News

Students Present Jerseys to Teachers Who Made an Impact

Several days before the holidays, teachers at the Senior High were given one of the most meaningful gifts of all: Appreciation. Over the course of two days, a handful of thoughtful senior student athletes took the opportunity to tell teachers just how much they've made an impact on their lives as they presented them with customized shirts with their name and a big "1" on the back. The new-ish tradition is called "My Jersey, Your Impact," and is celebrated by student athletes across the nation who briefly interrupt instruction to surprise their favorite teacher with a jersey as well as heartfelt words of appreciation as to how that teacher's made an impact on their lives. "Mr. Rugg has always served as an inspiration to me and showed me how to act both on and off the mat," said senior wrestler Michael Borja. "Even before I was in high school, he showed me how to be a leader and lead by example."
 
Josiah Newman-McCarthy agreed, as he explained how Mr. Lowell Keebler, a science teacher at the Senior High, managed to impact him during the height of the pandemic during his freshman year. "At first, I thought his class was lame because it was online and I really didn't think about trying too hard," Josiah, now a senior, admitted. "But Mr. Keebler really stressed the importance of doing your best and being honorable, and those lessons have really stuck with me the rest of my years of high school."
 
Haley Piersol and Aaliyah Ware chose Mrs. Kirsten Fleischman and agreed that she deserved both of their jerseys for her positive attitude and how she always encouraged them to do their best. "She always helped me stay motivated--even when I wasn't motivated--and that helped me both in sports and in school," said Aaliyah, to which Haley nodded in agreement.
 
Mr. Tom Legath, the district's Athletic Director, organized the event by selecting several winter captains from each sport and then having each student select a teacher to celebrate. "We have great teachers here, and it shows," said Mr. Legath. "So many of these students have been inspired by these teachers to always give their best whether they are in the classroom or on the field or court. I hope today they have a chance to see and celebrate just how much of a positive impact they have."

Reece Garvin presents his jersey to Mrs. Lake

Gabrielle Keith presents her jersey to Mr. Ziegler

Connor Stoltzfus presents his jersey to Mr. Potter

Allison Keim presents her jersey to Mr. Fidler

Grace Reedy presents her jersey to Mr. Freese

Lily Clouser presents her jersey to Mr. Lasky

Landen Gougler presents his jersey to Mrs. Bollinger

Josiah Newman-McCarthy presents his jersey to Mr. Keebler

Kevin Saenz presents his jersey to Mrs. Preston

Bryanna Shunk presents her jersey to Mrs. Thomas

Michel Borja presents his jersey to Mr. Rugg

Finn Strauss presents his jersey to Mr. Beisker

Aaliyah Ware (left) and Haley Piersol (right) present their jerseys to Mrs. Fleischman

Haley Schwenk presents her jersy to Ms. Harper

Exeter Township School District & Police Present Sexting & Sextortion Parent Presentation

During a joint presentation between the district and the Exeter Township Police Department held earlier this month, Detective Sergeant Rocco DeCamillo of the ETPD, and Mrs. Alycia Lenart, the district's K-12 Student Support Coordinator, educated parents about the growing prevalence of sexting and sextortion in the community and how children and teens are often targeted by adults posing as their peers online. If you were unable to attend the presentation but would be interested in learning more about how to protect your child against this growing threat, please take a moment to review the slideshow as well as resources Detective Sergeant DeCamillo and Mrs. Lenart shared during the workshop earlier this month.

Should your child fall victim to a sexting or sextortion scheme, please contact your child's principal as well as the Exeter Township Police Department by calling 911. The ETPD asks that you refrain from deleting the affected account(s) to help preserve evidence as they begin their investigation.

9 Tips to Prevent Cyber-Sextortion

For more information on how to keep you and your loved ones safe from sextortion, visit www.fbi.gov or www.missingkids.org.

Remember that anyone can pretend to be someone else online.

Do not open attachments from anyone that you do not know.

Be aware that anything done online may be available to others. Do not send images of yourself that you want to remain private to anyone, no matter who they are—or say they are.

Keep your computer safe from hackers by keeping your computer’s firewall turned on; installing and updating antivirus software and antispyware technology; and keeping your computer’s operating system up to date.

Turn off your electronic devices and web cameras when you are not using them to minimize a hacker’s ability to activate them remotely.

Ensure applications and social networking sites’ privacy settings are set to the strictest levels.

Parents should review and approve all applications downloaded to electronic devices and regularly monitor content of all applications and social networking platforms used by their children.

Parents should keep computers used by children in a central location in the home and utilize parental controls. Parents should be present and engaged when children communicate via webcam.

Parents and educators should discuss Internet safety with their children. Parents should reinforce to their children that they should tell an adult if anyone threatens them or asks them for sexual acts or sexually explicit images.

PREVENTING SEXTORTION FLYER

Social Media Safety Tips & Parental Controls

Exeter Publishes 2022-23 PSSA and Keystone Exams Data

Dr. Christy Haller, Superintendent, and Dr. Josh Hoyt, Director of Teaching and Learning, presented the results of the 2022-23 PSSA and Keystone Exams. Mrs. Becky Bush, Supervisor of Literacy and ESL, also presented Fall 2023 Acadience results, which were given at the beginning of the year independently by the district to K-2 students to help teachers and reading specialists benchmark young students' reading abilities.

During a lengthy presentation, Drs. Haller and Hoyt highlighted research conducted over the summer to help the district identify instructional deficiencies. They also presented the 2023-24 action plan and specific steps the district has implemented to improve this upcoming year's test scores. Specifically, they noted that teachers are incorporating new software, assessment systems, professional development, data analysis, curriculum and more to help them teach and students learn more effectively. While not an immediate fix, these steps are believed to be working, said Dr. Hoyt, citing current student data.

Jacksonwald Teacher and Family Help Deliver Letters to Santa

IE8A9456

Sadie, Parke, Max, Amy and Ryan Parsons stand by their Santa mailbox outside of their home.

In a Jacksonwald art teacher's home right here in Exeter, holiday magic happens every night between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Here, Mrs. Amy Parsons lives with her husband, Ryan, who works as an estimator for Independence Steel, and her three children, Max (6th grade), Parke (4th grade) and Sadie (2nd grade). And here, for the past four years, children from all around Exeter and beyond trek with their families to the top of Church Lane Road to the Parson's front yard at 1004 Hartman Road to mail or drop off letters to Santa in a special mailbox they had installed in their front yard during 2020. The mailbox, which is a brightly-colored vintage red and is adorned with twinkling lights and garland, was placed there by request by the big jolly man himself during the height of the COVID pandemic when social-distancing restrictions meant he wasn't able to see as many children in-person at malls, stores, Christmas tree farms and other places around town. Reaching out for help, Santa asked the Parsons if they could assist him in collecting letters, and from there, a new Exeter holiday tradition began.

During the past four years, as word has spread around the community, social media and the local news, the Parsons family has seen their collection grow from about 100 to 400 letters, some coming as far away as Florida and South Dakota. On their way to Santa, Ryan and Amy will take some time to read each one before Santa responds--a process that takes about a week depending on how many letters are received each day. "There are definitely letters that have made us cry and many that have made us laugh," said Amy, recalling letters that asked for a real dinosaur, a Christmas tree that makes snowmen come to life, or a door that would make someone invisible when they walked through it. But she also shared that some letters are difficult to read, too. "Some letters have shared how families are losing their homes and don't think there will be much of a Christmas. There have been letters that have shared that a beloved family member is very ill and asking Santa to do anything he can to help them get better. There are also letters from people who feel so sad that they can't be themselves because they are bullied and made fun of."

Thanks to some known and not-known elves, the Parsons have been able to also offer gift cards at their mailbox for those who may need one (or an encouragement to leave one if the visitor is so inclined). They've also been blessed with donations of stamps, calligraphy markers, stationery, envelopes and more to help Santa respond to each child's letter. This year, thanks to donations from friends, neighbors and a local organization called Connections Work, they're proud to also include a free library stocked full of children's holiday books that visitors may borrow and return.

Too humble to take credit for helping Santa with the letters, Ryan and Amy, who spend much of their time outside of work during the year volunteering with community youth organizations, including sports teams, Cub Scouts or the Jacksonwald APT, are quick to acknowledge the donations, support and help they receive from the community, friends, neighbors and their family--including their own children who eagerly collect the letters each day to give to their elf, "Buddy," who personally delivers them to the North Pole and brings back answered letters the following morning. "We are truly honored to be able to do this for so many families. Many kid letters are accompanied by a parent letter explaining how their child is starting to question Santa, but we are helping them get another year or two of them believing," said Amy. Continuing, she wraps up the spirit of the season by simply saying, "Our family absolutely loves doing this and it has given us so much more back than we have ever imagined."

How to get your letter to Santa:
Letters to Santa can be mailed or hand delivered to the mailbox in the Parsons' front yard. Their address is 1004 Hartman Road; Reading, PA 19606.

How long will it take to receive a response from Santa?
About a week, depending on the number of letters the Parsons receive each day. Please make sure a return address is included in your original letter.

Do you need to celebrate Christmas to send a letter to Santa?
No! Santa answers letters from children, adults (and even pets) who celebrate a variety of different holidays during December.

Can I help the Parsons?
Yes! People may donate books for their library, gift cards for those in need or supplies to help Santa write his responses. Donations can be dropped off in person or mailed. The Parsons also have an Amazon Wishlist here that will magically allow your purchase to travel to the North Pole: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1A77EKSIVGIM9?ref_=wl_share

November Internship Spotlight: Rachael Haldeman with BCTV

Copy of internship spotlight (Instagram Post)

Rachael Haldeman is a senior completing an internship in video production at BCTV in Reading.

Rachael, can you tell us a bit about what your plans are for after graduation? Have you selected a college and a major?
I hope to get accepted into Temple University so I can attend there after high school. I plan on majoring in Film and Media Arts.

Can you tell us a bit about your internship? What does a typical day look like for you?
When I arrive at the BCTV office, there may or may not be a recording going on or starting. If there is, I join in and help in any way I can, typically manning a camera. If there is not, I’ll end up editing bumpers, which are little 10-15-second clips for in-between programs, or I’ll edit a program instead.

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?
I really wanted an internship to help me decide what I wanted to do in college. I knew we had an internship program here at Exeter, so I reached out to Mr. Ricketts in hopes of something to do with film and video production.

Do you think your internship is helping you feel more confident about your decision to go to college and pursue your major?
Absolutely. I was unsure about if I really wanted to go into film, but I knew I had a slight interest in it at the very least. Working at BCTV and seeing the filming and post-production processes has really helped and inspired me.

What do you like most about your internship?
I thoroughly enjoy it when I’m operating a camera. When I was still learning the basics of the field cameras they have, it really interested me. Now that I know how to use them, it’s a joy to be operating them.

And finally, what would be your advice to a high school student who's thinking about Exeter's internship program?
My advice would be to just do it. If you’re unsure or debating it, do it. Take advantage of it. It’s a chance to learn about what you may or may not enjoy in the future, and what kind of work environments you can handle. There are plenty of different businesses that are willing to work with students at Exeter. I highly recommend the program.

Lions Club Recognizes JHS Artists

IE8A9460

This year's Lions Club International Peace Poster contest invited students to "Dare to Dream" by creating a poster that explored and visually expressed how they’ll turn their dream of a peaceful world into reality. From the Junior High, three 8th grade students were recognized and received cash prizes by the Exeter Township Lions Club for their outstanding interpretation of this theme through their original artwork, including first place winner, Kylie Milshaw (left); second place winner, Nohelia Ortiz (second from right); and third place winner, Madeline Bieber (right). They were joined by a representative from the Lions Club this morning to receive their certificates and cash prizes as well as a hearty congratulations from the Lions Club mascot, Leo. Our warmest congratulations to our talented Eagles and our thanks to the JH's art teacher, Mrs. Kimberly Lopez, and the Lions Club for their yearly support of our students and this fantastic project!