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Students Heat Up the Competition During the Senior High’s Annual Food Truck Challenge

model of hand-drawn food truck
@etsdeagles Competition Heats Up During Annual Food Truck Challenge http://bit.ly/3XI1PTr #goeagles#exeter #exetertownshiphs #foodnetwork #foodtruck ♬ original sound Exeter Twnshp School District

If you happened to walk by Mrs. Courtney Preston’s Sports Nutrition and Foods & Nutrition classes last week, you may have thought that the Food Network was in town filming a competitive cooking class. Inside her bustling classroom, teams of students were busy cooking meals that fit the theme for imaginary food trucks they created–including a menu, location, slogan, logo and concept. Once teams finished cooking and plating their meals, they served a panel of 10 volunteer judges (e.g., hungry teachers who had a prep period/students who had a study hall) and explained what the concept of their food truck and how the meal fit their theme. As the judges dug into their meals, they evaluated each dish, making notes of what they liked (or disliked) with as much detail as Guy Fieri on an episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” 

As part of the competition, each team also researched government regulations and start-up costs for a food truck business in a specific geographical area and submitted a 3D model of their food trucks, complete with themed interiors that students in the Interior Design & the Home courses designed. They also completed a binder filled with the food truck’s menu, recipes and imagined employee uniforms that students in the Fashion Design & Merchandising courses created. At the end of the competition, teams were selected as winners for preparing the best dish; presentation; menu selection; truck design, logo and slogan; and best overall. 

This the sixth year that Mrs. Preston has offered the food truck competition in her classes, which she says is truly a cross-curricular experience involving students who are taking other Family & Consumer Science courses, as well as sometimes involving the Business & Marketing classes, too. “They really enjoy competing against each other, seeing the judges’ reactions and winning them over with their chosen recipes,” she said. 

To truly get a taste of the experience, please check out our video to see highlights from one of last week’s classes as they turned up the heat on the friendly competition!

Students Build their Brains by Building Legos

boys build a lego motorcycle
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Huddled around boxes of Legos and computers, Reiffton students were building their brains–as well as their coding and engineering skills–as they took part in the school’s Robotics club after school today. Thanks to a generous grant from the Exeter Community Education Foundation, who provided the Lego kits and accompanying computer programs, twenty Reiffton students were randomly chosen to be a part of the 10-week program that offers STEM-based after-school learning to interested students who volunteered to solve problems through building contraptions and coding small motors to make their Legos come to life. In one corner of the room, a team of girls designed a robotic hand that they had coded to open and close, gleefully holding up a bottle of hand sanitizer once they had figured out the correct code and configuration to make the Lego “fingers” move. In another group, a team of boys were designing a motorcycle-like car that could zoom along their desk.

To round out the club, other students were working on STEM-based learning projects, such as applying engineering principles to build a 3-foot high suspension bridge out of thin and bendy K’Nex sticks that was strong enough to hold a book when they placed it on top. Other students were huddled around a desk showing each other tips on how to use Scratch, an introductory visual-based coding-based program that allows them to create interactive stories, games and animations.

Despite all of the different projects going on in the classroom this afternoon, the students all shared the same energetic enthusiasm for tapping into their brains to solve problems–even after a full day of school. “This is awesome,” said Connor Funk as he was building his Lego set. “I love getting my energy out and showing what I’m building to my friends.” Leena Biratate agreed, and said that the club was helping her think about what she wanted to do when she grows up. “I think I want to be a software engineer,” she said as she plugged code into the computer, helping her team figure out how to make their Legos come to life. 

We are so grateful to the ECEF for funding this awesome after-school opportunity for our students, and look forward to seeing what amazing things they build and learn over the next 8 weeks! 

Principal Brown Recognized as a “Daily Point of Light”

two students stand with principal

From left: Saishree Mupparaju ‘22, Principal Brown and Karleigh Patton ‘21

On a day where we reflect upon the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. and celebrate those who work to create a more equal society, we’re so proud to announce that Exeter Township Junior High’s principal Mr. Alex Brown has been recognized nationally as a “Daily Point of Light” for his volunteerism and development of youth leadership in Berks County through his board advisory roles in VOiCEup Berks and Youth Volunteer Corps of Reading (YVCR). Through those organizations, he became involved in the founding of STAR (Stand Together Against Racism) during the summer of 2020, which started as a series of student-led Zoom meetings with concerned Berks teens [including former Exeter students, Karleigh Patton ‘21 (right) and Saishree Mupparaju ‘22 (left)]. Under the leadership of Mr. Brown and other board members, Ms. Patton, Ms. Mupparaju and other students in STAR quickly grew the organization beyond Berks and now have dozens of STAR affiliates around the United States and Canada that engage hundreds of people annually in initiatives and projects supporting racial equity.

As an educator, coach, administrator and volunteer leader, Mr. Brown has spent his entire career working with and listening to kids. Throughout that journey, he said he came to appreciate their “can-do-anything” mentality that allows them to tackle and achieve goals that adults sometimes don’t believe are possible. So when the founding student members of STAR saw an opportunity to expand their organization’s mission and messaging beyond Berks by creating a website, podcasts, social media challenges, documentaries and more, Mr. Brown knew they could be encouraged to take action and be successful with whatever they put their mind to. “Kids don’t see barriers; they don’t see obstacles. They say, ‘This is what we want to do, and that might be in our way, but we’re going to around it.’”

When you talk with Ms. Mupparaju and Ms. Patton they say that their leadership development is thanks to Mr. Brown’s belief that young people can be empowered to tackle difficult work and to dream the impossible. “He really shows us the sky’s the limit. He shows us that things we don’t think are possible are actually possible,” says Ms. Mupparaju, who is now a student at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Ms. Patton, who is now a student at Kutztown University, emphatically agreed, “Voices of youth tend to get shut down much more quickly. I think there’s a stigma that the youth voice doesn’t have the power to make true change, and Alex shut that down immediately by telling us we could absolutely make this happen, we could absolutely do this, and we’re going to do it together.”

Mr. Brown’s work as a youth volunteer leader was brought to the attention of the Points of Light organization by Ms. Christi Terefenko, who serves as the Executive Director of STAR and VOiCEup. In their leadership roles, they’ve engaged 594 youth in 6,279 hours of community service in and around Berks County. The “Daily Point of Light” is a national recognition and awards those who “act on their power to do good every day, using their hearts, hands and minds to help strengthen communities and solve persistent problems,” and is awarded by the Points of Light organization, which was founded by president, George H.W. Bush, and is an international non-profit that works to solve social problems through volunteerism. 

Junior High Spelling Bee Ends With a “Poppet”

spelling bee winners hold their certificates

The Junior High Spelling Bee ended with a “poppet” today as seventh grader Joey Peroni successfully conquered 13 rounds of spelling, winning the competition with the unusual word, which means "an endearingly sweet young girl or child" or "a small human often depicted in witchcraft or sorcery." (Although a homophone, this poppet is not the latest fidget fad that all of our elementary students love!) The competition quickly heated up in the final rounds as the five 7th and 8th graders challenged each other with their spelling prowess until Joey was left victorious.

Joey has been practicing for the competition since November with Mrs. Cheryl Larson, who advises and oversees both Reiffton's and the Junior High's Bees. When asked, he shyly admits he might have a natural knack for spelling, winning the Bee in third grade and coming in third in fourth grade at Lorane Elementary. Both of Joey's parents, Matt and Dena, agree: "He probably spells better than both of us," they said with a laugh.

Our congratulations to the other Bee participants, who include (from left to right):

  • Lena Bluestone,
  • Evey Manke
  • Joey Peroni
  • Danielle McLaughlin
  • Maya Paduret

Please help us wish the best of L-U-C-K to Joey as he goes on to compete in the 3rd Annual Diamond City Regional Spelling Bee in Wilkes-Barre in March. Our thanks, also, to all of this year's participants and our advisor, Mrs. Larson, for their time and dedication of upholding this national tradition here in Exeter!

 

Reiffton Spelling Bee Names a W-I-N-N-E-R

spelling bee winners hold their certificates
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Certainly no spelling SLOUCHES were on DISPLAY this afternoon at Reiffton as 5th and 6th grade CRONIES correctly spelled word after word in 27 INNINGS during this year’s Spelling Bee. After the PANDEMIC, you might think that students wouldn’t be DEVOURING spelling competitions, but these talented Reiffton students didn’t EBB their enthusiasm or JINX each other and BROACHED the Bee with WONDER and POTENTIAL as they LIMBERED through an hour of intense spelling competition.

In the end, all but one flew the COOP as he or she accidentally SWITCHEROOED a letter or made a DEVIATION in the correct spelling of his or her given word, leaving 6th grader Jonathan Torres the winner when he mentally SCRAWLED “ENAMEL” in his head and spelled it out loud correctly for the judges.

We wish all of Reiffton’s Spelling Bee participants an ENCOMPASSING congratulations! They are (from left to right):

  • Nora Larosse, runner-up
  • Chiamaka Okpokwu
  • Paden Karpew
  • Jonathan Torres, winner
  • Landon Putt
  • Drew Roth

Please also help us wish Jonathan the best as he hits the early APEX of his spelling career when he goes on to compete in the 3rd Annual Diamond City Regional Spelling Bee in Wilkes-Barre in March. 

Intern Spotlight: Sophie Johnson and the Reading Hospital

young adult stands in front of hospital

Internship Spotlight: Sophie Johnson, a senior, plans to attend a five-year college to become a physician assistant. She was looking for an internship where she had a great opportunity to become immersed in medicine and applied for a position at the Reading Hospital, which was a new opportunity for Exeter students this year. Courtney Powers, the Director of Community Engagement for the hospital, said that the internship provides experiences that allow students to take what they are learning in the classroom and observe and apply it to real-life situations in a professional healthcare setting. She also said the internship is highly competitive, accepting fewer than half of the students who apply. In addition to traditional medical roles, the hospital also offers internships for students who are interested in human resources, accounting, marketing, HVAC, law and in other non-medical careers. Ms. Powers also said that interns are also given the opportunity to participate in a number of workshops, including financial literacy, resume writing, interviewing skills and more. “Our hospital team members truly love engaging with students and providing these types of experiences for them,” she said. 

Q: Sophie, can you tell us a little bit about what you do at your internship?

A: Upon my arrival, I usually clock in using my badge and then I check in with my department supervisor to find out about my tasks for the day. Depending on whether or not she keeps me on pediatrics or sends me to R2E, which is our special care maternity floor, I complete a range of tasks from checking refrigerator temperatures, stocking supplies, answering call bells and phones, observing in patient rooms and shadowing nurses and doctors. I am currently working on a project of reorganizing our playroom, since it closed in previous years due to COVID-19. 

Q: Why did you select this as your internship?

A: I found out about my internship through my internship coordinator after applying to another medical internship a few days before. After applying to both, I ended up getting accepted into the one I am currently in. It all kind of happened at once because the internship just so happened to be a brand new opportunity for students from Exeter and other schools in the county; I am actually the first and only student from Exeter to participate in my current internship.

Q: Has this internship helped you decide your college/career goals?

A: With working alongside so many medical professionals each day, I have gotten the opportunity to talk to a variety of people, including medical students. I have received so much good advice, and after countless career conversations, I have decided that a physician assistant is the right path for me because it balances patient interaction with medical diagnoses. Being a social person, one of my favorite things is interacting with patients. A physician assistant allows me to have both that social interaction and a higher level of medical knowledge. I am soon getting the opportunity to shadow both a physician assistant and a nurse practitioner to become exposed to the tasks that each job entails. A nurse practitioner was my other career path option, so this is a perfect opportunity for me to solidify my thoughts and decisions. Also, working in pediatrics and special care maternity has helped me to decide that I love working with children as well as babies and their mothers, and that is something that I can see myself doing in the future within my medical profession.

Q: What have you liked most about your internship? What have you liked least?

A: No two days are the same at the hospital, making it part of the reason I love it so much. I am learning something new every single day. My favorite part of the internship is definitely meeting all of the different patients and shadowing the nurses and doctors during patient assessments and treatments. I have even gotten to hold babies, which has definitely been a favorite thing of mine. Everything I have done at the hospital has benefited me in some way, so I really can't think of anything that has been my "least favorite." Sure there are less exciting things such as answering phones and stocking supplies but those tasks have allowed me to gain better communication and organizational skills in which I value. I have also met so many nice people who treat me as one of their own. 

Q: Has anything surprised you about your internship? 

A: Yes, I would say the biggest surprise that came from this internship was the amount of opportunities I was presented with. Going in, I knew I was going to have opportunities, but definitely not this many. It honestly blows my mind how much I am able to do. I am doing things that I never imagined I would do at this age.

Q: Anything else you'd like to share?

A: I would like to note that I got very lucky in the aspect that my department manager happens to manage both the pediatrics and the special care maternity units. With that being said, I go back and forth between departments frequently and both teach me completely different things. So in a way, I am learning double because I have double the amount of opportunities through this advantage. 

Our deepest thanks to the Reading Hospital for offering this great opportunity to Exeter and other Berks students and for Ms. Powers and Sophie for sharing her great experience this semester! To learn more about hosting an Exeter intern or signing up for an internship in the 2023-24 school year, please reach out to Mr. Mark Ricketts at maricketts@nullexetersd.org.