East Penn school remembered

Members of the East Penn Elementary family came out to wish the school one final fond farewell on Saturday.

At the end of the year, East Penn will close its doors for the last time, punctuating the 63-year history of the institution.

But on Saturday afternoon, everyone was welcomed back to a school that many regarded as a home away from home.

“Today was our closing ceremony for the school. We’ll be going to the elementary center next year. It was a day for former students, teachers, administrators and parents to come in, share their memories, and take one last time to visit the school,” first-grade teacher and event organizer Rhonda Zerbe said.

Mike Balliet, who attended the school starting in the late ’90s, said he was happy to reconnect with some of his favorite teachers who had an incredible impact on his early education.

“It was really good, because in elementary school, they were the ones who saw the most potential in me.

“They really believed in me, and I’m doing good now,” he said.

Although it came out of the ground far earlier than expected, the school’s time capsule brought back plenty of memories for students like Balliet.

“We opened the time capsule from 2004, and inside were copies of the Morning Call and Times News from the day we did the time capsule. There were also bookmarks that each student made,” Zerbe said.

Throughout the halls, students, teachers and staff members explored their old haunting grounds, flipping throughout photo books and checking out those old school projects on display in the classrooms.

“I had a fair amount of former students come in and come to the room and sign my shirt. I had some extra pictures they took along. A lot of students were taking pictures of old pictures that they were in,” Zerbe said.

While rehashing old memories with friends and former teachers was plenty of fun, many from the East Penn family said that they will miss the close-knit atmosphere of the school once the doors are shuttered.

Lynn Borger was a volunteer and PTO member at the school when her son attended in the early to mid-90s. Whenever the school needed a reader who dressed up in character, a test grader, or any other service, she was there for her fellow East Penn parents and teachers.

That camaraderie, she said, will be hard to let go.

“I’ll miss the closeness. He can still walk up to his teachers and give them hugs, and they still remember him. They were very personable and close, and everybody got along,” she said.

Thinking on her nearly two and half decades at East Penn, Zerbe admitted that she will miss the small classes where she would teach the children of former students, but she is ready to look forward.

“It’s difficult, because I’ve been in the same room, same spot for 23 years. I know the families in the area. I’m familiar with everything. It’s going to be difficult to go, but it’ll be a new adventure,” she said.