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Internship Spotlight: Sydney Burke & Abigail Rathman

Copy of internship spotlight (Instagram Post)

Sydney Burke & Abigail Rathman are seniors completing an internship at Celebration Villa of Exeter. Sydney is focusing on Nursing, while Abigail is focusing on Human Resources. Heather McCool, the Executive Director of Celebration Villa, says that the district's partnership with the assisted living facility has been advantageous to both organizations. "We have been so thankful for our relationship with Exeter... Two of our interns took positions with us and we couldn’t be more proud to have them as team members on board with us! This has also given our team the ability to learn how to mentor and lead others. Our company has a “Pathway to Promotion” program, and having students start with us through their internship is the perfect way for us to see the growth of people through this program. Thank you so much to Mr. Ricketts and ETSD for your partnership!"

Can you tell us a bit about what your plans are for after graduation? Have you selected a college and a major?
Sydney: After graduating I plan on attending college to study Nursing. I have my colleges narrowed down to three and hope to make a decision soon.

Abigail: I plan to attend a four-year at Bloomsburg University, with a plan to major in Business.

Can you tell us a bit about your internship? What does a typical day look like for you?
Sydney: A typical day would be to meet with Shirley, the Director of Nursing, and discuss the plan for the day. Usually I begin with taking vitals of residents and documenting the information to give to Shirley. In addition, I work with the residents on crafts, cooking or other activities. Finally, I have the opportunity daily to interview and talk with the residents to get to know them better.

Abigail: A typical day at Celebration Villa consists of me sitting at the front desk answering and transferring phone calls while I work on sorting through resident or potential applicant files. I often call applicants for over-the-phone interviews as our team is always-expanding and growing (especially with the introduction of the upcoming memory care unit)! While I work, I also greet anyone who walks in or leaves our facility in order to help create a warm, welcoming environment.

How did you select your internship? Did someone help you select it? Did you seek out the opportunity on your own? Were you asked to do the internship?
Sydney: Once I knew I wanted to study nursing, I knew an internship in this field would benefit me in college. I spoke with Mr. Ricketts who advised me about the opportunities on internships involving nursing, and the internship at Celebration Villa felt like the best fit.

Abigail: I found my HR internship through Mr. Ricketts’s internship website. I communicated my interest to Celebration Villa and traveled there for an interview. Afterward, they told me that they would love to have me join their team! I was also offered a job as a Dietary Aide, and have worked (in that capacity) since April 2023. My internship officially started in August of 2023, and I have enjoyed it every step of the way. I am so proud to be a part of the Celebration Villa family!

Do you think your internship is helping you feel more confident about your decision to go to college and pursue your major?
Sydney: Definitely! This opportunity to begin thinking about my future in nursing, and mentoring with the nurses made me realize the decision to go into nursing was the right one for me. Each day, as I get the chance to take on new responsibilities, I get more excited to enter the field of nursing.

Abigail: I think that my internship has affirmed my decision to pursue a business major in college. I have not yet decided if I want to go for Business Management or Marketing, but I have found that I really enjoy working in an office environment. I love conducting meetings and heading projects! I am unsure if I want to continue working in HR when I graduate because the hiring process can be monotonous, but I am definitely staying within the business world.

What do you like most about your internship? What do you like least?
Sydney: The part of the internship I like the most is the residents. I enjoy talking with them, doing activities and learning about their lives. The part I like the least is the limited interaction medically that I have; I look forward to being able to learn more as the internship progresses.

Abigail: My favorite part of my internship is completing employee satisfaction projects. I had the privilege to plan and host our staff's holiday party at the end of last year, which was a huge success! Just recently, my facility celebrated Caregiver Appreciation Week to spotlight all of our incredibly hardworking employees and the amazing work they do every single day. The residents of my facility and I created ‘Caregiver Survival Kit’ cards, and I decorated the break room bulletin board to help share the love! My least favorite part of my internship is reviewing applications on our hiring software. Sometimes I review and call applicants for days straight, which can become slightly tedious.

And finally, what would be your advice to a high school student who's thinking about Exeter's internship program?
Sydney: My advice is to definitely find a place and take the opportunity. This has been an amazing and eye-opening experience, and helped me solidify my decision to become a nurse.

Abigail: If you are someone who is considering the internship program, I would 100% go for it! I have learned and experienced so much in my time with Celebration Villa, and am always excited to show up to intern each day. Being able to have the opportunity to work in a real business setting has helped me gain more professionalism, improve my communication skills, and has made me more confident that I will be able to survive in the workforce.

Exeter’s Hills are Alive with the “Sound of Music”

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One of the most beloved musicals of all time will bring Exeter Township Senior High School's auditorium alive with the "Sound of Music" in March! Starring Alison Applegate (left) as Maria and Ryan Claudfelter as Captain Von Trapp (right), this year's Senior High School production will feature a talented cast of students from elementary through the high school to perform Rodgers & Hammerstein's inspirational true story, which earned five Tony Awards and five Oscars when it debuted on the stage and screen in the 1960s. Rounding out the multi-school ensemble are (from left, after Alison): Adam Crotty as Friedrich, Ella Mackey as Louisa, Gavin Isselmann as Kurt, Kaylen Reynolds as Brigitta, Summer Douglas as Marta and Scarlet Jordan as Gretl. (Not pictured is Zoe Banks as Liesl.)

Sure to be one of your favorite things, catch the "Sound of Music" on March 14th, 15th and 16th at 7PM and March 17th at 2PM before the cast says "So long, farewell." All tickets are $12 and can be reserved online at https://exeterhsmusical.seatyourself.biz/ or at the door before the performance. 

Exeter Seniors to Compete Nationally with Virtual Company

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Cody Morgan (left) and Braden McCraw (right)

Seniors Cody Morgan and Braden McCraw are headed to New York City in April to showcase their work with “Naturally Threaded,” a virtual sustainable, environmentally-friendly capsule-clothing company. The students manage the virtual company as COO and Co-CEO, respectively, with other students from area schools as part of their work in the Business Management and Entrepreneurship program at Berks Career and Technology Center’s (BCTC) West Campus. In this program, students do not actually create or sell any tangible products. Instead, they create immersive virtual enterprises by conducting market research and developing business plans and products. They then select different career roles in leadership, marketing, human resources, manufacturing and more to manage the day-to-day operations of their business. Once their virtual enterprise is established, they then compete against other students’ virtual enterprises in virtual economies as well as in local, regional and national events where they’re judged by business leaders and professionals to gain insight and feedback into their company's real-world feasibility and potential success.

Describing Naturally Threaded as a capsule closet concept where “your shirt or sweatshirt will never go out of style,” Braden said that the concept of the company is to provide environmentally-conscious clothing using sustainable manufacturing processes. “We’re fighting against fast fashion–like things from Shein or Amazon. (Our clothing) is a little bit more expensive, but it’s not made from plastic or polyester.” 

Cody said that the creation of the company really allowed him to tap into his love of the outdoors by exploring styles and manufacturing processes that are environmentally-friendly: “We want to save the environment while providing quality clothes.” To this extent, Braden said that the company’s newest focus is manufacturing with zero waste by taking manufacturing scraps and turning those into new products in a line called Rethreaded. “This has proven to be very successful in competition,” he said. During the most recent competition, which was the Virtual Enterprises International (VEI) regional event, Cody and Braden were required with their team to submit executive summaries and deliver a compelling ten-minute presentation to a judging panel of industry experts. They then engaged in a five-minute Q&A session, demonstrating their in-depth understanding of their respective business plans. Following the competition, which attracted participants from schools across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland, Naturally Threaded placed first, allowing their executive board of students to move onto the national competition in NYC in April. 

Although the virtual company doesn’t actually exist, the immersive experience of creating and running Naturally Threaded inspired them to pursue real-world goals: Both seniors now plan to pursue business degrees following graduation. Expressing their initial surprise at the “white collar” educational opportunities at BCTC, Cody laughed and admitted that he thought the center was just for “greasy gearheads who wanted to be mechanics–even though I love that stuff.” Braden agreed and recalled how his dad, who went to vo-tech and now holds a job as an engineer, really encouraged him to explore his options at BCTC. “Honestly, I wouldn’t have been able to do this if I didn’t go to Tech,” he said. “(My education and these competitions) allowed me to discover that I have a niche for marketing and sales.”

Congratulations to these Eagles and their teammates on this prestigious honor, and best wishes to them in the VEI national competition in April!

18 Eagles Commit to Collegiate Athletics on National Signing Day

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From left to right: Esteban Schodowski, Gavin Reiking, Lucas Newell, Slater Von Stetten, Jason Nester, Payton Wagner, Gavin Marr, Katelyn Stanley, Nigel Meekins, Natalie Schwenk, Riley Mack, Gabrielle Keith, Gaige Gabriel, Trent Jordan, Alex Kelsey, Edwell Gwitira and Miles Brant. (Not pictured: Zachary Zandier)

They're soon to be Nittany Lions, Flying Dutchmen,  Golden Wolves and more, but today, we celebrated these 18 seniors as Eagles as they signed their commitments to continue their athletic and academic careers at the collegiate level on National Signing Day.

Here's where these talented athletes will be playing next year:

  • Miles Brant - Widener University - Lacrosse 
  • Gaige Gabriel - Penn State University - Volleyball 
  • Edwell Gwitira - Arcadia University - Track and Field 
  • Trent Jordan - Penn State Berks -Cross Country
  • Gabrielle Keith - University of Pittsburgh - Cross Country, Track and Field 
  • Alex Kelsey - St. Joseph’s University - Baseball 
  • Riley Mack - Lebanon Valley College - Volleyball 
  • Gavin Marr - Dickinson College - Soccer 
  • Nigel Meekins - Millersville University - Football 
  • Lucas Newell - Lebanon Valley College - Cross Country, Track and Field
  • Jason Nester- Lebanon Valley College - Cross Country, Track and Field
  • Gavin Reiking - Thaddeus Steven College of Technology - Football  
  • Esteban Schodowski - Alvernia University - Cross Country, Track and Field
  • Natalie Schwenk - State College of Florida - Volleyball
  • Katelyn Stanley - Clarion University - Volleyball
  • Slater Von Stetten - Quinnipiac University - Cross Country 
  • Payton Wagner - California University of Pennsylvania - Swimming
  • Zachary Zandier - Coastal Carolina University - Football

Congratulations to them all!

Lorane Kindergarteners (Virtually) Meet Punxsutawney Phil

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Collectively, Lorane Kindergarteners let out squeals and sighs of delight as a big, furry rodent was projected onto Mrs. Firestone's Smartboard via Zoom. "He's so cute," erupted several of the kindergarteners all at once, to enthusiastic nods of agreement from their classmates, all of whom were wearing handcrafted hats they had colored with crayons earlier in the day.

Lorane Kindergarten, meet Punxsutawney Phil, a 138-year-old groundhog.

Or so legend says.

Cuddled up in his keeper's arms, Phil spent most of the Zoom session with Lorane (and more than 250 other schools) not realizing he was the center of attention as he slept through facts and folklore about him and his famous holiday, Groundhog Day. For instance, Phil, who is Pennsylvania's most famous groundhog, is a herbivore and loves to eat bananas most of all. He's about 10 pounds, and, if provoked, he will bite. He's "married" to another groundhog named Phyllis, and when he's not predicting how many weeks of winter we have left, he lives with her in a viewable burrow at the Punxsutawney Library where he can be visited year-round by patrons. His handlers, who are called the "Inner Circle" and wear top hats and tuxedos, delighted in sharing folklore with the students as much as facts, and shared that Phil's so-called 138-year longevity is possible because of a special elixir that's been handed down through the generations that he drinks at annual picnic. They also taught students the history of Groundhog Day, which started as a tradition from German settlers who had conducted a similar event in their homeland with hedgehogs at the halfway point of the winter solstice. When they came to Pennsylvania, they couldn't find a hedgehog, so a groundhog was the next best thing. Today, they claim that Phil has 100% accuracy with predicting whether we'll have six more weeks of winter or an early spring depending on whether or not he sees his shadow.

Inspired by Phil, kindergarteners then made their own prognostications in advance of tomorrow's big event at Gobbler's Knob in western Pennsylvania.

Their prediction? Count on an early spring!

Students Named as Commended Scholars

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Left to right: Jason Nester and Alex Nerney

We’re so proud to announce that Alex Nerney and Jason Nester were recognized as Commended Scholars in the National Merit Scholarship Program. Each year, approximately 1.3 million high school students take the PSAT, but only 2.6% of these students are named Commended Scholars based upon their exceptional performance on the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. 

Both seniors, Jason plans to attend Lebanon Valley College to study actuarial science and Alex Nerney plans to study chemical engineering at a college or university yet to be decided. Our warmest congratulations to both for this exceptional achievement!