NINTH GRADER FITS RIGHT INTO THE KNIGHT’S ROUNDTABLE

Moving to a new state can be a very traumatic experience for a teenage girl.  New school, new friends, new teams… it all sounds so scary to the typical high school sophomore.  Fortunately for Jackie Sautter, she bypassed all the fears and walked into Ardrey Kell High School excited about the future. The rest is history as she enters her third sport of the season with a smile and a love for Ardrey Kell High School and her new hometown, Charlotte.

Jackie and her parents, Bob and Marlene, moved to Charlotte this summer from Harrisburg, PA.  In Pennsylvania, Jackie played many sports and did quite well.  One of the first people she met here in Charlotte was Ardrey Kell Athletic Director Cheryl Feeney.  The energetic athletic director welcomed Jackie to the school and made her feel right at home.  Recognizing her desire to succeed, Feeney helped Jackie get started with the golf team.

Golf was new to Jackie, yet she managed to improve each week and ended up being named The Most Improved Golfer Award for the Knights.  Jackie hopes to continue to play golf and help Ardrey Kell build a quality program.

Basketball arrived next on the calendar.  On the second day of practice, Jackie suffered a concussion and was forced to sit for a week.  Upon her return, Coach Sonja Tate started Jackie on the JV squad before moving her to the Varsity team in December.  Jackie played quality minutes and enjoyed her role on the team.

Now for the first time in five years, Jackie has elected to play softball.  Coach Phil Williams asked Jackie to play and after a couple of seconds of thought, Jackie said yes.  After only a few weeks of practice, Jackie is settling into Right Field for the Knights.

“Playing three sports has really helped me to make a lot of friends this year,” said Jackie.  “It has been really neat to be at a new school and be a part of all the new teams.  I am real excited about the next two years at Ardrey Kell.”

Jackie has also started to explore her future by serving as a volunteer teacher of 4 year olds at Saint Matthew Catholic Church.  An offer to help stuff informational packets for the church led to a position teaching the young children.  Jackie has really enjoyed working with young ones and also spends time at Hawk Ridge Elementary working with Kindergarten students.

“Working with the young children has led me to set a goal of one day becoming a teacher. I would either like to be a Special Education Teacher or a 6th Grade Science Teacher one day.  I have found that I have a real passion for working with kids.”

With a strong performance in the classroom this season, Jackie is well on her way to achieving the needed education to complete her goal. In a few years, this personable tenth grader will look back on her move to Charlotte as a wonderful experience.  Until then, you can count on Jackie Sautter to be a key player in the development of the athletic program at Ardrey Kell High School!