News

Exeter Team Named Grand Champion in State STEM Competition

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From left: Leahnessa Ortiz, Zak Kauffman, Hansika Kunduru, Peyton Seamans and Olivia Maldonado. Below: Images from the team's prototype test at Blue Marsh Lake.

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A group of some of the brightest STEM students at Exeter won the distinct honor of presenting their design and working prototype of a water-sampling remotely operating vehicle (or ROV) in the ninth annual Governor’s STEM Competition--a statewide competition that challenges student teams from across the state to research, design and present a device or project that can make the quality of life better for Pennsylvanians by accomplishing a series of practical tasks that can fulfill real-world needs. Out of more than 60 entries from across the state, Exeter's team was named a Grand Champion and placed among the top teams in the state.

Exeter's team, who was selected and advised by Mr. Zachary Potter, consisted of Leahnessa Ortiz, Zak Kauffman, Hansika Kunduru, Peyton Seamans and Olivia Maldonado, who worked with Army Corps of Engineers representatives from Blue Marsh Lake to design and create a prototype meant to be used as part of Blue Marsh's harmful algae bloom (HABs) management program. "The device the team designed allows park rangers at Blue Marsh to conduct water sampling at the swim beach and other areas of the lake without having to enter the water and potentially come in contact with harmful cyanotoxins produced by the harmful algae bloom. In the summer, this sampling is required multiple times each week, and currently requires park rangers to wade into water chest deep to take samples," said Mr. Potter.

In the 10 years Mr. Potter's been advising the Governor's STEM team, this is the first year that one of his teams has qualified for the state-level championship. Additionally, he said, it's the first time that a team he's advised has ever been able to deliver and test a completed prototype of their design to their real-world partner, which is a requirement of the competition as teams are required to meet with a member of their local community or business to develop a solution to a real problem rooted in the community. This helps create an authentic experience for them, while providing opportunities for them to learn more about career pathways and employment opportunities based in STEM.

The theme for this year's competition was "Innovating the Commonwealth through Collaboration and Computing." In a press release announcing the winners, Acting Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin congratulated Exeter and the other 19 winners and said, "The thought and innovation that went into this year’s projects continues to show us why Pennsylvania has long been seen as a national leader in STEM. The Commonwealth is fortunate to have such talented, knowledgeable, and creative students.”

Exeter bids “Auf Wiedersehen” to German Students

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A group of German students thank Exeter at the end of their stay by creating a bulletin board at the Senior High school. 
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For a classroom presentation, German students set up a pretend cafe in the senior high where Exeter German I students practiced speaking German by ordering food.
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German students and their Exeter student hosts. 
Right before spring break, Exeter bid a fond "Auf Wiedersehen" to 16 German students and two chaperones who were welcomed by host students and their families to experience school and life here in Exeter. Besides visiting New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. as a group, German students enjoyed some of the simpler enjoyments of American life, such as their first visit to Target and trying new foods and experiences with their Exeter host families--including trips to Amish Country, the Pagoda, Centralia and the King of Prussia Mall. They also were lucky enough to visit during the senior high's production of "Matilda" and the basketball state championship game in Hershey. In exchange, Exeter students loved classroom presentations given by the German students about their school system, political system, and more about their food, culture and history in the classes that they visited during their two-week stay.
 
Along with English teacher Mr. Robert Wickstrom, German teacher Mrs. Carolyn Woodford organized the Germans' stay and said that one of the things that she truly appreciates about the experience, which Exeter has been a part of for more than 30 years, is how it allows Exeter students to take new pride in their school and community. "The best way to experience another culture is to be a part of it. Host families made sure that our guests experienced a wide variety of activities, many of which were school-related and allowed our students to deepen their school pride and see everyday things through a new perspective," she said. "Our students have had the unique opportunity to form friendships that can potentially last a lifetime and lead to more visits in each other's respective countries. This program cannot be taught--it needs to be experienced!"

Science Olympiad to Compete in State Tournament

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Congratulations to our Senior High's Science Olympiad team who qualified for states during the regional tournament yesterday at Kutztown University! During the competition, students, who are advised by Mrs. Amber Bollinger and Mr. William Lasky, test their knowledge in many different areas of science, including earth science, biology, chemistry, physics or engineering by competing in events against other schools, such as building structures, creating design logs and data tables, and completing lab practicals or exams. During yesterday's competition, Gillian Foster and Zak Kauffman placed first in Forestry; Katie Hoover, Hansika Kunduru, and Alex Nerney placed second in Experimental Design; Chase Cupitt and Anthony Tartaglia placed third in Astronomy; Gillian Foster and Audrey Gielrich placed third in Rocks and Minerals; and Ella Lynch and Aubrey Ridge placed first in Cyber Security. Congratulations to all of our members who participate in this extracurricular after-school club, and best wishes to all of them at the state tournament, which will be held in State College in April!

Seniors Earn National African American Recognition Award from the College Board

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Seniors Jason Lee and Malayna Spiller received the National African American Recognition Award from the College Board due to their outstanding academic achievements in school and performance on College Board assessments. More than 180,000 students from all 50 states were eligible to apply for the College Board National Recognition Programs, which grant students with academic honors that can be included on college and scholarship applications. These National Recognition Programs grant underrepresented students with academic honors that can be included on college and scholarship applications and connect students with universities across the country, helping them meaningfully connect to colleges and stand out during the admissions process. 

Jason is the son of Rafaela Lopez and Freddy Lee and plans to attend Penn State University to major in electrical engineering. He is a member of the Technology Student Association, Spanish Club and played football and tennis during high school. Malayna is the daughter of Mylissa and Marcus Spiller and also plans to attend Penn State University to major in finance. She is a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Club, a Mini-THON leader and participated in dance throughout high school.

Students were eligible to apply for this national recognition if they had a GPA of 3.5 or higher, excelled on the PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 or earned a score of three or higher on two or more AP Exams; and are African American or black, Hispanic American or Latino, indigenous and/or attend school in a rural area or small town. Congratulations to both Jason and Malayna for earning this national award!

27 Technology Student Association (TSA) Students Move onto State Competition

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The senior high's Technology Student Association (TSA) has been at work since September to compete in this year’s regional competition, where they placed in the top five in 25 different events–including eight 1st place, five 2nd place and six 3rd place finishers. Even more impressively, 27 students were selected to present their work in the state competition next month--an Exeter record! TSA is a voluntary after-school STEM club where students work to create technology-based projects for specific events ranging from everything from biotechnology to fashion, board game design to debating, and robotics to writing extemporaneous essays. The club is overseen by Mr. Zachary Potter and Mr. Terry Lorah and meets weekly. We’re pleased to present a selection of students and their winning work and wish them all of the best in mid April when they travel to western PA to present their projects for the state-level competition!

Junior Gaige Gabriel Selected for National Volleyball Team

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Junior Gaige Gabriel was selected as one of 18 players nationally to make the roster for USA Volleyball for the 2023 NORCECA Continental USA U19 National Team. He'll head to California this weekend to train at USA Volleyball's Anaheim National Team Training Center, where, at the end of next week, he'll find out if he's been selected to make the traveling 12-man roster to represent the United States. If selected, he'll compete with players from around the world as the US team travels to Guatemala City to compete on March 11-19 in the 2023 NORCECA Boys U19 Continental Championship. The NORCECA is a required event prior to the World Championships being held in Argentina in August of 2023.

Gabriel, who announced his commitment to play volleyball at Penn State in December, plays for Exeter as well as the Yorktowne Volleyball Club, and was selected for the 2021 and 2022 BCIAA boys' volleyball all-star team as well as the 2022 District 3 All States. Standing at an impressive 6'8," Gabriel's been playing the sport since seventh grade when he was recruited to play thanks to his height. In a short amount of time, however, he's proven he's more than just a tall kid, rising from a locally-known to a national player with more than ten Division I offers to play volleyball after he graduates from Exeter next year. Humble about his success, Gaige said he was honored to have been selected and said, "I was so excited when I found out. Nothing could kill my mood for the next week."

Gabriel is the second player in Exeter history have been chosen for this national honor with the last player, Pieter Olree, being selected in the late 90s. Orlee went on to play volleyball professionally after his graduation from Ohio State.