• Skip to main content
District Home

2-Day Cycle - Closed

eagle head logo

Exeter Township Junior High

Grades 7-8 | 610-779-3320

Search
Close
  • Schools
    • Exeter Township Senior High
    • Exeter Township Junior High
    • Reiffton School
    • Jacksonwald Elementary
    • Lorane Elementary
    • Owatin Creek Elementary
    • Exeter Cyber Academy
  • About Us
    • Principal’s Welcome
  • Academics
    • Curriculum Overview
      • 7th Grade
      • 8th Grade
    • Departments
      • Art
      • Computer Applications
      • English & Reading
      • Fitness & Wellness
      • Mathematics
      • Music
      • Science
      • Social Studies
      • Student Support & Special Education
      • Technology Education
      • World Languages
    • Grades & Honors
    • Library
    • Soaring Eagle Handbook
  • Athletics
  • Students & Parents
    • ABEx
    • Attendance
    • Bell Schedule
    • Clubs & Organizations
    • Code of Conduct
    • Commuter & Busing Information
    • E-Funds
    • Flexible Instruction Day (FID)
    • Food Services
    • Forms
    • Health Services
    • Music
    • ParentSquare
    • Safe2Say Tipline
    • Schoology
    • Skyward
    • Student Handbook
  • Counseling
    • Counseling
    • Student Assistance Program (SAP)
  • News & Calendars
    • News
    • Calendars & Events
    • The Exeter Express – Student Newspaper
Directory

Exeter Township Junior High

151 East 39th Street | Reading, PA 19606
(610) 779-3320

Click Here For A Searchable Directory
  • Office

    x3004 Alex Brown, Principal
    x3003 Jennifer Cooke, Assistant Principal
    x3001 Nancy Barrasso, Attendance Secretary
    x3002 Patti Suruskie, Secretary

  • Counseling & Guidance

    x3015 Autumn Rheaume, Counselor A-L
    x3014 Kimberly Shaw, Counselor M-Z
    x3012 Shannon Buser, Secretary

  • Nurse

    x3016 Kathy Blume

  • Psychologist

    x3010 Chad Rutherford

  • Technology Support

    x3209 CaroleMcGarry

Note: Faculty phone numbers go to voice mail during school hours

  • Art

    x3108 Kimberly Lopez
    x3107 Colin Temple

  • Computer Applications

    x3116 Kevin Adams

  • English & Reading

    x3104 Hillary Arndt
    x3103 Sophie Cannon
    x3211 Megan Heller
    x3114 Heather Kelly
    x3105 Cheryl Larson
    x3106 Alison Patton
    x3219 Nina Reynolds
    x3102 Stephanie Walters

  • Fitness & Wellness

    x3127
    x3126 Shannon Schmidt

  • Librarian

    x3008 Kate Sowers

  • Mathematics

    x3112 Kelvin Altemose
    x3303 Laura DeLong
    x3301 Scott Haag
    x3305 Sara Prout
    x3306 Jayme Raffauf
    x3302 Shawn Seidel
    x3304 Kathy Topper

  • Music

    x3122 Micah Albrycht
    x3123 Melissa Crotty
    x3221 Kyle Luckenbill

  • Science

    x3205 Brenda Brenner
    x3207 Gretchen Hess
    x3208 Nicole Keen
    x3204 Michelle Obst
    x3203 Tracy Powell
    x3206 Darryl Schucker

  • Social Studies

    x3226 Dena Burkhart
    x3202 Brad Galuska
    x3218 Cynthia Jurasinski-Boyer
    x3201 Janine Lucas
    x3227 Mike Noecker

  • Special Education

    x3210 Abigail Elsavage, Learning Support
    x3017, Stephanie Isselmann, Gifted
    x3215 Kaitlyn Kontopodias, Learning Support
    x3216 Amy Lubenow, Emotional Support
    x3113 Alyssa Raab, Life Skills
    x3101 Michelle Raccuglia, Learning Support
    x3220 Erin Schermerhorn, Learning Support
    x3117 Robyn Shaffer, Autistic Support

  • Technology Education

    x3206 Darryl Schucker
    x3111 Zachary Schools
    x3224 Jason Zalno

  • Therapist

    x3217 Kristin Swartley, Speech Therapist

  • World Languages

    x3212 Nichole Mandel, Spanish,
    x3219 Nina Reynolds, French
    x3104 Carolyn Woodford, German

Home » Author Jordan Sonnenblick Drums Up Enthusiasm for Writing at ETJH

band plays in junior high auditorium
jordan sonnenblick teaches students during a writing workshop

Most visiting authors usually open a school assembly with a funny story, a reading from one of their books, or some sort of PowerPoint presentation. But when Mr. Jordan Sonnenblick, the acclaimed young adult author of books such as “Drums, Girls + Dangerous Pie,” and “Zen and the Art of Faking It,” came to Exeter Township Junior High today, he opened his assembly behind the drums. 

Music is a central theme of many of Mr. Sonnenblick’s young adult novels, often with his teenage characters finding solace, healing or popularity behind a drum, guitar or saxophone. So it was only natural for Exeter librarian Mrs. Kate Sowers to ask Mr. Sonnenblick if he wanted to incorporate music into his assembly and play with the Junior High's famed teacher-fronted rock band, “The Early Dismissals,” when he first came to visit the school in 2018. Fast forward five years later, when Mrs. Sowers invited him back, Mr. Sonnenblick happily accepted with a light-hearted caveat, “Only if we can get the band back together.”

Besides playing the drums today, Mr. Sonnenblick will focus a full day on inspiring 7th and 8th grade students to become better writers in writing workshops, assemblies and book signings. But, somewhat ironically, it was a student who inspired him to become a writer when he was an 8th grade English teacher and had a student in his classroom who was dealing with a sibling’s cancer diagnosis. As he explained to a hushed and packed auditorium this morning, in an attempt to help her, he looked for a book where the character was going through a similar situation–and came up empty-handed. It was then that he dedicated his nights and weekends to writing a similar story, which eventually became his debut novel, “Drums, Girls + Dangerous Pie.” 

That book, written in 2004, is now being read by all 7th grade students in Exeter, which was a purposeful and thoughtful decision among the reading teachers to coincide with Mr. Sonnenblick’s visit as students had a chance to meet, talk with, learn from and be inspired by an author they were able to meet in person said Mrs. Sowers. “I hope Jordan’s visit today will help them learn a little bit more about the process, practice and hard work it takes to be a writer,” she said, continuing, “But I also hope that it inspires them to see that if he can do this, I can do this, and that their stories are important.”

Most visiting authors usually open a school assembly with a funny story, a reading from one of their books, or some sort of PowerPoint presentation. But when Mr. Jordan Sonnenblick, the acclaimed young adult author of books such as “Drums, Girls + Dangerous Pie,” and “Zen and the Art of Faking It,” came to Exeter Township Junior High today, he opened his assembly behind the drums. 

Music is a central theme of many of Mr. Sonnenblick’s young adult novels, often with his teenage characters finding solace, healing or popularity behind a drum, guitar or saxophone. So it was only natural for Exeter librarian Mrs. Kate Sowers to ask Mr. Sonnenblick if he wanted to incorporate music into his assembly and play with the Junior High's famed teacher-fronted rock band, “The Early Dismissals,” when he first came to visit the school in 2018. Fast forward five years later, when Mrs. Sowers invited him back, Mr. Sonnenblick happily accepted with a light-hearted caveat, “Only if we can get the band back together.”

Besides playing the drums today, Mr. Sonnenblick will focus a full day on inspiring 7th and 8th grade students to become better writers in writing workshops, assemblies and book signings. But, somewhat ironically, it was a student who inspired him to become a writer when he was an 8th grade English teacher and had a student in his classroom who was dealing with a sibling’s cancer diagnosis. As he explained to a hushed and packed auditorium this morning, in an attempt to help her, he looked for a book where the character was going through a similar situation–and came up empty-handed. It was then that he dedicated his nights and weekends to writing a similar story, which eventually became his debut novel, “Drums, Girls + Dangerous Pie.” 

That book, written in 2004, is now being read by all 7th grade students in Exeter, which was a purposeful and thoughtful decision among the reading teachers to coincide with Mr. Sonnenblick’s visit as students had a chance to meet, talk with, learn from and be inspired by an author they were able to meet in person said Mrs. Sowers. “I hope Jordan’s visit today will help them learn a little bit more about the process, practice and hard work it takes to be a writer,” she said, continuing, “But I also hope that it inspires them to see that if he can do this, I can do this, and that their stories are important.”

 

Exeter Township Junior High School

jh

Address & Contact Info

  • 151 East 39th Street
    Reading, PA 19606

  • District Phone:
    610-779-3320

  • Fax:
    610-249-0171

Follow us on social media

Our Schools

Exeter Township Senior High

Exeter Township Junior High

Reiffton School

Jacksonwald Elementary

Lorane Elementary

Owatin Creek Elementary