Senior High

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.

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.

Exeter Inducts Four Into Academic Hall of Fame and 60 Into NHS

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NHS Officers: Gavin Marr, Hayden Adams, Brody Oswald, and Rebecca Cherry

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Mr. Matthew Goldstan inducted Dr. Timothy Wright into the Academic Hall of Fame

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Lt. Col. Brian Roberts' mother speaks on his behalf following his induction into the 2023 Academic Hall of Fame

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2023 Academic Hall of Fame honoree, Lucy Lutz

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2023 Academic Hall of Fame honoree, Julia Huckleberry

The Exeter Township School District celebrated the achievements of students as 60 juniors and seniors were inducted into the Claude W. Dundore chapter of the National Honor Society and four notable alumni, educators or community members were inducted into the Exeter Alumni Association’s Academic Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 11, 2023. Those inducted into the Academic Hall of Fame were Timothy Wright, Ph.D., an internationally-recognized biomechanical scientist; Brian Roberts, an infantry lieutenant colonel in the Army; Lucy Lutz, a retired science teacher from the Exeter Township School District; and Julia Huckleberry, one of the founders of the district’s Alumni Association. 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.

During his career, Dr. Wright has developed biomechanical implant systems for knee, hip and elbow replacement that have gone on to commercial distribution to patients worldwide. He’s written more than 300 peer-reviewed articles and has lectured around the world at hospitals and medical schools. He has appointments in New York at Cornell University, and the Hospital for Special Surgery, where he currently serves in the Department of Biomechanics working with surgeons and other engineers to research and develop systems to improve care for patients with orthopedic conditions. He’s developed numerous patents and awards for outstanding research and significant lifetime contributions in orthopedics. He is a 1967 graduate of Exeter; a graduate of Lehigh University, where he received his undergraduate degree; and Stanford University, where he received his graduate degrees. Dr. Wright was unable to attend the awards ceremony; however, he thanked the committee for his recognition and selection through prepared remarks. “This is a wonderful honor. I”ve been fortunate to have an ongoing career of 47 years working at the intersection of engineering and medicine. Looking back at my time at Exeter High, the highlight was teachers like the late Harry Shank, who instilled in me a thirst for knowledge and the leadership and teamwork skills that I learned playing sports and serving on the Key Club.”

Lt. Col. Brian Roberts was commissioned as an infantry officer in 2006 from the United States Military Academy at West Point. As a system evaluator in the Army, he leads military and civilian teams to develop and modernize future combat systems. He holds a Masters of Arts in Defense and Strategy from the U.S. Naval War College and is a 2002 graduate of Exeter Township Senior High School.

Lucy Lutz worked as an Exeter science teacher in the Junior High and Senior High for more than 36 years, retiring in 2007 and continuing to substitute regularly until 2014. She began her teaching career at Albright College in the biology department as an undergraduate. Following her graduation from Albright in 1968, she studied at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she earned a master’s degree in Zoology, focusing on research of the physiology, life history and paleontology of bats. Despite her academic achievements and years of experience, Mrs. Lutz joked during her acceptance that “I will be remembered as the one who you called to fix the copy machine.”

Julia Huckleberry graduated from Exeter in 1966 and has spent most of her time since then serving the district either professionally as an administrative assistant or as a volunteer. In 2009, she was an instrumental figure in the creation of the Exeter Eagles Alumni Association, which is primarily responsible for the development, selection and distribution of scholarships to graduates. Since its inception, the scholarship committee of the association distributes approximately $30,000 through 30 different scholarships from alumni or friends of alumni. During his induction of her, Mr. John Fidler, an Exeter Academic Hall of Fame committee member, recalled the story of how a family called the association in the hopes of creating a scholarship in the name of Exeter’s football coach, Leonard Meckalavage. After a few moments of confusion, Mrs. Huckleberry realized that the family had meant to call the alumni association of Exeter High School in New Hampshire. Still, she proceeded to tell the family about the virtues of Exeter Township’s football program and coaches. The family was so impressed that they decided to award the scholarship to Exeter Township, where it is still given to a deserving student every year.

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 78, who are presented with a plaque, as well as their names added to a display 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 60 new members from the Class of 2024 and 2025 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:

  1. Harper Adams
  2. Ryanne Ahmad
  3. Perla Alvarado-Rueda
  4. Griffin Beidler
  5. Hannah Benderoth
  6. Richter Bogust
  7. Sasha Bolonski
  8. Cheyenne Boyles
  9. Joshua Brown
  10. Ian Carr
  11. Gabrielle Casalenuovo
  12. Tyler Casiano-Rodriguez
  13. Kate Dewald
  14. Natalia Figueroa
  15. Gillian Foster
  16. Jysadee Giddens
  17. Madison Grider
  18. Taylor Hill
  19. Katharine Hoover
  20. Amy Ipsen
  21. Gianna Johnson
  22. Caitlin Jones
  23. Tyler Jones
  24. Cayden Juck
  25. Alison Keim
  26. Thaddeus Kidwell
  27. Lyndsey Kline
  28. Margaret Kopanski
  29. Abby Kravetz
  30. Rebecca Lee
  31. Dorothy Liu
  32. Molly Lubenow
  33. Addison Matthews
  34. Mary McGowan
  35. Addison McKittrick
  36. Kara Miller
  37. Morgan Miller
  38. Jack Mulhare
  39. Lucas Newell
  40. Trang Nguyen
  41. Stephania Nicoloudakis
  42. Alexis Nonnemacher
  43. Ethan Papich
  44. Margaret Prock
  45. Abigail Rathman
  46. Haley Readinger
  47. Ansel Reinbold
  48. Aaron Scardecchio
  49. Kayla Schafer
  50. Lydia Smith
  51. Alexa Speary
  52. Kira Spencer
  53. Alivia Spitz
  54. Connor Stoltzfus
  55. Finn Strauss
  56. Rachelle Toaldo
  57. Annabella Venezia
  58. Logan Wegman
  59. Ashton Wilson
  60. Jordan Wolfe

Exeter Schools & Police to Hold Parent Presentation

Tuesday, December 12th at 6PM in the LGI in Exeter Township Senior High School
PRESENTED BY:
Mrs. Alycia Lenart, Exeter Township School District K-12 Student Support Coordinator
Sergeant Detective Rocco DeCamillo, Exeter Township Police Department

Please RSVP in ParentSquare

“Make no mistake, this is an eye-opening, worldwide problem affecting our students here in Exeter,” said Sergeant Detective Rocco DeCamillo to the faculty of the Exeter Township School District during a professional development session held at the Senior High last Tuesday. “To make things worse, we know there are a lot of cases here that are not being reported because it takes a lot of courage to go to a parent, a friend or to the police. This is why I think it’s important for you to be aware of this issue in case you have a student who considers you a role model and decides to confide in you.”

The issue is called sexting, and it can often lead to an even more serious issue called sextortion. “One can lead to the other one, but they are two very different things,” said DeCamillo, who was joined during the presentation by his colleague, Exeter Township Police Detective Anthony Pendell.

In short, DeCamillo explained that sexting is sending sexually-explicit messages, images or videos to another person. Sextortion, however, is a form of cyber blackmail where a perpetrator often demands money to refrain from publicly releasing sexually-explicit messages, images or videos of the victim. These issues, said DeCamillo, are ones that affect adults–as well as minors, too. “You might think of this as a high school problem, but we’re seeing sexting more frequently at the junior high level,” he said. “But what’s even scarier is that we’re starting to see it more frequently in preteens, too, which is scary. The victims–and their offenders–are becoming younger.”

To complicate matters, minors are very savvy with finding ways to hide explicit content and conversations from their parents–and perpetrators are just as savvy at finding their victims. Rather than using traditional texting methods, DeCamillo said that minors and offenders alike use social media, texting or gaming platforms to send or receive content, such as WhatsApp, XBox, Instagram, Playstation, Roblox and Snapchat. On these platforms, adults often pose as minors, cultivating trust and a following by requesting mutual friends. Once a relationship and trust has been established, DeCamillo said that perpetrators will often start by requesting selfies of the minor victim. “Younger kids–those who are 11 or 12–almost can’t help but send these selfies of themselves out naked. They think they’re talking to a 15 year old, but it’s really a 43 year old who is harvesting child pornography.”

Currently, the most frequently used platform is Snapchat. “Snap is the devil,” DeCamillo said as he discussed the app’s encrypted feature called “My Eyes Only,” which is a hidden vault that erases all content as soon as a user asks for a password reset. This, he said, even prevents law enforcement from finding and recovering those photos once a report’s been filed, giving kids a false sense of security about hiding–or sending–naked selfies on the platform. “Kids often don’t think of the ramifications of when they hit that send button there’s a whole lot of things that can come out of it,” he said.

Minors who send sexually-explicit photographs lack the understanding that this is a crime under PA law; however, DeCamillo stressed that the focus of Exeter PD is more on education rather than on the arrests of minors. “This is not a situation where we can arrest our way out of it. It’s not that simple, and arrest isn’t always the answer.” Instead, he said that the department works to educate minors about the pitfalls of sending sexts and how repeated or more serious offenses can get them in serious trouble. Beyond criminal or legal issues, he also warned that sexting can lead to other problems, such as, grooming, destroying a person’s reputation, sextortion or mental health problems. The latter, he said, is unfortunately common, and is something that profoundly worries him and his department. “If the messages wind up in the wrong hands, it can be so mentally damaging to an adolescent teen.” Reflecting on cases outside of Exeter, he said solemnly, “Sometimes, it’s so extreme that children have taken their lives over it,” he said. “Sometimes therapy doesn’t quite work out, their reputation is destroyed and they feel they have no other option other than suicide,” he said with a pause, “It’s heartbreaking.”

Superintendent Dr. Christy Haller and Assistant Superintendent Mrs. Dawn Harris organized the session with Detective Sergeant DeCamillo and Detective Pendell to bring a greater awareness to teachers of this issue, which is only growing, according to the figures the detectives presented. Between 2019 and 2021, the number of reports involving sextortion doubled, according to their report, wth 45% of sextortion perpetrators actually carrying out threats, and 25% of victims seeking mental health help following an incident.

Like last year’s edibles presentation, the professional development session proved to be so popular with educators that Detective Sergeant DeCamillo and Detective Pendell, along with the district’s K-12 Student Supports Coordinator, Mrs. Alycia Lenart, have decided to offer a similar session to parents and families so that they, too, could learn what police are seeing in the local community, as well as how to talk to their kids about sexting and sextortion. The parent and family session will be held on Tuesday, December 12, 2023 at 6PM in Exeter Township Senior High School’s Large Group Instruction (LGI) room.