Junior High

Dawn Harris Appointed as Assistant Superintendent

dawn harris sworn in by judge johnson

Dawn Harris, who has served as Exeter's Director of Pupil Services since the spring of 2020, was named as the district's new Assistant Superintendent of Student Services during the Exeter Township Board of School Directors' meeting on Monday, September 19, 2022. In this role, Harris will retain all of her current duties, but will acquire more responsibilities and staff supervision, as well as serve as the acting superintendent if Superintendent Haller is unavailable. The district has been without an Assistant Superintendent since Dr. Patrick Winters left Exeter in the spring of 2021. Dr. Haller mentioned to the Board during their earlier meeting in September that she sought to fill the position so that the District had a clear chain of command in her absence, as well as to help with daily operations.

Harris has been an educator since 1997, most recently working as the Director of Pupil Services for the Schuylkill Valley School District before coming to Exeter. Throughout her 25 year career, she's managed or led instruction for students in special education at schools in Berks and Chester County. Currently, as Exeter's Director of Pupil Services, she manages staff and programming for special education and gifted education, as well as health, safety, school counseling and enrollment services.

She has two grown children and lives in Berks County with her husband, Todd, who works in law enforcement, and her three dogs.

Harris (right) was sworn in as Assistant Superintendent on Thursday by the Honorable Theresa Johnson.

Eric Seidel Announced as District’s Safety & Security Coordinator

This evening, the Exeter Township Board of School Directors approved the hire of Eric Seidel as the district’s School Safety and Security Coordinator. In this administrative role, which is a newly-created, year-round and a full-time position, Seidel will oversee safety and security planning and will lead trainings for district employees. Seidel is a former captain in the Berks County Sheriff’s Department and was responsible for courtroom and judicial safety and security at the courthouse in Berks County, and more recently, for the safety and security of guests at the eight county parks and extensive trail system in Berks as the county’s Chief Park Ranger. In that role, Seidel implemented and managed an emergency response and reunification plan through physical and technological advances to help emergency responders locate visitors in distress, as well as managed the safety and security of all county park events. 

Exeter Superintendent Dr. Christy Haller was pleased to introduce Seidel during the meeting and said, “As you know, this was a very important position for us to fill with just the right person, and we were fortunate that we had a number of great candidates who applied for the position. However, after an extensive interview and presentation process in front of a panel composed of administrators and board members, Eric proved that he brought the right blend of law enforcement education and experience, as well as the implementation and administration of security and safety planning experience that we were looking for in a candidate. We are looking forward to working with Eric.”

Seidel is a lifelong Berks County resident who lives in Spring Township with his wife, who is a social worker, and two school-aged daughters. He will begin work in mid-October.

Exeter Inducts Three Into Athletic Hall of Fame

athletic hall of fame

Left to right: Michael Troutman, Kyle Yocum and Michal Menet

The Exeter Township School District will induct three athletes into their 2022 Athletic Hall of Fame tonight in a ceremony to be held in the Exeter Township Senior High’s cafeteria, followed by a presentation of the athletes in Don Thomas Stadium during halftime of the Exeter vs. West York football game. The athletes who will be inducted are: Michal Menet, a 2016 graduate; Michael Troutman, a 2002 graduate; and Kyle Yocum, a 2013 graduate. 

Menet was a four-year starter and letterman and captain of the team in 2014 and 2015. He was named to the All-Academic Team all four years. He was named Berks County All-League in 2013, 2014, and 2015. He was the Berks County Offense and Defensive Lineman of the Year in both 2014 and 2015 and was named Berks County Most Valuable Player in 2015. In 2013, 2014 and 2015, he was All State First Team Defense, Second Team Offense. He was named an Under Armour All American in 2016. He also played basketball, and was a three-year letterman. In 2013 and 2014, he was All-Conference Basketball. He went on to Penn State University where he was a three-year starter, two-time Team Captain and received All Big Ten honors in 2019 and 2020. In 2019 and 2020 he was the Dick Maginnis award winner for PSU Outstanding Offensive Lineman and was named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List for Outstanding Center. He was invited to the 2021 Senior Bowl. In 2021, he was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the 7th round with the 247th pick. He signed with the Green Bay Packers in December 2021 and is currently a free agent.

Troutman excelled in both football and wrestling. In his senior year, he had 1,026 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. At the time, he held a single game rushing record of 224 yards and five touchdowns against Twin Valley. He had over 2,000 career all purpose yards and 25 total touchdowns. He was named to the All Berks 1C 1st Team as a running back in 2001. On the mat, he had a career 50 pins, with a 94-30 record. He was the 2002 Sectional Champion. He was selected in both 2000 and 2001 to the All Berks Section 1 1st Team. He went on to wrestle at Ursinus, where he had a 136-19 record and 61 career pins. He was a four-time Centennial Conference Champion, being only one of six to do it and a four-time NCAA Qualifier. He was a two-time NCAA All American, finishing 8th place in the country in 2005 and 5th place in the country in 2006. In 2006, he was named an NCAA Academic All American.

Yocum played football, baseball, basketball, and competed in track and field. He was the first freshman to start at quarterback in school history and earned the title of Exeter’s all-time leading passer with 43 starts, 3,815 yards, and 38 touchdowns in his career. He ranks in the top 20 all-time in Berks County in passing. He also rushed for 1,955 yards and 27 touchdowns for his career. He earned the Outstanding Junior Award in 2011, All-League honors in 2012 and was a four-time academic selection. He led his team to two District playoff appearances. He went on to play at Delaware as a fullback where he was selected as a Captain for the 2017 season. He played in 40 career games, recording three catches for 22 yards, four kick-off returns for 60 yards and five tackles.

9/11 Ceremony Honors Exeter Graduate and Career Firefighter

firefighter receives flag
This morning, students filled the stands of Don Thomas Stadium to pay their respects to the brave, the heroic and the fallen during the Senior High's annual 9/11 ceremony. Though no student sitting in the stands had yet been born on that fateful morning 21 years ago, they listened intently as Social Studies teacher, Brandon Ziegler, took them through his memories of the week of 9/11 during his senior year of high school, his decision to join the military, and how fighting for the freedom of people in the Middle East--and their freedom to go to school and learn--cemented his decision to become a teacher after he returned from war.
 

Exeter Township Deputy Fire Chief Chris Jordan then presented a flag to Gill Morissette, a 36-year veteran of the department. A 1982 Exeter graduate, Gill has served as firefighter, lieutenant, captain and assistant chief during his firefighting career. He was chosen for this honor by the department for his service and dedication to the Exeter community, which he humbly accepted surrounded by fellow first responders and family.

To view a slideshow of today's ceremony, please click HERE.

Teachers in the Parks (TIPs) Named National Finalist in Summer Learning

Today, Teachers in the Parks (TIPs) was named a finalist for the National Summer Learning Association’s Award for Summer Excellence--an honor bestowed upon only seven other summer learning programs in the nation! TIPs founder, Matt Hathaway was joined by the US Department of Education's Adam Schott, the National Summer Learning Association's Christi Kobus Rokicki, the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Eli Downie, Pennsylvania State Senator Judy Schwank and Exeter's Superintendent Christy Haller, as well as dozens of Exeter and Antietam students and teachers who are participating in TIPs this summer at the Antietam Pool.
 
TIPs, which is a learning program that provides learning opportunities for elementary-aged students to retain math and literacy skills over the summer, was founded by Hathaway, an Exeter Township School District teacher and administrator. As a new elementary teacher, Hathaway founded TIPs in 2004 as he sought a fun and community-based solution to help students prevent the “summer slide,” which is the tendency for students to lose academic skills over the summer when school is not in session. Since 2004, TIPs has grown from a handful of students meeting in Hathaway’s backyard to hundreds of enrolled students meeting during the summer at community pools and playgrounds around Berks County. Throughout its growth during the past 18 years, TIPs’ mission has remained the same: Provide high-quality instruction by certified teachers in low-pressure environments where kids would normally play and hang out during the summer.
 
Our students and community are so very fortunate and proud to have Mr. Hathaway and his team as a dedicated and visionary teacher, leader and partner in education! Our warmest and deepest congratulations to Mr. Hathaway and his TIPs team for this incredible honor and deserving recognition at the national level!

New Teachers, Administrators and Food Service Employees’ Collective Bargaining Agreements Approved

Together, the Exeter Township School District and the Exeter Township Education Association (ETEA) announced they have agreed to a new four-year teachers’ contract to begin on July 1, 2022 and end on June 30, 2026. The board and teachers’ union met numerous times to work together to raise a first-year teacher’s salary by $1,660 to $50,156, allowing Exeter to be more competitive with Berks County school districts. During the 2021-22 school year, on average, the 17 other Berks County districts offered their first-year teachers a starting salary of $49,722, while Exeter offered $48,496 (Source PSEA). Exeter Township Education Association President Lowell Keebler said that he believes the new contract will help provide teacher stability and retention over the next four years. “We value the relationship we have established with the Exeter Township School District Board and community, and we look forward to continuing to provide a high quality educational experience to the students of Exeter Township,” he said.

All teachers will receive a $1,660 yearly salary increase in addition to their annual years of service raise. The district will see an increase in the portion of the budget that is dedicated to teachers' salaries of 3.5% in the first year, 3.4% in the second year, 3.3% in the third year and 3.1% in the final year of the four-year contract if the current faculty all remained at status quo.  Exeter Township Board of School Directors’ President Ann Hearing said, “The board worked diligently on this new contract with taxpayers and teachers in mind and students at the heart of our negotiations. With the current teacher shortage, attracting and retaining high-quality teachers to work in Exeter and educate our students was just as important to us as minimizing the impact that salary increases have on the Exeter taxpayer.” 

The current teachers’ contract will expire on June 30, 2022. The new contract was passed by a 8-0 vote with one abstention during the June 28, 2022 Board of School Directors’ voting meeting. 

During the meeting, the board also approved a new three-year contract for Act 93 employees, providing a 3.25% annual raise for Exeter administrators. They also approved a new three-year contract for food service employees, increasing the starting rate for a general cafeteria worker from $12 to $15 per hour. Confidential secretaries will also see an increase of $1.25 per hour as their starting salary is raised to $21.50 per hour following the approval of their new three-year contract. 

All new contracts will go into effect on July 1, 2022 and will be posted on the district’s website at https://exetersd.org/hr/collective-bargaining-agreements.