Owatin Creek

Teacher’s journey inspires students and colleagues

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During the last 20 years, Michele Bautsch has worked in nearly every building in Exeter, and has held nearly a dozen different job titles, but none have been the most fulfilling to her until this year when she achieved her goal of becoming a full-time certified special education teacher–a journey that she said she owes to teachers and administrators who saw her special light, talent and love in working with emotional support students and kept encouraging her to further her education to have a classroom of her own. “I never thought I would become a special education teacher at 54,” said Michele, adding a touch of her signature encouragement: “It is never too late to go back to school and get the degree you deserve. It takes a lot of effort, but in the end it is all worth it.” 

Michele’s journey began in teaching when she earned an elementary education degree after graduating from college. However, when her children were born, she decided to stay home to care for them. When her girls, Rachel ‘12 and Jordan ‘14, entered school full time, Michele looked to return to work as a teacher, but her teaching certification had expired. It was then that she began her 20-year journey in the district holding a variety of teaching aide positions at Jacksonwald, Owatin Creek, Reiffton and the Senior High, mostly working with students who have special needs. Looking back, she said she always loved working with younger students, but it was seeing her impact on older kids with emotional needs that she found the greatest satisfaction, which propelled her to return to school in the fall of 2019 to recertify as a special education teacher. Next week, she’ll graduate from Alvernia with her master’s degree in special education–and a 4.0. 

Although Michele is quick to thank the administrators who encouraged her and inspired her to chase her dream of becoming a certified teacher, you’ll find that it’s those same people who are inspired by Michele’s own journey and perseverance. “She shows her students day in and day out that hard work pays off and that you can always strive for more for yourself,” says Secondary Special Education Supervisor Jillian Brodhead. Owatin Creek Principal Kristi Coble agreed, and added, “Seeing Michele in action with students, it was always evident she was meant to be a teacher. Her dedication to student success and to continue her education in order to do so is inspirational!”

Former teacher’s legacy is alive at Jacksonwald

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If you spend a few minutes with Kristine and Karlee Schmidt, you’ll soon discover that teaching at Exeter is more than a profession–it’s in their blood.

Kristine, a 1st grade teacher, and Karlee, a 3rd grade teacher, are mother and daughter, are both Exeter grads, and are both teachers at Jacksonwald–working just a floor apart from one another. But besides sharing the same workplace and the same sense of Exeter pride, they share the same inspiration for their careers thanks to their connection to Margaret “Peggy” Hart, an Exeter teacher for 38 years–and Kristine’s mother and Karlee’s grandmother. During her long career in Exeter, Peggy taught most elementary grades and later became a reading specialist before moving to the Senior High to “work with the neediest kids to help them graduate.” Although Peggy sadly passed away almost four years ago, her influence is still alive today in the thousands of students she taught, and by her daughter and granddaughter whom she inspired to carry on the tradition of teaching excellence that she nurtured here in Exeter.

“She was an icon,” said Kristine, speaking of her mom, who passed away at 85 years old. “Her dedication to teaching was so genuine and honest. She had so much love and care for the children she worked with. When I was growing up, we’d see students she had in the grocery store or somewhere, they’d light up when they saw her because they thought she was so wonderful. I went into teaching because she inspired me to want to become a great teacher like her.”

Upon graduating from Penn State, Kristine knew she wanted to return to Exeter to begin her career, where her mom was still working. “It was really important to me that I stayed here, where I grew up and had a sense of community and a sense of pride. Working in the district for a few years with my mom, also, was just such a special time for both of us,” she said. Thirty years later, she never thought that history would repeat itself when her own daughter would join her by also returning to Exeter to teach.

Karlee, who taught her first year in the Owen J. Roberts School District, applied for an open position in Exeter last year, never thinking she’d be placed in the same school as her mom. Describing the day she was hired as emotional and celebratory, Karlee said that her mom started crying as soon as she found that she was placed in Jacksonwald. Now, she says, she checks in with her mom daily to help mentor and support her in her new role. “I was very fortunate to be inspired by two of the greatest teachers–my grandmother and my mom–and I feel so lucky to be back at Exeter to teach and to help inspire the next generation of Exeter Eagles.”

Exeter Alum & Award-Winning Author Holds Workshop at Exeter

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“You can make a living in the arts. I make my own hours and make my own rules and I’m here to tell you that you can make a living making art.” 

Exeter alum Amy Sarig King ‘88, known professionally as A.S. King, author of more than a dozen young adult books, such as “Switch,” “Dig,” and “Still Life With a Tornado;” recipient of many literary awards, including the Michael L. Printz Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; and champion for teenagers everywhere, returned to her former high school on Thursday and her former junior high on Friday to inspire a new generation of Eagles to make characters, to make stories, to make art–and to push through some of the most difficult–yet foundational–years of their lives. “Teenagers are going through a lot. I survived (those years) because this is where I learned to write.” 

Describing herself as a student who was “weird, with an arty brain,” King pointed out the exact assignment that perhaps was the genesis for her entire career. In 9th grade, she was assigned to write about an inanimate object; she chose a can of succotash. Her teacher, Patti Vroman, was enthusiastic about King’s results and, “made me feel like I had done something right.” From there, she says, she started to find her voice and develop her confidence as a writer. 

During two days filled with presentations, workshops and discussions, it doesn’t take long to discover that King writes for teens because she deeply appreciates these formative years and the complicated journey they go through as they discover themselves. She also says that it was her own journey here in Exeter that deeply affects and influences her writing–with some of those events finding retold homes in her books. Today, she says that both her writing and teaching work is meant to lift up the generation who she describes as not being appreciated by the general public. “They’re hurtful toward them,” she says, her voice softening. “I want to give them a place to express their feelings and give them an outlet… I want to be able to help teenagers understand that what they have to say and what they feel is actually important. I don’t think they’re given that message enough.” 

When she’s not writing novels, speeches or teaching, King holds writing workshops and lectures all over the world for little kids to big kids to Ph.D. students–and everyone in between–as Exeter students were so lucky to have found out when she delivered two full days of presentations, workshops and discussions with students at both the Junior and Senior High this week. Exeter librarians Nancy Gajewski and Kate Sowers organized the event and invited King because of her ties to Exeter–and because “I love her novels,” said Junior High Librarian, Kate Sowers. Nancy Gajewski echoed the same sentiment, and added, "Her life experiences are also amazing and her honesty with the kids was refreshing." 

Interestingly, King’s writing workshop for dozens of 9th through 12th graders on Thursday afternoon mirrored her assignment back in Exeter during the 80s as she began the workshop asking students to develop a character by writing from the point of view of a relatable inanimate object. 

“Trust me,” she said, as if she knew the success of the assignment.

Board of School Directors June Meeting Date Changes

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The Exeter Township Board of School Directors will meet on the following dates in June at the Exeter Township Administration Building. As always, these meetings are open to the public:

  • Wednesday, June 1 at 6PM – Committee of the Whole (originally scheduled for Tuesday, June 7)
  • Tuesday, June 28 at 7PM – Voting Meeting (originally scheduled for Tuesday, June 21, then Tuesday, June 14)

Thank you.

Revised: 5/13/22

Exeter Publishes Draft of 2021-24 Comprehensive Plan

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During the ETSD Board of School Directors' April 19th Voting Meeting, Dr. Eric Flamm, Director of Teaching and Learning, presented the District’s updated Comprehensive Plan, which must be submitted to the state by August. The plan has undergone enhancements since it was initially presented as a draft in the fall. The plan is available for public review by clicking HERE and scrolling to the bottom row of buttons.

What’s a Comprehensive Plan?
Sometimes known as a “strategic plan,” a Comprehensive Plan lays out the District’s mission, vision, values and priorities by creating very specific steps and timelines to reach those goals. In education, these plans may include curriculum choices, benchmark and diagnostic assessment tools (e.g., testing), professional development plans, etc. A comprehensive plan looks at the District’s strengths and weaknesses as guideposts for development of the plan.

Why does it matter?
The Comprehensive Plan provides measurable goals and timelines to guide all of the District’s work with stakeholders: students, staff, administration, parents and the community. In short, decisions by the Administration and Board revolve around whether the outcome is in alignment with the Comprehensive Plan.

Can I review this plan and make comments on it?
Yes! The plan is available HERE. There are also paper copies of the plan in each building as well as at the Exeter Community Library. The public has the opportunity to review and make comments on the plan for 30 days. During the ETSD Board of School Directors Committee of the Whole meeting on June 7th at 6PM, Dr. Flamm will provide a report to the Board on public commentary before the Board votes on the approval of the plan at a later meeting.

To provide feedback, please contact Dr. Eric Flamm at epflamm@nullexetersd.org or 610-779-0700 x1030.

Every Day is Earth Day at Owatin Creek

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Tomorrow may be Earth Day, but at Owatin Creek, every day seems like a celebration of nature with the school's eco-friendly focus. Each wing is decorated in its own season; school assemblies take place on nice days in the natural outdoor amphitheater; and the school even has its own nature trail cams, outdoor classroom and walking trails. The school, which opened in 2011, also boasts an eco-conscious design with a geothermal HVAC system, energy efficient lighting and solar panels, earning it a Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) certification in 2012.

But what you may not know is that even the gardens at Owatin Creek are thoughtfully planted, with 2nd grade teachers taking lead on this project and partnering with the Owatin Creek APT, Wolf-Run Landscapes and Ridgewood Soils to donate their materials and time to install and plant a certified native garden at the entrance to the school. Since the garden was designed, installed and planted in 2016, all OC second graders go through a rite of passage (and get a little dirty) by helping their teachers maintain and care for the garden throughout the year--with some high schoolers returning in the summer to help with maintenance to earn community service hours.

 
Second grade teacher Dani Jupina said that achieving a certified native garden takes thought with the plant selection and how it impacts the natural environment. "A native garden has plants that are native to this part of Pennsylvania. They help the pollinators, the birds--really, all of the things that are native to this area. These," she says, as she points to the garden, "are the plants they need to survive."