Prior to the Board of Education meeting in May, the district recognizes our upcoming retirees who have devoted their careers to excellence and service. This space is a heartfelt celebration of their remarkable achievements, tireless dedication, and the lasting impact they have made on our organization.
The retiree class of 2025-2026 represents more than 450 years of history in the district, which will be sorely missed next year.
On behalf of all of the students and families of Community Consolidated School District 21, as well as the entire community, we thank each of your for your service and wish you nothing but the best in your futures.
2025-2026 Retirees
Kelly Berbaum
STEM Teacher
Tarkington Elementary School
Victoria Brooks
Certified School Nurse
Holmes Middle School
Susan Champagne
STEM Teacher
Longfellow Elementary School
David Eddy
Physical Education Teacher
London Middle School
Patrick Fahey
Physical Education Teacher
Poe and Tarkington Elementary Schools
Heidi Flowers
Instrumental Music Teacher
Cooper Middle School
Jeremy Holtmeier
Psychologist
Tarkington Elementary School
Janet Jordan
Teaching Assistant
Holmes Middle School
Maherun Khan
Teaching Assistant
Riley Elementary School
Helene May
Literacy Equity Coach
London Middle School
Tracy McGonagle
Information Systems Specialist
District-Wide
Claudine Mele
Literacy Interventionist
Whitman Elementary School
Debby Padzensky
Social Worker
Frost Elementary School
Mike Pasterz
Floating Substitute
Twain Elementary School
Regina Podkovik
Fifth Grade Russian Dual Language Teacher
Poe Elementary School
Elizabeth Shapiro
Library, Media & Enrichment Specialist
Poe Elementary School
Suzanne Shultz
Resource Teacher
London Middle School
Karen Taaffe
Physical Education Teacher
London Middle School
James Taylor
Custodian
Twain Elementary School
Brenda Theisen
Resource Teacher
London Middle School
Tim Thiessen
Physical Education Teacher
Cooper Middle School
Julie Witt
Advanced Learners Instructional Specialist
District-Wide
Jill Ziegler
First Grade Teacher
Poe Elementary School
2024-2025 Retirees
2024-2025 Retirees
Dr. Joe Arduino
Principal
Tarkington Elementary School
Julie Boeing
Second Grade Teacher
Poe Elementary School
Cherie Carlson
ELL Interventionist
Cooper Middle School
Cheryl Dondit-Campos
Fourth Grade Teacher
Twain Elementary School
Rosemary Gavin
Third Grade Teacher
Field Elementary School
Joanne Hummel
Eighth Grade Core Teacher
Holmes Middle School
Laura Kelly
Resource Teacher
Holmes Middle School
Yevgeniya Kovaleva
Math Interventionist
Kilmer Elementary School
Scott Ludwig
Maintenance – Operations
District-Wide
Frances Parada
Teacher Assistant – ELSP
London Middle School
Blanca Perez
Second Grade Bilingual Spanish Teacher
Twain Elementary School
Gail Petro
Speech Pathologist
Riley Elementary School
Cindy Severino
Instrumental Music Teacher/Band Director
Cooper Middle School
Colleen Spasari
LMC Assistant
Cooper Middle School and Longfellow Elementary School
Alice Valencia
First Grade Bilingual Spanish Teacher
Twain Elementary School
Jesse Vasquez
Print Shop Technician
Gill Center
2023-2024 Retirees
2023-2024 Retirees
Michelle Cadle
Pre-K Teacher
Whitman Elementary School
Christy Campbell
Principal
Poe Elementary School
Lisa Cohen
Fifth Grade Teacher
Kilmer Elementary School
Maria Conlon
Kindergarten Teacher
Longfellow Elementary School
Angela Dorgan
Teacher Assistant
Hawthorne Early Childhood School
Cynthia Doyle-Notzen
Math Equity Coach
Cooper Middle School
Lynne Duffy
Director of Early Childhood
Hawthorne Early Childhood School
Teresa Hundt
Early Childhood Specials Teacher
Hawthorne Early Childhood School
Maarit Kulmakorpi
Pre-K Teacher
Hawthorne Early Childhood School
Cathy Markiewicz
Teacher Assistant
Holmes Middle School
Dorota Ostrowski
Bilingual Polish Teacher
Frost Elementary School
Karen Snell
Exploratory CCC Teacher
Cooper Middle School
Tracy Snelson
Second Grade Teacher
Kilmer Elementary School
Lisa Warner
Instructional Coach
Estela Yancy
Bilingual Spanish Second Grade Teacher
Kilmer Elementary School
Chris Zima
Fourth and Fifth Grade Teacher
Poe Elementary School
Karyn Zima
Kindergarten Teacher
Riley Elementary School
2022-2023 Retirees
2022-2023 Retirees
Lynn Lightfoot
Certified School Nurse
District Wide
Pam Powell
AT/ACC Specialist
District Wide
Cindy Allen
Custodian
Cooper Middle School
Barbara Ross
Speech Language Pathologist
Longfellow Elementary School
Norma Calendar
Longfellow Elementary School
Michael Serio
Poe Elementary School
Laura Porras
Classroom Teacher
Tarkington Elementary School
Julie Browning
Teacher Assistant
Twain Elementary School
Leticia Maciel
Building Secretary
Whitman Elementary School
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