For Mike and Sam Gustantino, community is more than a place to live—it is where careers began, family memories are made, traditions continue, and neighbors become part of the story. Since building their home in Palmyra in July 2015, the Gustantinos have embraced the warmth of the area and the close-knit spirit that makes raising a family here feel meaningful.

     Mike, 46, is a business education teacher at Hershey High School, where he has taught for more than two decades. He teaches Accounting and Entrepreneurship, advises the Trojan Trading Post, and serves as head coach of the Hershey High School cross country program. Sam, 38, brings her own deep commitment to teaching and connection. A former elementary teacher in DTSD and former preschool teacher at Derry Preschool, she is now a yoga instructor and studio leader at Wild and Free Power Yoga in Hershey and Elizabethtown, as well as an instructor at CrossFit Hershey in Palmyra.

     The couple’s daughters, Emily and Maggie, bring enthusiasm and creativity to the family mix. Emily, age 10, is a fifth grader at Lingle Avenue Elementary School in Palmyra. She enjoys basketball, crafting, tennis, reading, art class, Girls on the Run, and time with friends and family. Maggie, age 7½, is a second grader at Lingle Avenue Elementary School who enjoys math, reading, dance, baking with her mom, board games, and building Lego sets. She takes ballet, hip hop, jazz, and tap at Palmyra Academy of Dance. Both girls also take tennis lessons at Hershey Country Club, following in the footsteps of their great-grandparents, Bill and Nancy DeLiberty.

Sam was born and raised in Hershey and attended Derry Township schools from kindergarten through graduation. Mike grew up north of Reading and first came to Hershey when he accepted a student teaching placement at Hershey High School during the 2003–04 school year. That opportunity became the beginning of a long career in the district and a lasting affection for the community.

     Mike and Sam married in July 2013 at Grace United Methodist Church in Hummelstown and celebrated their reception at the Antique Auto Museum in Hershey. They began married life in Harrisburg before building their Palmyra home two years later. Today, they say they could not be happier raising their daughters in a place where relationships, school spirit, and local traditions feel woven into everyday life.

Education has been a defining thread for both Mike and Sam. Mike graduated from Shippensburg University in 2003 and later earned his MBA from Penn State University in December 2007. At Hershey High School, he has spent his career helping students build practical business skills and confidence. Through the Trojan Trading Post, which has sold Hershey apparel to the community since 2009, he gives students hands-on experience with entrepreneurship, retail, marketing, and school pride.

     Running is another major part of Mike’s life. After playing soccer in high school, he began running to stay in shape after college. Being selected through the lottery for the 2006 New York City Marathon sparked his love of long-distance racing, eventually leading him to complete several marathons, including Boston and Chicago. That passion now fuels his work as a cross country coach, where he helps young runners pursue goals on the course and lessons they can carry into life.

     Sam graduated from Kutztown University in 2010 with degrees in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education. Her dream of becoming a teacher began when she was a second grader at Hershey Elementary School, and that love of learning took her back to the classroom as a teacher at Hershey Elementary, where she taught gifted support, fourth grade, and fifth grade for seven years. After Emily was born in 2016, Sam became a stay-at-home mom, later returning part time to Derry Preschool in 2020.

     In 2022, Sam attended a free yoga class for educators with her best friend and met Lindsay Helt, a meeting that opened a new chapter. When Wild and Free Power Yoga Studios opened in Elizabethtown in 2023, Sam became the studio leader and staff liaison. She completed yoga teacher training later that year and began teaching in February 2024. Whether helping children learn to write their names or guiding adults to move and breathe, Sam’s purpose remains committed to helping others.

Many of the Gustantinos’ favorite traditions are centered on family, gratitude, and time together. Each summer, they continue a 37-year family tradition of vacationing in the Outer Banks, a trip started by Sam’s grandparents, Bill and Nancy DeLiberty, as a way for extended family to gather, reconnect, and make memories. Although this year marked the first trip without their beloved grandfather Bill, the family carried the tradition forward and already plans to return next summer.

     During the Christmas season, Mike, several Trojan Trading Post students, and his daughters go caroling through downtown Hershey, handing out ornaments and spreading holiday cheer. At home, another favorite tradition is making homemade caramel corn and opera fudge with Sam’s mother, Beth DeLiberty Ail of Hummelstown—lovingly known as “Opie” to her granddaughters. Emily and Maggie especially enjoy serving as taste testers.

     One of the family’s most meaningful local memories took place in May 2012, when Mike proposed to Sam on the Milton Hershey School campus outside Founder’s Hall. The location is especially sentimental because it is also where Sam’s parents, Daniel and Beth Ail, first met more than 40 years ago. Today, the family often walks the campus, enjoys the lights at Christmas, and points out the spot where the proposal occurred.

The Gustantino family enjoys the everyday joys of life in and around Hershey and Palmyra. They love visiting the Rising Sun and Chocolate Avenue Grill, and Bartolo’s in Palmyra is a favorite stop for Friday pizza. Hersheypark is a regular destination during the summer months, where the family makes lasting memories together.

     Sam has also begun playing bocce at the Hershey Italian Lodge with a group of teachers from Derry Preschool. Their team may focus more on fun than wins, but their smiles after each match show exactly why the activity is a favorite. 

Community involvement comes naturally to the Gustantino family. Each year, they participate in Ben and Tim Day, where Mike serves as one of the race directors. The event has drawn more than 1,000 runners, and Mike helps with registration, social media promotion, and race-day logistics.

     Sam has used yoga as a way to support causes and bring people together. She has taught fundraising classes for Team Vienna 4 SUDC Awareness and Tiffany’s Pink Pedal Ride, as well as sessions for student clubs and athletic teams, including a Lower Dauphin Mini-THON fundraiser and Hershey Cross Country team bonding. On September 19, she will lead More Than Mom, a nurturing workshop in Hershey designed to help women reconnect with themselves beyond motherhood through yoga, reflection, and connection.

For the Gustantinos, what stands out most about life here is the sense of belonging. Their story stretches across classrooms, running trails, yoga studios, local parks, family kitchens, school events, and holiday gatherings. It is a story shaped by service, movement, education, and the simple joy of showing up.

     Whether they are cheering at a race, baking with Opie, strolling the Milton Hershey School campus, caroling in Hershey, or watching Emily and Maggie grow into their own passions, Mike and Sam are grateful to be raising their family in a place that feels both familiar and full of possibility.