leave as seniors, they’re totally different. All the experiences we go through are great, ” reflected Grunmeier.

Grunmeier knew that coming into this position, a swimming class is completely different than a gym class at Penndale.  Teaching students how to swim breast stroke and dive is certainly vastly different than teaching students how to pace themselves during the mile run or the pacer test.

“I know from previous experiences that when you get a kid that can’t swim or is terrified to even get in the pool, and by the end of the year you can see them progressing and actually swimming and being able to swim across the pool; it is an awesome thing to see. It’s really fulfilling. I am looking forward to it. When I was at Penndale, it’s the same thing with kids who were terrified to do the mile and then they progressed and they can ultimately jog all four laps,” Grunmeier said.

In addition to her many years of teaching and coaching, she also student taught with the beloved “Ms. Rob.” Unlike other new teachers, Grunmeier had an idea of the curriculum, the expectations, and duties she had to accomplish when taking over Robinson’s position.

“I have big shoes to fill. I’m really excited, definitely different in the learning process, but everyone will help me out,” said Grunmeier.  Many Penndale alumni, swimming and water polo players were ecstatic to find out that Grunmeier was a new teacher at North Penn HS.

“I’ve known Mrs. Grunmeier since she was my homeroom and gym teacher five years ago in seventh grade. She got me interested in the sport of water polo and has been my coach ever since then.  She never fails to make everyone laugh and she’s such an energetic and fun person to be around,” said Stephanie Galetta, senior swimmer and water polo player at North Penn.

Mrs. Grunmeier is excited about the water polo season starting, but more importantly, she is excited to dive into her new journey as Mrs. Grunmeier: The Swimming Teacher.