As summer closes, and school now underway, Antietam High School Class of 2026 graduate, Jakob Shrem, steps out on his new journey as college freshman at Penn State University in University Park, PA. Saying good-bye to his high school was filled with bittersweet memories of rich experiences which prepared him well for his future as a college student. His high school experience provided opportunities for him to seize leadership roles, excel in sports, and achieve success academically, despite obstacles unexpectedly placed in the path of students in the Antietam District over the past few years.
Growing up in Pennside, the oldest child of John and Katrina Shrem, Jakob and his younger brother Kaleb enjoyed a memorable childhood together in their tight knit community. “My favorite memories were going to the Antietam Pool during the summertime and hanging out with my friends. Everyone was within walking distance, and it was great to have all of my friends so easily accessible.” As a multi-talented athlete, his involvement in team sports started early. “My parents put me into soccer around the age of four, and I enjoyed it a lot. It was my favorite sport throughout my life. In third grade I started playing basketball with the Orange Crush, our team name. Both soccer and basketball were with Antietam Valley Athletics. I started playing baseball when I was in eighth grade for my middle school team at Antietam.”
Jakob excelled in each of the three sports he participated in at Antietam. In soccer, he was Most Improved Player his sophomore year, Most Valuable Player his senior year, and All-Division Honorable Mention as a sophomore, junior and senior. For basketball, Jakob received Antietam’s Bob Romanski Award, as well as All-Division Honorable Mention, both as a senior. In baseball, he was All-Division Honorable Mention as a sophomore, Most Improved Player in both his sophomore and junior years, and All-Division his junior year. Jakob was captain of both the soccer and basketball teams as a senior, and baseball team captain since his sophomore year.
As a culmination to all his hard work, in 2026, Jakob was honored as Antietam High School’s Most Outstanding Athlete of the year. “Being involved with sports helped me keep busy and kept me in shape. In playing a team sport, you learn to have success together as well as lose as a team – we were all in it together, for all of the wins and losses. It was a natural progression for me through the years, being with all of my friends.”
Along with the time commitment required to excel as an athlete, Jakob devoted equally to his academics. “I took honors courses throughout high school and made the honor roll each marking period. I graduated with a 4.2 GPA, and was inducted into the National Honor Society.” Upon graduation, Jakob received scholarships from the Berks County Area Firefighters, Dr. Richard Flannery Scholarship, Bob Romansky Award for Athletics, and The Mount Penn PTL Scholarship.
Jakob and his classmates met some obstacles on their road to graduation from Antietam. First was the challenge of navigating the Covid pandemic, which transitioned from in-classroom education to zoom classroom instruction in seventh grade, hybrid classes in eighth, and back in the classroom but masked in ninth grade. Then, on July 9th 2023, Antietam Middle-Senior High School suffered a catastrophic flood, leaving 90 percent of the school unsafe and unusable for the coming year. Students were relocated to spaces throughout the community while the district struggled to find temporary learning spaces for its students.
“I would say that during the pandemic it was harder for math; it was tough, and it set me back in math, but it was pretty easy to find my way back and able to keep up with the pace. As for the flood, it was challenging at first but not as bad as it first seemed. Traveling to another location did not affect my learning; however the biggest issue was having to play basketball in the old Mount Penn gym instead of our big gym, but we were OK once we got adjusted.”
Jakob’s skills as a leader at his high school were proven by his election as Class President for four years and Vice President of the Student Council. His words of advice to all students: “Be consistent, stay balanced, and have a set of goals; treat everyone the way you want to be treated, stay involved, be outgoing, and put yourself out there.” Wrapping up his last summer before heading off to college, Jakob worked for the 4th year as a lifeguard and swimming instructor at the Antietam Swimming Pool, a place that holds many of his favorite childhood memories.
Now into his first month as an official Penn State student, Jakob is enjoying the excitement of being a member of an entirely new student body. “I always wanted to go to Penn State, and I had a lot of family members who went. I am looking forward to the athletic environment, building relationships, new friends, putting myself out there and creating more opportunities.”
He is majoring in biology, and plans to pursue a career dentistry. He hopes to achieve this next milestone and have the opportunity to have his own dental practice where he builds close relationships with his patients while caring for their smiles. Best of luck and success in achieving your goals for the future, Jakob!
