Exeter School District inducts 4 into hall of fame

Keith Dmochowski, Reading Eagle, Pa.
·2 min read

Nov. 16—The Exeter School District celebrated the achievements of four notable alumni, educators and community members who were inducted into the Exeter Alumni Association's Academic Hall of Fame at a ceremony Saturday.

Those inducted were Kevin DeAcosta (Class of 1984), president and CEO of the Highlands of Wyomissing; Robert Jordan, retired Exeter Township fire chief; Dr. Andrea Smith (Class of 1997), a maxillofacial prosthodontist; and Peggy Fleck, a retired school counselor.

Inductees are chosen for their contributions to society and credit they've brought to the school district through their achievements, volunteerism or work, school officials said in a press release.

DeAcosta said during his speech that he was surprised to have been selected because he did not consider himself an exemplary student while at Exeter. In fact, he said, he read his first book in high school.

"It wasn't that I couldn't read," DeAcosta said. "I couldn't comprehend what I was reading. I could recognize words, but I didn't understand their meaning."

He recounted how an Exeter reading specialist, Peggy Hart, taught him how to comprehend words, which changed his life.

"I believe as I get older and think back, she will be the teacher that I think of the most," DeAcosta said.

Jordan raised his family in Exeter, joining the Reiffton Fire Company in 1978 and becoming chief in 1996. In 2009, he became the first fire chief of the newly merged Exeter Township Fire Department.

During his professional career, Jordan led numerous educational efforts of fire safety for Exeter students.

Smith is one of only 350 maxillofacial prosthodontists worldwide. She was valedictorian from Penn State University's Eberly College of Science and Columbia University's College of Dental of Medicine. Smith became the first female clinical director of the Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic until she joined Berks Prosthodontics.

Fleck was selected as Pennsylvania's Elementary School Counselor of the Year in 1991. At Exeter, she was responsible for introducing elementary developmental guidance programs to the district, where she also coached students and supported students outside of the classroom.

The Academic Hall of Fame began in 2005 as a project of the Exeter Community Education Foundation and typically selects four to six inductees each year. This year's class brings the number of honorees to 74.