Springville-GI recognizes employee dedication at June 22 breakfast

The Springville-Griffith Institute Board of Education honored district employees for their years of service, for perfect attendance and to honor their retirements, at a breakfast held June 22 at the high school.

District Treasurer Barbara Grafton was named employee of the year and Colden Elementary School teacher Melissa Krohn was named teacher of the year. They were nominated by their peers.

For almost all of her 34 years at S-GI, Grafton worked as district treasurer, beginning in 1978. Her current supervisor, School Business Administrator Ted Welch, said that Grafton’s is a “stressful position,” and that she served 10 business professionals. “She was the training program for many of those business professionals. She survived 41 audits and always brought dignity, class and incredible accuracy to work. She has earned a long and happy retirement,” Welch said.

Krohn teaches second grade at Colden Elementary School and recently volunteered to work on the school quality review. Her principal, Katherine Townsend, said, “In my 21 years in education, I have never met a teacher more energetic, vibrant or creative.”

School Board members Mel Williams and Joan Kelly presided over the presentation of the other awards. They included:

Awards for 10 years: Lois Benz, cleaner; Katie Braun, elementary teacher; David Brock, custodian; Karen Broeneman, aide; Julie Clark, music teacher; Karen Crouthamel, school media specialist; Lisa Hogenmiller, elementary teacher; Chris Ignatius, English teacher; Jeanette Lillis, bus driver; John Mrozik, English teacher; Eileen Pfeil, aide; Joyce Sion, bus driver and Mary Stinson, teaching assistant.

Awards for 15 years: Scott Christ, grounds; Linda Frasier, French teacher; Beverly Holtz, cleaner; Charles Houseman, art teacher; Bob Muhlbauer, audio-visual technician; Linda Pajak, bus driver; Sharon Russell, monitor; Kim Shelley, cleaner; Scott Tellgren, principal and Kathy Unger, teaching assistant.

Awards for 20 years: George Kostyszyn, bus driver and Duane Sullivan, custodian.

Awards for 25 years: Jeanne Feldman, clerk typist/athletics; Kristin Hacker, bus driver; Lee Hylant, teaching assistant; Beth Munro, elementary teacher; Shirley Reeves, teaching assistant and Becky Szpaicher, art teacher.

Awards for 30 years: Karen Landau, school media specialist and Jeanette Stinson, custodian.

Awards for 35 years: James Piscitelli, warehouse clerk; Lenore Rehrauer, monitor and Charlie Vacinek, head custodian.

Perfect attendance pins were presented to Diane Brady, microcomputer technical support specialist; David Caruana, mechanic; Grafton, district treasurer; Steve Hutchinson, bus driver; Karen McChesney, clerk/typist; Muhlbauer; Darlene Owen, personnel clerk; Piscitelli; Laureen Sullivan, senior clerk/typist; Amy Wnuk, school nurse.

Honored retirees included Muhlbauer, 17 years; Natalie Paradowski, elementary teacher, 32 years; Mary Rubach, teaching assistant, 12 years; Grafton, 34 years; Frasier, 15 years; Rick Simmons, grounds, 41 years; Jeanette Stinson, 30 years; Holtz, cleaner, 17 years; Patricia Jaroman, math teacher, 32 years; Landau, 30 years; Carol Sniezak, teacher, 27 years; Tellgren, principal, 15 years; Linda Hermann, elementary teacher, 14 years; Michael Ahrens, shop lead man, 31 years; Susan Lembke, bus driver, 33 years; Irene Lockwood, bus driver, 27 years and Pajak, 16 years.