Taking it back to a time when scrunchies were the go-to way to style your big hair and teen magazines were your Instagram feed: Emily Amberman was there for it all.

Then known as Emily Wolfe, Amberman graduated in 1992 after being involved in many musical organizations, including the Drama Club, International Thespian Society, chorus, and K-Dettes. She was also a member of the Foreign Language Club.

As a member of the International Thespian Society, Amberman was one of the founding members of our school’s chapter and served as the secretary.

“It was exciting to be one of the founding members! Our inductee group definitely felt the weight and honor of that,” said Amberman.

When Amberman was in school, the building that we now know as the middle school was the high school. There were around 135 members in her graduating class, which is probably about half of what we house in the middle school nowadays!

The style of the typical 90s teenager included perms, sweater dresses, neon colors, big earrings, and rolled jeans. Amberman recalled participating in these trends.

Outside of school, Amberman and other teens enjoyed reading magazines such as Young Miss and Seventeen, as well as seeing movies in York. In Stewartstown, chaperoned dances were held each month in the community center, a popular activity enjoyed by many young people.

Music-wise, Amberman typically listened to the popular music of the time, which included all genres. Some artists she remembers are New Kids on the Block, Def Leppard, Janet Jackson, and Reba McEntire. Nowadays, she only listens to these artists if they play on the radio.

Post-graduation, she pursued an English degree from Shippensburg University. For about a year after college, she substituted at both Red Lion and here. Then, she became an English teacher at the high school until she needed to make a career adjustment.

Once her son was born, she stepped back from classroom teaching to focus on him more, becoming a library aide at both the middle and high schools.

“I thought I would teach English my whole career,” said Amberman.

Eventually, after she could devote more time to it, Amberman became a lead librarian at both schools. She has been in that position for the past six years.

Amberman had a fulfilling high school experience, which is reflective of her choice to stay here. However, when asked if she would go back, her response shows how times have changed.

“I would not want to do high school again as a student in this era […] I can’t imagine my high school experience with completing assignments online, having a smartphone, or dealing with social media,” said Amberman.

It goes without saying that our school district is small and full of connections. Amberman spoke about how this was one of the reasons she chose to work here after college. She mentioned the comfort of the “close-knit community” filled with old connections and people she grew up with influenced her decision to stay in the district.

Along with this, her son went through each of the schools, and she enjoyed making even more connections through his peers and their parents.

For current students, Amberman hopes they understand how much better life gets after high school. Even though she had a good experience, she believes that the world truly “opens up” after you graduate.

“I loved KD and my high school experience,” said Amberman. “I still bleed blue and gold. Otherwise, I wouldn’t still be here!”