Junior High

District to Host Drug Awareness Workshop for Families in January

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picture of assorted edibles and vapes
picture of edibles
picture of teachers crowded around a table

“This,” said Exeter Township Detective Sergeant Rocco DeCamillo as he pointed to a table filled with confiscated THC-laced gummies, brownies, cookies and treats, “was not manufactured to appeal to adults. It was manufactured to look like candy to appeal to kids.” 

As part of the district’s professional development sessions with educators and staff last month, Detective Sergeant DeCamillo spent his day walking teachers, administrators and staff through the ever-complex and constantly-changing landscape of what drugs police are seeing being sold and being used in Exeter Township by adults and minors alike. “Things have drastically changed in the last 20 years. When the majority of us were in high school, marijuana was natural and looked like pot. Now, there’s so much synthetic stuff out there that’s chemically-produced with no regulation or oversight–and much of it’s been disguised to look like candy.”

Superintendent Dr. Christy Haller and Assistant Superintendent Mrs. Dawn Harris organized the session with Detective Sergeant DeCamillo and the district’s Student Services Coordinator, Mrs. Alycia Lenart, to bring a greater awareness to teachers of what’s out there, what it looks like, and how to engage students and their families with help for substance abuse. The sessions proved to be so popular with educators that Detective Sergeant DeCamillo and Mrs. Lenart decided to offer a similar session to parents and families so that they, too, could learn what police are seeing in the local community, and how to receive support through the district when families are faced with substance abuse. The parent and family session will be held on Thursday, January 12, 2023 at 7PM in Exeter Township Senior High School’s Large Group Instruction (LGI) room. 

During his presentation to teachers, Detective Sergeant DeCamillo said navigating the “new normal” of drug use and drug accessibility is not easy. Oftentimes, he said as he pointed to all of the items on the table, local retailers don’t even know what’s legal to sell and what isn’t since laws vary from state to state. “Most of this stuff is perfectly legal in New Jersey,” he said. Mrs. Lenart added, “I think there’s also a perception that since it’s legal in certain states, it must be perfectly safe, and it’s really not,” she said, as she ticked off statistics that indicate that 90% of ER admittance for marijuana or THC overdoses are from edibles. “It takes anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours for kids to feel the effect from an edible. Since most teens don’t have great patience, they think it’s not working, so they eat more, and more and more and then wind up in the hospital. That’s why it’s so important to bring awareness to this very scary issue.”

Reggie Dabbs Tells Junior High Students to Never Give Up

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reggie dabbs performs at junior high
@etsdeagles The ETJH assembly today was part stand up, part concert and had many in tears by the end. https://tinyurl.com/2p8acpda #exetertownshipjuniorhigh ♬ original sound - Exeter Twnshp School District

In an assembly that started as part stand-up and part music concert and ended with many in the audience wiping their tears away, motivational speaker Reggie Dabbs today told students at Exeter Township Junior High School that they should never, ever give up. “At 13 years old, I couldn’t see who I am today,” he said. “I cried myself to sleep every night. I thought that nobody cared about me. I felt so unloved because even my own momma gave me up. She kept my brother and she kept my two sisters, but she said I was a mistake and gave me away.” 

Through an emotional retelling of his childhood, Reggie recounted how he found out that he was living with people who were not his biological parents at just 6 years old. “I went into kindergarten and all of the kids had their names on their desk with their first and last name. Mine just said ‘Reggie.’” It was then that he found out he was living with foster parents and that his biological mother had given him to the Dabbs. “I didn’t have a real last name until I was 13 years old when they adopted me.” 

But despite the outcome of his adoption and his healthy home environment, Reggie’s past continued to haunt him through his early adolescence. “I wasn’t ok,” he said. “I wanted to scream ‘why me?’...My story may be different than yours, but I guarantee you we are all going through something that makes it hard to sleep at night.” He said he finally realized he couldn’t change his past, but he could change his future. “I made a choice: I now choose to be hope. I choose to be kind. I choose to be love,” he said, asking those in attendance, “What will you choose?” before he asked everyone to point to their neighbor and say, “Don’t you give up!” and then point to him/herself and say, “I won’t give up!” and then point to their other neighbor and say “Let me love you” before he launched into a rendition of DJ Snake and Justin Beiber’s “Let Me Love You” on his soprano saxophone. 

Click our video to see a few highlights from today–including a special tribute and appreciation to teachers, who he says, are responsible for allowing him to become who he is. “My foster mom was a school teacher and my foster father was a school janitor, and they are my heroes," he said earlier in his presentation. "Boys like me become men like me because of people like (teachers)... I am the product of the public school system... Boys like me make it because of people like you.”

 

ETJH Recognizes Students of the Month with Lawn Signs

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september and october junior high students of the month

Students of the Month in September and October are (from left): Jason Burns, Eric Santilo, Guilia Weisser, Adelianny Mendez-Alvarez, Dawson Genova and Kasey Ramirez. 

When 7th grader Dawson Genova saw Exeter Township Junior High Principals Mr. Alex Brown and Mrs. Jennifer Cooke walking up his driveway to his house, he was immediately filled with fear and confusion. “I was like am I in so much trouble that they had to come to my house?” Seconds later, as the principals knocked on his door and staked a “Student of the Month” lawn sign in his yard, Dawson’s fear turned to extreme relief. “I didn’t even know Student of the Month was a thing,” he said with a laugh.

Actually, he wasn’t wrong. Student of the Month was not “a thing” until this year when Assistant Principal Jennifer Cooke sought out new ways to recognize positive behavior in students. Over the summer, she came up with the bright idea to purchase lawn signs and personally deliver them to students’ yards. “A lawn sign is much more visible than a certificate,” she said, “It was important to us to find a way to acknowledge and celebrate these students' accomplishments in a visible way to their family, friends, neighbors and community.” 

To be awarded as Student of the Month, Mrs. Cooke asked staff to nominate students that they felt were worthy of being recognized. She then removed students’ names from the nomination form and sent the reasons for their nomination out to the staff at large to vote. Once the votes were totaled, those who received the most votes were recognized by having Mr. Brown and Mrs. Cooke personally deliver the signs and a certificate to their homes. 

Like Dawson, Eric Santilo, grade 8, said he was initially confused as to why the principals were visiting his house. “I thought I was in trouble, too,” he said with a laugh. “But this (recognition) makes me feel better about myself and my accomplishments this year,” he said. “My mom was so happy,” said Kasey Ramirez, grade 7. “All day she kept saying saying, ‘I’m so proud of you for being Student of the Month.’”

Students of the Month and their reasons for nomination are as follows:

September:

  • Dawson Genova, 7th grade: Dawson has been a well rounded student from day one.I don't think I have ever asked him to do anything twice. Besides his work in class, Dawson is eager to help around the room. He is respectful to his peers and his teachers and is always thinking about how to apply the things he learned in class. He asks questions about the content often and is just a pleasant student to have in your classroom.
  • Kasey Ramirez, 7th grade: Kasey has gone above and beyond in class and outside of class to help a new student who only speaks spanish. Kasey helps her get to class and helps translate between when I am able to do so. She has done all of that without skipping a beat and without any complaints. She has been a huge help and a huge asset to our class, especially for this new student.
  • Eric Santilo, 8th grade: Last year Eric was tardy to my class often. This year he is always on time. He has always been very respectful and kind to his peers in class. He goes out of his way to help another classmate who has some physical limitations. He is a pleasure to have in class and participates and completes his work.
  • Addie Glidewell, 8th grade: Addie is always positive and on task and prepared. She has made tremendous strides with her reading abilities from 7th-8th grade. She is exceptionally kind and caring to both adults and classmates.

October:

  • Jason Burns, 7th grade: Jason has done a great job in class, but also shows some great examples for stepping up and helping others. Jason had a classmate absent from class more than once (for bathroom, nurse, etc) and without being asked filled in notes for that student so that the work wasn't missing. He is kind and cooperative and really just goes the extra mile to help others.
  • Adelianny Mendez-Alvarez, 7th grade: She is helpful to those who need assistance, has a positive attitude toward learning, works diligently during class, and greets teachers in the hall.
  • Guilia Weisser, 8th grade: Giulia always works hard in the classroom and greets everyone with a smile. She is quick to volunteer and is always up for a challenge. She is awesome!

Congratulations to all of our Junior High Students of the Month! Please make sure if you drive by one of their homes that you honk and wave to congratulate them!

Lions Club Recognizes Talented Eagles

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students hold posters next to lion mascot

This year's Lions Club International Peace Poster contest invited students to "lead with compassion" by creating a poster that explored and visually expressed the peaceful future that compassionate leadership brings. 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 third place winner, Layla Dibler (left); second place winner, Evianna Jones (center); and first place winner (right), Audrey Pallet. They were joined by a representative from the Lions Club this morning to receive their certificates 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!

Budget Workshops Announced

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As the Exeter Township School District begins to shape the budget for the 2023-24 school year, the District will hold a series of workshops to discuss budget topics with the community. Parents, taxpayers and all members of the Exeter community are invited to join us for these meetings. The schedule for the next two upcoming workshops and topics are below. The District will also post a synopsis of each budget workshop on our website shortly after each meeting.

The next two meetings are scheduled for:

October 26th at 6PM
Location: Junior High
Topic: Overview and Purpose of Workshop Meetings/Index Review

November 30th at 6PM
Location: Senior High
Topic: Revenue