Episodes

Join us as we chat with Chris Stone, the freshman tennis sensation from Emmaus High School, who recently won the District 11 boys single tennis championship. Chris shares his journey through 9th grade, detailing how his brother’s presence in high school eased his transition. Despite initial challenges with the workload and school size, Chris quickly adapted, finding his stride both academically and athletically. Chris dives deep into his tennis season, highlighting the mix of nerves and confi...

In this episode, we delve into the journey of securing employment as a young individual, exploring the experiences and insights of our guest, Dorney Park Recruitment Manager Katie Knopf. Katie began her work career at Dorney Park during her 9th-grade year as a seasonal employee and has advanced through the years to full-time management positions. Katie stresses the importance for young employees to understand the balance of fun and responsibility in the workplace emphasizing the importance of ma...

Damon West, author of "The Coffee Bean," shares his inspiring journey from a 9th grader wanting to make varsity football in Texas to eventually serving a life sentence in a Texas prison and his ultimate transformation into a keynote speaker, best-selling author, philanthropist, college professor, and servant leader. West reflects on his ninth-grade experience, highlighting the pressures of Texas high school football and struggling with math. Despite challenges, he excelled in sports to earn a...

In this episode we continue the 9th Grade Experience Through the Decades series in collaboration with the Emmaus Historical Society. Our second episode welcomes Ruth Kemmerer, a graduate of Emmaus High School from the class of 1949, whose freshman year dates back to the 1945-1946 school year. Listeners can expect to hear about the unique challenges, memorable moments, and the overall atmosphere of Emmaus High School during that era. Ruth's recollections offer a window into the past, allowing the...

One of the fastest growing sports in the Lehigh Valley over the past few seasons has been girls wrestling. Emmaus High School becomes the latest school to add a a team in what the NCAA calls an Emerging Sport as it begins the 2023-2024 campaign. For freshman Petra Perez and Kadence Yannotti it has been a steep learning curve to a brand new sport. Hear about their reasons for joining, what they have quickly learned about the sport and themselves during this process and what advice they have fo...

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, it's a great time to look back and reflect on the many positives in our lives for the fifth annual Attitude of Gratitude special episode. Over 60 members of the Emmaus High School community took time during this busy period of the school year to share a little bit about what makes them #EastPennProud and thankful. So before you fill your plate with food, once again fill yourself with an attitude of gratitude with the students and staff at EHS. Previ...

As we prepare to enter the holiday season, our focus in this week’s episode is on three main topics: Remembrance, Gratitude, and Advocacy. Remembrance At the beginning of the episode, we take time to remember Emmaus High School junior Edwin Cortes, who was killed in a car accident on October 31. Edwin was a student in my 9th grade science class in 2021 and I shared some thoughts about him and how quickly life can change for anyone at any age. Gratitude We welcome Ms. Rosemary Lamparella ba...

“I remember when …” In our modern, technology-driven school world, adults will often get caught up saying that things were much better and different when they were back in school. But for Dorris Schaffer, she truly means. The 99-year old Emmaus resident was a freshman at Emmaus High School during the 1938-1939 school year. There was no fancy technology - just papers, books, and pencils. She selected her classes on the first day of school. She was able to go home for lunch and was truste...

On this episode, we focus on the re-emergence of the Emmaus High School Freshman Mentoring Program. The goal of the group is to establish a sense of community by having upperclassmen mentors meet with and guide the freshmen during monthly meetings. They will have an opportunity to learn about how to become a successful high school student from their upperclassmen peers. Listen as the the mentors, as well as the building administrators in charge of the program, share their reasons for wanting ...

It's hard to believe but summer is quickly coming to an end! As you gather up your materials, finish up your last-minute summer must-dos, and attempt to find the charger for your Chromebook, tune into this episode that features students handing out practical, bite-sized information on how to best slay your 9th grade year. We asked students during the 2022-2023 school, ranging from 9th grade year to days before graduation and from Emmaus, Pa, to Mexico about what it takes to be successful in h...

It has taken over 100 episodes, but finally the tables have turned on me on my own podcast! Usually I am the one asking students, educators, and others about their time in the first year of high school, but on this episode, Emmaus High School student Connor Miller had the opportunity to ask me what it was like to be a 9th grader at Holy Ghost Prep in Bensalem, Pa., back in the 1990s. We did this interview as part of a project in which he needed to find an expert in a field for his journalism ...