Every day is a weekend, with no setting an alarm clock, for some employees whose time in PWCS schools and offices has come to an end as of June 30. Although they missed out on having the usual celebration ceremony send-off or getting well-deserved congratulatory hugs and handshakes from students, friends, and colleagues, more than 200 employees retired this year after many years with the school division. Some of them will continue to support the school division through continued employment and the PWCS Retirement Opportunity Program.
The list below includes those who retired at the end of last year, after the 2019 reception was held, and those who submitted retirement paperwork in advance of this year's planned reception. While the event was scheduled to be held in May at Charles J. Colgan Sr. High School, it was canceled due to closures resulting from the COVID-19 virus.
Among them are Nancy Weaver, second-grade teacher at T. Clay Wood Elementary School, with 48 years in PWCS and 49 as an educator, and John Miller, outgoing principal of Unity Braxton Middle School, whose 50 years in education include 25 in New York and 25 in PWCS, culminating in 18 years as Unity Braxton Middle's principal. Miller is one of the longest-tenured principals in PWCS. Recently, the School Board approved naming the library at T. Clay Wood Elementary and the auditorium at Unity Braxton Middle for Weaver and Miller at their respective schools.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Steve Walts praised retirees for bringing the school division many successes and accolades over the years, and for often going above and beyond to serve PWCS students and their families.
"While this is not a school year anyone expected, we share the joy of our retirees as they look forward to some well-deserved rest and relaxation," said Dr. Walts. "I thank them for the difference they made, in ways big and small and both known and unknown, in the lives of so many of our students over the years. We recognize their many contributions to the Prince William County Public Schools community. Congratulations."
The PWCS list of retirees for 2019-20 are
With more than 45 years: Wayne Mallard, Executive Administration; Ray Ridgley, Brentsville District High School; and Nancy Weaver, T. Clay Wood Elementary School.
More than 40 years: Debra Bishop, Student Services; Marilyn Clemence, Battlefield High School; Rose Cooper, Transportation Services; Lloyd Harlow, Facilities Services; Jennifer Morrow, Facilities Services; Lawanda Prince, Gar-Field High School; Betty Saunders, Yorkshire Elementary School; and Janice Sisk, Professional Learning.
More than 35 years: Caywood Black, Charles J. Colgan Sr. High School; Barbara Cavalier, Gar-Field High School; Mark Chmelko, Woodbridge High School; Cary Dougher, Special Education; Carolyn Dunn, Mullen Elementary School; Wayne Kline, Facilities Services; Karen Majeske, Saunders Middle School; Patrice Martin, Featherstone Elementary School; Timothy Nelson, Facilities Services; Elizabeth Orndoff-Sayers, Unity Reed High School; and Jacqueline Wait, Supply Services.
More than 30 years: Lisa Barnes, Marumsco Hills Elementary School; G Bissell, Gainesville Middle School; Su-Ying Burton, Transportation Services; Marianne Ferrell, Executive Administration; Sandra Goodman, School Food and Nutrition Services; Charles Kendall, Facilities Services; Anthony Lovelace, Gar-Field High School; Mary Martin, Parkside Middle School; James Mudd, Student Learning; Deborah Nicely, Information Technology; Cynthia Perdue, Facilities Services; Doreen Raymond, Ronald Wilson Reagan Middle School; Mary Shrum, Potomac Middle School; John Simpson, Information Technology; Vicki Speakes, Woodbine Preschool Center; Russell Stevens, Information Technology; Mary Stoy, Hampton Middle School; Elizabeth Tomanek, Student Learning; and Karen White, Bristow Run Elementary School.
More than 25 years: Fern Allen, C.D. Hylton High School; Mitchell Axman, Independence Nontraditional School; Jill Bernstein, Special Education; Deborah Boisvert, Benton Middle School; Nitza Candelario, Lake Ridge Elementary School; Adrian Casillas, Osbourn Park High School; Gina Cory, Henderson Elementary School; Elizabeth Crayne, Unity Reed High School; Yvonne Donley, Bull Run Middle School; Lynne Eaton, School Food and Nutrition Services; Vicki Fornasar, Special Education; Brenda Furr, Forest Park High School; Virginia Gaige, Executive Administration; Denise Garrett, West Gate Elementary School; Karen Hailey-Bland, Woodbridge High School; Cheryl Harnish, Pennington Traditional School; Diana Leavitt, Cedar Point Elementary School; Barbara Mangum, Lake Ridge Elementary School; Denise McChain, Gar-Field High School; Larue McGarrahan, Saunders Middle School; John Miller, Unity Braxton Middle School; Debra Neal, Lake Ridge Elementary School; Martha O'Brien, Penn Elementary School; Joseph Potente, Woodbridge High School; Jill Rocca, Piney Branch Elementary School; Barbara Rohr, West Gate Elementary School; Maria Santiago, School Food and Nutrition Services; Songkham Southivongnorath, Saunders Middle School; Judy Taber, Transportation Services; Peggy Taylor, Triangle Elementary School; and Carolyn Wedge, Freedom High School.
More than 20 years: Margaret Adu, Mary Williams Elementary School; Cynthia Allen, Rosa Parks Elementary School; Sue Cerrone, Springwoods Elementary School; Bonnie Cheshire, The Nokesville School; Janet Cook, Brentsville District High School; Christine Dunn, Information Technology; Alice Evans, Transportation Services; Rannveig Fredheim, Student Services - Nurse Program; David Fronda, Facilities Services; Ivy Guadalupe, Independence Nontraditional School; Kim Hebert, Bull Run Middle School; Nancy Hemleben, Saunders Middle School; Carolyn Herndon, Summer School; Lisa Hobson, Piney Branch Elementary School; Nancy Johnson, Rippon Middle School; Catherine Kerr, Title I; Elaine Klemencic, Ashland Elementary School; Bonnie Law, School Food and Nutrition Services; Catherine Matese, Benton Middle School; Ellen McKinstrie, Woodbridge Middle School; Rebecca Moore-Fucci, Rockledge Elementary School; Patricia Plummer, Gar-Field High School; Adele Polk, Woodbridge High School; Donna Sapp, Featherstone Elementary School; Patricia Scronce, C.D. Hylton High School; Teresa Shaffstall, Loch Lomond Elementary School; Donald Shetley, Imaging Center; Mary Shields, Alvey Elementary School; Esther Slauson, Loch Lomond Elementary School; Rebecca Spain, Washington-Reid Preschool Center; Malinda Stewart, Special Education; Jennifer Velesz, Saunders Middle School; Vincent Villani, Information Technology; Timothy Vinson, OSMAP; and Linda Zwierzynski, Washington-Reid Preschool Center.
More than 15 years: Karen Allen, Forest Park High School; Mark Barita, C.D. Hylton High School; Victoria Ballentine, Independence Nontraditional School; Patti Barita, Pennington Traditional School; Janet Boyd, Yorkshire Elementary School; Carmen Bravo, Occoquan Elementary School; Mary Jo Calonder, Marsteller Middle School; Phyllis Carpenter, Accountability; Stephanie Chris, Special Education; Carolyn Custard, Student Services; Sandra Daly, Saunders Middle School; Sandra Dent, Transportation Services; Abraham Dickey Jr., Transportation Services; Patricia Dixon, Antietam Elementary School; Karen Dominick, Loch Lomond Elementary School; Joyce Filo, Graham Park Middle School; Melanie Gibbs, Mullen Elementary School; Judith Halsema, Benton Middle School; Lois Hansen, Forest Park High School; Joann Haun, Student Services - Nurse Program; Irmela Hill, Transportation Services; Peggy Hyde, Gainesville Middle School; Ignatius Idio, Pennington Traditional School; Cora Kappert, Accountability; Diane Kibler, Facilities Services; Joseph Kirrane, Graham Park Middle School; Regina LaClair, Loch Lomond Elementary School; Rose Larocca, Professional Learning; Nellie Letendre, Hampton Middle School; Barbara MacGregor, Marsteller Middle School; Kelly Maitland, Special Education; Charles Malone, Patriot High School; Kathy Manrique, Freedom High School; Catherine Marinacci, Occoquan Elementary School; Elizabeth May, Alvey Elementary School; Cynthia Mendel, Student Services - Nurse Program; Debra Midkiff, Student Learning; Melodie Miller, Old Bridge Elementary School; Janet Montilla, Office of English Learner Programs and Services; Maria Nelson, Charles J. Colgan Sr. High School; Corinne Ozl, Henderson Elementary School; Janet Pennington, Glenkirk Elementary School; Megan Perkins, Lake Ridge Middle School; Mary Phifer, Student Services; Maly Phoummithone, School Food and Nutrition Services; Sandra Reuse, Transportation Services; Jane Rittue, Triangle Elementary School; Barbara Rose, School Food and Nutrition Services; Debra Ruppert, Student Services - Nurse Program; Sonia Thompson, Woodbridge Middle School; Ruth Tobin, Student Services; Victor Tomsko, Risk Management and Security Services; Lisa Tomsko, School Age Child Care Program; Maria Velez, River Oaks Elementary School; and Charles Wheeler, Supply Services.
More than 10 years: Laurie Allen, Unity Braxton Middle School; Kathy Bailey, Hampton Middle School; Sheryl Bush, Mary Williams Elementary School; Mark Cox, Battlefield High School; Mark Crawford, Transportation Services; Noreen Daly, Swans Creek Elementary School; Dianne Davis, Transportation Services; Sandra Downs, Transportation Services; William Florer, Ronald Wilson Reagan Middle School; Gail Forry, Alvey Elementary School; Deborah Gajewski, Occoquan Elementary School; Maria Gallo, Buckland Mills Elementary School; Vernon Gleaton, Facilities Services; Maria Hernandez, West Gate Elementary School; James Honeycutt, Risk Management and Security Services; Arik King, Hampton Middle School; Penny LaBarre, School Food and Nutrition Services; Renee Riddle, Battlefield High School; Angela Rusiecki, Sinclair Elementary School; Jacquelyn Ryan, Bristow Run Elementary School; Sheryl Snell-Massie, Brentsville District High School; Jennifer Stark, Westridge Elementary School; Dawn Steele, Ellis Elementary School; Susan Tadayon, Pattie Elementary School; Terri Tychan, Graham Park Middle School; Deborah Urban, School Board Office; Sheila White, Fitzgerald Elementary School; and Isaac Womack, Potomac Middle School.
More than five years: Evelyn Astwood, Special Education; Elizabeth Ayres, Rippon Middle School; Darlene Bielec, Transportation Services; Suzanne Butterfield, Rosa Parks Elementary School; Nancy Carey, Accountability; Antionette Dickerson, Transportation Services; Carolyn Helsley, Porter Traditional School; Charles Jackson, Facilities Management Services; Bonnie Kaminski, Woodbridge Middle School; Martha Kennie, Forest Park High School; Diane Kochell, Freedom High School; Caren Leifer, Chris Yung Elementary School; Kay McFarland, Special Education; Marjorie Parker, Charles J. Colgan Sr. High School; Jose Vigil, Forest Park High School; Maria Vigil, Patriot High School; Kim Whaley, Battlefield High School; and Blanca Wills Kusevic, Battlefield High School.
One to five years: Belinda Bland, Fitzgerald Elementary School; Rafat Boock, Patriot High School; Christine Brown-Miller, Bennett Elementary School; Tina Carrubba, Kyle Wilson Elementary School; Cynthia Duffy, Forest Park High School; Billy Hall, Transportation Services; Susan Ingebretsen, Graham Park Middle School; Donna Leahy, Student Services; Naomi Manifold, Gainesville Middle School; Margaret McKenzie, Yorkshire Elementary School; Dorothy Popovich, Special Education; Avis Richardson, Freedom High School; and Martin Settle, Lake Ridge Elementary School.