Alumni Stories

By Dana Larkin Sauers '74, P'99, P'03, P'03, P'09

Jenny (Yantis) Sanders ’97 fondly reminisces about her time at Delone Catholic by thinking of her favorite teachers: Mr. Andrew Franko, Ms. Mary Furlong, Ms. Ruthann Pinkos, Mrs. Dana Sauers, and Señora Connie Schlak. She emphasizes the every-school-day experience of sitting in class with those dedicated to intellectual and faith development.

With the strong foundational role modeling of her parents, with whom Jenny shared a close bond, she says that her “faith and commitment to serving people” is what she brought from Delone Catholic into her adult life. “I strive to live a life devoted to the teachings of Jesus; do unto others as I would have them do unto me.”

“My husband, Adam, a district senior manager for Walmart, and I are devoted to our Catholic faith and attend St. Patrick’s Church in York, Pa. I also teach religious education there and help with our parish picnic in the summer. I am inspired by the humble and honest lives of my students. They are a reminder of how wonderful my upbringing was from my parents.”

Jenny shares she hasn’t any obstacles per se... “just challenges that help me to reaffirm that life is about how, as a Christian, I face my difficulties and overcome them, by seeing them as a reminder of my blessings and how they are a test of me as a human being.”

Her 2003 graduation from West Chester (BS, ED) and her teaching Certification in Early Childhood Education with a minor in psychology credentialed her for a teaching career. Her post-graduate work from Pennsylvania State York, Teaching and Curriculum, and Neumann University: Autism Endorsement Certificate, fortified her knowledge base for educational service in her position as a Learning Support (K-8) and 5th-grade math teacher. 

Employed at Our Lady of the Angels School in the Diocese of Harrisburg, she and her husband live in York, Pa., with their 14-year-old son Dylan and their Goldendoodle, Murray. They shared a family trip to New Orleans three summers ago. “I have also enjoyed visiting the Outer Banks, N.C., and Williamsburg, Va.,” Jenny said.

An additional part of Delone Catholic remains in the classmates with whom she has stayed in contact. “I keep in touch with friends such as Janelle (Weaver) Hummer, Laura Sneeringer, and Carrie Smith through Facebook! Thank God for technology! I also have maintained my close friendship with my best friend of 43 years, Jaime (Lescalleet) Smith.”

Jenny's older brother Michael "Mike" '89 and older sister Michelle "Mimi" Abbadessa '91 also graduated from Delone Catholic.