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Jacksonwald Elementary

Grades K-4 | 610-779-1820

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Directory

JACKSONWALD ELEMENTARY

100 Church Lane Road | Reading, PA 19606
(610) 779-1820

Click Here For A Searchable Directory
  • Office

    x5103 Matt Hathaway, Principal
    x5101 Dani Merkel, Secretary
    x5102 Marybeth Eckenroth, Attendance Secretary

  • Counselor & Psychologist

    x5210 Kate Atkinson, School Counselor
    x5712 Jodi Landis, Psychologist

  • Nurse

    x5104 Nicole Strauss

  • Technology Support

    x5136 Kristin Kenagy

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

  • Kindergarten

    x5427 Christine Druzba
    x5425 Lori Simmons
    x5426 Ashley Weaver

  • Grade 1

    x5119 Christina Ibanez
    X5121 Becky Krommes
    x5120 Kristine Schmidt

  • Grade 2

    x5124 Val Bloch
    x5123 Cyndi Lorady 
    x5126 Christine Motley

  • Grade 3

    x5219 Jenna Conrow
    x5221 Kaitlyn Lohr
    x5217 Stacia Miller
    x5220 Karlee Perilli

  • Grade 4

    X5226 Melissa Adams
    x5224 Brianna Amanto
    x5227 Elizabeth Caruso
    x5225 Todd Papich 

  • Reading & Intervention Specialists

    x5211 Hillary Arndt, Intervention Specialist
    x5422 Rachel Gierlich, English as a Second Language
    x5212 Nancy Salvatore, Reading Specialist
    x5207 Allison Shuman, Reading/Intervention Specialist

  • Special Education

    x5419 Karyn Algeo, Autistic Support
    x5117 Jennifer Elliott, Learning Support
    x5127 Heather Gromlich, Autistic Support
    x5223 Trisha Maguire, Learning Support
    x5218 Saranne Reisig, Learning Support
    x5423 Robyn Shaffer, Autistic Support
    x5125 Kathleen Walker, Gifted

  • Specials

    x5150 Matt Hadley, Physical Education
    x5417 Heather Hafer, Music
    x5208 Amy Parsons, Art
    x5418 Emily Reppert, Instrumental Music
    x5138 Wendy Wegman, Library

  • Therapist

    x5420 Daria Robinson, Speech Therapist

Home » 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.

Jacksonwald Elementary School

jacksonwald

Address & Contact Info

  • 100 Church Lane Road
    Reading, PA 19606

  • Phone:
    610-779-1820

  • Fax:
    610-779-8844

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Our Schools

Exeter Township Senior High

Exeter Township Junior High

Reiffton School

Jacksonwald Elementary

Lorane Elementary

Owatin Creek Elementary