Reiffton

Exeter student is named finalist in the 2022 Audie Awards

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Ahnya O'Riordan holds up a copy of "Twins" and the accompanying audio book she donated to the Reiffton library. 

Exeter student Ahnya O'Riordan joined the company of Barack Obama, Jamie Foxx, Oprah Winfrey, Lin-Manuela Miranda, John Lithgow and other notable authors and performers as she was recently named a finalist for the 2022 Audie Awards, which recognize distinction in spoken word entertainment and audiobooks. Sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association (APA), Ahnya was nominated in the Multi-Voiced Performance category for her joint narration of “Twins,” which was written by Varian Johnson, and was also narrated by Grace Capeless, Mashari Bain, Malcolm Bowen, Antoinette Comer, André Blake, Armand Xavier and Rufen-Blanchette. 

Published by Scholastic, Ahnya described the book as a multi-award-winning graphic novel about twin sisters who are best friends. “Maureen and Francine do everything together and share all the same experiences. But once they start 6th grade, Francine decides she has new interests and wants to be more independent. Maureen struggles with this, but finds her own strengths along the way.” Ahnya, who voiced Maureen in the story, loved the story so much that she decided to share it with other Exeter students by donating copies of the audiobook to the Reiffton and Jacksonwald libraries. 

A performer since she was 4 years old, Ahnya said that she truly enjoyed the process of recording the story. “This project was a lot of fun. Once I booked the job, I was given the entire contents of the pages, which I had to read and get very comfortable with. I then went to a recording studio in New York City to record each line. The actor who voices my twin sister was there as well, so we were able to meet, get chemistry and record together.” 

When she heard she was named a finalist, she said that she was very excited, but also so grateful for the experience. “Everyone did such an awesome job bringing the characters to life, and I'm grateful to be a part of it! I was very excited to hear about the awards!” The winners of the Audies will be announced during a virtual ceremony hosted by Kal Penn on Friday, March 4, 2022 from 9-10PM, and can be viewed online at https://www.youtube.com/c/AudiobookCommunity

Ahnya attended Exeter schools through 6th grade, and then switched to the Exeter Cyber Academy in junior high so that she could travel the world and perform as a member of Kidz Bop and pursue her musical and acting career. Now a senior, Ahnya will graduate from Exeter in June, and plans to attend college for Forensic Psychology as she continues to work as an actor. Congratulations Ahnya–we are all rooting for you on March 4th! 

Students Take Part in the Tradition of a Spelling Bee in a Not-So-Traditional Time

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In this age of auto-correct and Grammarly, you may have thought that the art of spelling was d-e-a-d, but students at Reiffton and the Junior High still participate in a yearly traditional Spelling Bee to show off their skills as they tackle words such as “vuvuzela” (a plastic horn) or “excoriation” (chronic skin picking), both of which won 7th grader Casey Grzywacz (left) a first place finish for the Junior High; and “liability,” (being responsible for something), which won 5th grader Rinith Musuku (right) a first place finish for Reiffton. “I enjoy watching students excel at a skill that, in the 21st century, might be considered a lost art,” said Mrs. Cheryl Larson, a Junior High English & Language Arts teacher and advisor to the Bee for the past 28 years. But despite students spending hours voluntarily pouring over spelling lists with parents, classmates and friends to prepare for the traditional contest, the pandemic changed the actual day-of competition in schools as E.W. Scripps now offers school-level Bees in a virtual format instead of with students grouped together in a cafeteria or auditorium. “It was kind of odd,” admitted Casey, who has been participating since 3rd grade. “Doing it on the computer was so weird to me because it’s just so different listening to an AI (artificial intelligence)’s voice.” But despite the virtual format of this year’s contest, both students said their hard work and hours of preparation paid off. “It was a lot of work, but my parents are so proud of me,” beamed Rinith, who also won last year’s Bee in 4th grade. 

Mrs. Larson, who believes that some students are gifted with the natural ability to spell well, is also so proud of Casey and Rinith, as well the 35 students who voluntarily participated and competed in the Bee–and hopeful that students can return to a more traditional Spelling Bee next year, which is what both Casey and Rinith are participating in when they advance to the regional Bee competition to be held in person on Sunday, March 13th in Wilkes-Barre. Please help us wish them lots of l-u-c-k in the next round!

Dr. Cynthia Mierzejewski Named As Substitute Superintendent

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During their monthly voting meeting this evening, the Exeter Township Board of School Directors voted to install Dr. Cynthia Mierzejewski as substitute superintendent of the Exeter Township School District following Dr. Kimberly Minor’s resignation earlier this month. Before her retirement in 2020, Dr. Mierzejewski (pronounced “Mer-zesk-ee”) had a long career in education in Berks County, most recently serving as the superintendent of Schuylkill Valley schools from 2017 to 2020, and as assistant superintendent at Wilson from 2015 to 2017. Prior to those roles, she worked for over a decade at the Berks County Intermediate Unit (BCIU) as the Director of the Office of Professional Development and served in administrative roles in other districts in Berks County. At the heart of her leadership, however, is her experience working directly with students when she worked as a chemistry teacher for more than a dozen years at Fleetwood and Central Catholic. “Throughout my life and work here in Berks County, it’s been a joy to play a small role in the educational process of thousands of students as they’ve grown up and become dedicated and contributing members of our community. There truly is no job more important than supporting the hard work and devotion of Exeter teachers, administrators, staff, and community as we work together to create brighter and better futures for the next generation.”

Dr. Ann Hearing, ETSD Board President said, “The Board of School Directors is pleased to welcome Dr. Mierzejewski to the Exeter Township School District, and is confident that her exemplary and proven leadership will allow the District to have a secure and seamless transition as we search for a new superintendent. We look forward to introducing her to our teachers, staff, students and community in the coming days, and hope you’ll give her a warm welcome as she settles into Exeter.”

Dr. Mierzejewski will act as substitute superintendent while the Board of School Directors begins the search for a new superintendent of Exeter schools. She will begin on Tuesday, February 22, 2022.

A Message from the ETSD Board of School Directors

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The Exeter Township Board of School Directors would like to inform you that Superintendent Dr. Kimberly I. Minor has submitted her resignation with an effective date of May 3, 2022. The Board intends to act on her resignation at the next public board meeting.  The Board of School Directors is grateful for Dr. Minor’s leadership and commitment.

ETSD will be using a Flexible Instruction Day 2/4/2022

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On Friday, all schools in the Exeter Township School District will utilize a Flexible Instruction Day (FID). The day will count as a school day; however, students will not report to their school buildings. Instead, they will complete their school work from home. For attendance purposes, students are required to log onto their building website and report their attendance from these links:

SENIOR HIGH
JUNIOR HIGH
REIFFTON
JACKSONWALD
LORANE
OWATIN CREEK

Please log your attendance no later than 10AM.

Students in grades 4-12 should log onto Schoology for each of their classes to receive their assignments for the day. These assignments will be posted by 9AM. Students in grades K-3 received FID assignments from their teachers and should complete the assignments for FID Day #2. These assignments are also available at the link above.

Teachers will have a dedicated office hour that they will communicate to students and answer questions throughout the day via email and voicemail.

EMA's Supper Serenade will be postponed to next Friday, February 11th. Should you have questions about the Supper Serenade's postponement, please reach out to Mrs. Crotty at macrotty@nullexetersd.org.

Enjoy the day, and please stay safe.

You’re Invited: EMA’s 3rd Annual Supper Serenade

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All are invited to slurp up some spaghetti while being sung to during EMA's 3rd Annual Supper Serenade! This enjoyable evening of fun features performances from Exeter musicians of all ages, a delicious Italian dinner, dessert, raffles and more!
Join us Friday, February 4th from 6-9PM at Reiffton. $10 per person. Purchase your tickets by Friday, January 28th by visiting: http://ow.ly/azhs50HCYAu