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Exeter Graduate Opens Motorsports and eSports Company and backs College eSports iRacing Team

esports duo_0

Joshua D. Young (at left), coordinator of esports, and Penn College alumnus Dylan C. Godinez swap mementos. Young gifted Godinez a Penn College esports jersey, and the alumnus presented Young with a sign to be showcased in the Wildcat Den, the esports team’s competition area, located on the second floor of The Madigan Library.

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s esports program welcomed an addition to its Wildcat Den over winter break, thanks to an alumnus. Dylan C. Godinez, a 2022 engineering design technology graduate and a 2018 Exeter graduate, donated a sign to the team’s competition area, located on the second floor of The Madigan Library.

The aluminum sign, consisting of the letters “D” and “G,” represent Godinez’s company, DG Motorsports, and his backing of the Penn College team. Based in North Carolina, DG Motorsports offers CAD services, track pit crew support and sim racing coaching.

“This is another milestone in the growth of the Penn College program,” said Joshua D. Young, coordinator of esports. “Dylan is going to work specifically with our iRacing drivers. He will help coach by practicing with them, creating car setups, analyzing telemetry from practice and spotting during races.”

As an alumnus, Godinez has competed for Penn College in the Collegiate iRacing League. He has also recruited current Penn College student Zachary A. Tallman, of Lewisburg, and recent graduates Austin M. DeLong and Michael A. Sydor III to join his DG Motorsports iRacing truck team.

In addition to operating DG Motorsports, Godinez is a design/metrology engineer for Front Row Motorsports, a NASCAR Cup Series and Truck Series team.

“Dylan took the knowledge gained at Penn College to enter a very competitive industry, NASCAR,” Young said. “His love for the sport and Penn College shows through his willingness to dedicate his time and knowledge to make our sim racing team excel. I’m truly grateful to have his support and skill to grow the iRacing part of the esports program.”

Formed five years ago with 14 students, the college’s esports team now has over 40 competitors in six titles: iRacing, League of Legends, Rocket League, Valorant, Overwatch 2 and Counter Strike 2.

The sign, representing the company DG Motorsports, will stand out in the Wildcat Den.

Economic Principles Come to Life in Hands-On Activities

student play and discuss strategies over a board game
student play and discuss strategies over a board game
student play and discuss strategies over a board game
student play and discuss strategies over a board game
student play and discuss strategies over a board game

Students in Honors Economics rolled dice, flipped cards and moved handmade tokens around game boards in class yesterday. While it may have seemed that they were taking a day off of studying to relax, hang out and play games, the seriousness throughout the room implied that there was actually important schoolwork to do. At each table, students debuted weeks’ worth of work as they unveiled a newly-invented board game that they created and introduced it to their classmates who were there to play–and critique–each game’s playability, design and instruction clarity to determine its potential success on the market. That latter part of the project is a key element of how teacher, Mr. Brett Witmer, approaches the multitude of group projects and hands-on work that students complete in Honors Economics where students also create sneaker ideas, design t-shirts for a mock fundraiser and go through a simulated version of “Survivor” to bring economic principles to life in a very real, relatable and hands-on way.

“I’ve had some fantastic professors in economics who really knew their stuff, but didn’t know how to convey it or make it relatable. A crux of the success of students in this course is giving them a chance to practice and apply the skills they’re learning,” said Mr. Witmer. As students learn the foundations of economics, the projects they simultaneously work on allow them to apply those concepts and principles to real-world business situations, such as the t-shirt fundraiser where students determined a selling price based upon supply and demand analyses, competition and other economic factors that would allow them to be successful to reach a fundraising goal. When projects are completed, students present them to other students, who then serve as focus groups to determine the potential success–or failure–of their ideas.

As they started to relax as they learned how to play each other’s games while taking careful notes on how to improve them, students seemed to agree on their appreciation of the hands-on learning style that brings to life a subject that could be dry and boring. “The class has really allowed us to be surprisingly creative,” said senior Cody Manning. Senior Luke Zawilla agreed and quickly added, “While also teaching us factors behind why prices rise, or how businesses run, or people’s thought processes on buying things... It’s been a really cool learning experience.”

Cursive Makes a Comeback at Exeter

Jacksonwald students in Mrs. Stacia Miller’s third grade class “juggled” pencils yesterday as they wrote in a “jiffy” and “judged” the quality of their “juicy” cursive words starting with the letter “j.” Here, as well as throughout all 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grades in Exeter, teaching cursive handwriting has returned to these classroom curriculums with fresh and modernized resources that teachers say bring more learning and teaching enjoyment for students and teachers alike. “Handwriting and an emphasis on teaching it was becoming a lost art with so many digital devices being introduced into the classroom and modern-day society,” said Superintendent Dr. Christy Haller. “But as more and more research comes out that reinforces that carefully writing things by hand rather than typing them is essential for brain development, learning and retention, we decided that this was an essential part of the curriculum and should be reintroduced to our students with a new and aligned curriculum in third through sixth grade.”

“This isn’t just about having a pretty signature,” says Mrs. Becky Bush, who helps select and oversee K-6 curriculum in Exeter. “Teaching cursive contributes to students’ overall cognitive development and helps them improve their reading, writing and spelling.” The results of that research are coming to life in Mrs. Miller’s classroom. “The connection between fine motor practice, which is heavily relied on during cursive formation, and the retention of content is awesome to see in my class,” she said. Plus, she said students just really enjoy learning it. “The students love our cursive time! It is engaging and gives them a sense of ownership over a completely new way of writing.”

As students in third-sixth grade now take some time out of their day to learn how to shape letters, many are doing so with enthusiasm for learning how to write carefully. “I really like how it forces me to be neat,” said sixth grader, Eden Hodges. “Me too. It’s also organized, and as an organized person, I like that,” said Lizzie Davis, also a sixth grader, both of whom are in Mrs. Gross’ homeroom at Reiffton. In Mrs. Miller’s class, Emma Greenhalgh proudly held up a notebook showing off her penmanship as she grinned and confessed that learning to write a “j” was fun, but her favorite letter to write in cursive so far was an “f”--a grade we’re sure she won’t receive based upon her neat penmanship.

Exeter Inducts 3 into Academic Hall of Fame and 84 into National Honor Society

four people stand with plaques in high school auditorium

The inductees of the 2024 Academic Hall of Fame are (left to right): Lauren Unger Fisher '00 (award accepted on her behalf by her parents); Daniel Hemberger '03, and Nicholas Corbo.

students light candles for national honor society

The Exeter Township School District celebrated the achievements of students as 84 juniors and seniors were inducted into the Claude W. Dundore chapter of the National Honor Society and three notable alumni, educators or community members were inducted into the Exeter Alumni Association’s Academic Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 22, 2024 at 2PM in the Exeter Township Senior High’s auditorium. Inducted into the Academic Hall of Fame were Daniel A. Hemberger, Nicholas J. Corbo and Lauren C. Unger Fisher. Inductees are chosen for their contributions to society and their impact and credit they've brought to the Exeter Township School District through their achievements, volunteerism and/or work.

Hemberger graduated from Exeter Township Senior School in 2003, subsequently earning a B.A. in physics from Oberlin College and a Ph.D. in astronomy from Cornell University. While attending Exeter, Hemberger discovered his lifelong passion for physics as a senior. In his research, Hemberger studied Einstein's theory of general relativity, black holes and pulsars. While a postdoctoral scholar at California Institute of Technology, his supercomputer simulations of black hole collisions aided the first detection of gravitational waves by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in 2015. Hemberger is currently employed as technologist by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he has worked since 2018.

Corbo professionally worked in education for 40 years, last serving as the superintendent of the Exeter Township School District. He began his career as a chemistry teacher in York County, where he held various administrative positions, including superintendent of the South Eastern School District, until he moved to Exeter’s superintendency in 1998. While at Exeter, Corbo oversaw the expansion of the high school and the construction of Reiffton School. Near his retirement in 2007, Corbo helped establish the Exeter Community Education Foundation (ECEF) to help support students, teachers and educational initiatives that the district’s budget is unable to fund. He serves as an emeritus trustee as he continues to support the Foundation.

Unger Fisher graduated from Exeter Township Senior High School in 2000 and went on to graduate with honors from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.A. in Political Science and Government. Following her graduation from Pitt, she worked as an NBC Page for the “Nightly News with Brian Williams” and as an award-winning reporter/anchor in televised news in Michigan, Louisiana, New Jersey and Germany. Since 2011, she has worked in executive communications for the international humanitarian organization World Vision USA to raise the public's attention to the plight of children in crises around the world.

The Academic Hall of Fame began in 2005 as a project of the Exeter Community Education Foundation and typically selects four to six inductees each year. This year's class brings the number of honorees to 81, who are presented with a plaque that is displayed in the Senior High's main office.

During the second part of the ceremony, the current members of the National Honor Society presented and inducted 84 new members from the Class of 2025 and 2026 into its chapter through its candle-lighting ceremony that represents the Society's four pillars: character, leadership, scholarship and service. To be considered for membership, students must be sophomores or juniors with a weighted cumulative GPA of at least 92.000, involvement in at least one school activity or club and completion of at least five community service hours. This year’s inductees are:

  • Samantha Baer
  • Ryan Claudfelter
  • Rian Coulter
  • Meredith Fylypowycz
  • Abigail Hasselbach
  • Marli Herner
  • Madelyn Holbrook
  • Dylan Holland
  • Gabriana Holmes
  • Neema Kamau
  • Riley Mazur
  • Ridleigh Moyer
  • Katelyn Nichols
  • Engel Perez
  • Katelyn Rears
  • Amelia Sahaida
  • Chloe Scherer
  • Olivia Schofield
  • Benjamin Seeberger
  • Corina Shevick
  • Sean Smith
  • Sophie Sowers
  • Luke Zawilla
  • Sheylin Aparicio Sanchez
  • Meredith Batz
  • Harrison Brumbaugh
  • Adreanna Butcher
  • Victoria Caccese
  • Chase Choudhry
  • Ryleigh Clouser
  • Olivia Conley
  • Adam Cooke
  • Aidan Dauble
  • Chase Detweiler
  • Alena Dinnini
  • Liana Dinnini
  • Rachel Donnachie
  • Kendall Druzba
  • Brenton Feathers
  • Chayse Flood
  • Nathan Gehris
  • Molly Giering
  • Audrey Gierlich
  • Morgan Gilbert
  • Avery Grider
  • Faith Hartman
  • Evan Harvey
  • Angelina Hernandez
  • Madyson Hirneisen
  • Ryland Hollinger
  • Jada Hood
  • Josephine Hunter
  • Morgan Juck
  • Kayla Karasek
  • Samantha Kerber
  • Lillie Keperling
  • Payton Klein
  • Nathan Kleinfelter
  • Ella Lynch
  • Ella Mackey
  • Hannah Martin
  • Myah Marturano
  • Maira McCartin
  • Zachary McCormick
  • Mackenzie Mentzer
  • Haley Meyers
  • Marissa Millar
  • Juliana Nerney
  • Chase Noel
  • Tithi Patel
  • Joven Patton
  • Payton Raifsnider
  • Shaun Rathman
  • Katelyn Reynolds
  • Aubrey Ridge
  • Madelyn Rismiller
  • Evan Smith
  • Abigail Starnes
  • Monica Stratton
  • Augustus Stuhlman
  • Dylan Taffel
  • Ethan Tibetts
  • Jayden Weidner
  • Daniel Wright

Congratulations to all!

Reggie Dabbs to Give Motivational Talk to Students & Families

headshot of reggie dabbs

Reggie Dabbs, who was ranked by the National Education Association as the #1 high school speaker in America, will offer a public presentation to community members, parents and students on Tuesday, December 3rd or Wednesday, December 4th at 6PM at the Exeter Township Junior High School, 151 East 39th Street in Reading, PA 19606. Reggie is sure to inspire audiences with his never-give-up message that highlights his childhood as an unwanted child given up for adoption and how his mindset allowed him to change his future. While using humor and music, Reggie talks directly to young people about their choices concerning drugs, alcohol and self-harm, while sharing the value of family and healthy relationships. Through his inspiring message, he leads students to examine their own choices and their potential consequences. This event is free and open to the public.

To learn more about Reggie and his message to please see our coverage from his last visit to the district in 2022 here: https://exetersd.org/blog/news/dabbs

Twenty students receive recognition for being at the top of their class in math and science

students hold certificates in high school hallway

Kutscher award winners and ECEF President, Heather McCool (left) and Vice President, Chris Nein (back row, right)

Today, 10 juniors and 10 sophomores were recognized by Principal Tom Campbell and Exeter Community Education Foundation (ECEF)'s Executive Director, Angela Cooke, and ECEF board members, Chris Nein and Heather McCool, for their outstanding math or science achievements. The awards are given thanks to Mrs. Carole Kutscher and her husband, the late Dr. Harlan Kutscher, longtime Exeter residents and supporters who created a $25,000 endowment for students through the ECEF, which recognizes students with a certificate and monetary award to celebrate the achievements of those who earned the highest weighted final grade in their 9th and 10th grade science and math classes.

Our sincerest thanks to the Kutscher family for establishing this incredible endowment to recognize the academic achievements of our students, the ECEF for their hard work in coordinating the fourth year of these awards, and our warmest congratulations to the following students who were recognized for their outstanding academic work in math and science. They are:

  • Kariana Beck
  • Haven Bessemer
  • Grace Campling
  • Madelyn Fetich
  • Steele Gatto
  • Avery Gibbons
  • Kinley Guziak
  • Taylor Mack
  • Madeline McAuliffe
  • Samantha Shipley
  • Victoria Caccese
  • Chase Choudhry
  • Chase Detweiler
  • Tatum Grimm
  • Faith Hartman
  • Hannah Martin
  • Haley Meyers
  • Andrew Schwenk
  • Augustus Stuhlman
  • Jayden Weidner