Ritenour Honors Award Recipients at Annual Honors Dinner
The Ritenour School District honored special staff members at the annual Honors Dinner on April 23, 2026 in the Ritenour Auditorium.
The district honored Diamond Circle Award recipients, First-Class Teacher and Make a Difference Awards, as well as 25-year employees and 2025-2026 retirees.
View videos from the 2026 event:
Diamond Circle Honorees
Teacher of the Year
Employee of the Year
First Class Teacher
Make a Difference Award
"A Moment I'll Never Forget" - 25-Year Employee video
Farewell to Ritenour Retirees
Ritenour is proud to honor Monica Amos, an eight grade math teacher at Hoech Middle School, as the 2026 Diamond Circle Teacher of the Year. Dr. Denizela Dorsey, a school social worker at Husky Academy and Ritenour High School, is the 2026 Diamond Circle Employee of the Year.
Abbie Harcourt, a Special School District teacher at Hoech Middle School, is the Make A Difference Award honoree. Lauren Marino, a Ritenour Middle School music teacher is this year’s First-Class Teacher for being an outstanding educator who is new to the profession.
2026 Diamond Circle Teachers:
- Ritenour School for Early Childhood - Michelle Smith, early childhood teacher
- Buder Elementary - Mary Sutherland, third grade teacher
- Iveland Elementary - Hannah Meyer, kindergarten teacher
- Kratz Elementary - Mary Khankeo, English learner teacher
- Marion Elementary - Danielle Elliott, second grade teacher
- Marvin Elementary- Amanda Gaston, interventionist
- Wyland Elementary - Stacey Bray, interventionist
- Hoech Middle School - Monica Amos, eighth grade math teacher
- Ritenour Middle School - Lisa Watkins, reading specialist
- Ritenour High School - Denise Schindler, family and consumer science teacher
25-Year Employees:
- LaTasha Brown, Marvin Elementary
- Debbie Dennis, Ritenour Middle School
- Jamie Eagle, Hoech Middle School
- Kim Hegger, Marvin Elementary
- Maya Lane, School for Early Childhood Education
- Cynthia Murray, Marvin Elementary
- Celia Pearson, Administrative Center
- Jeffrey Wareing, Kratz Elementary
2025-2026 Retirees:
- Lisa Brougham, Ritenour High School
- Cynthia A. Busby, Marion Elementary
- Jennifer Carcagno, Buder Elementary
- Ruth Ann Carter, Transportation
- Leslie Fister, Iveland Elementary
- Laura Gehrin, Marion Elementary
- Dionne Gleckler, Administrative Center
- Jo Ann Guarino, Wyland Elementary/SSD
- Asma Hassan, School for Early Childhood Education
- Susan Heidorn, Ritenour Middle School
- Cindy Herd, Wyland Elementary
- Wilma Higgins, Hoech Middle School & Husky Academy
- Ricky Newson, Ritenour Middle School
- Penni Nuttall, Ritenour High School
- Bryan Sanker, Transportation
- Joseph Scheidler, Ritenour High School
- Sylvia Steiner, Wyland Elementary
- Matthew Steitz, Ritenour High School
- J. Krisstin Swyres, Ritenour High School
- Barbara Tabron, Buder Elementary
- Sharon Turner, Ritenour Middle School
- Brenda Westermayer, Hoech Middle School
