Staff Celebrations May 2026
Babies
Angie Libby, a physical education and health teacher at Wyland Elementary, celebrated the birth of Violet on March 2 weighing 6 lbs. 2 oz.
Jessie Pavlak, a second grade teacher at Marvin Elementary, welcomed her first child on April 1 when Marcie Pavlak-Settles made her debut at 5 lb. 6 oz. and 19 inches long.
Connie Schlueter, a cook at Wyland Elementary, welcomed her newest grandson, Colton Dale Ferguson, on May 8. Colton weighed in at 5 lbs. 13 oz. and already won the hearts of his mother, Lacey Ferguson (Allen) and father, Jedidiah Ferguson, as well as his grandmother!
Kudos
Eliot Bamford, an SSD English teacher and case manager at Ritenour High School, shares exciting news about his children, Lucy and Owen. Lucy, a 2026 graduate of Ursinus College, is one of 40 people nationwide to receive the prestigious Watson Fellowship. As a Watson Fellow, Lucy will immerse herself in a yearlong project spanning across five different countries. Owen will graduate from Whitfield School later this month and will attend Kalamazoo College in the fall.
Joseph Bogdajewicz, a school counselor at Ritenour High School, will walk across the stage with a master’s in School Counseling from Univeristy of Missouri-St. Louis on May 16. He also was awarded the Outstanding School Counseling student in his graduate school class.
Carolyn Cueto, a bilingual therapist serving Buder, Marion and Marvin elementary schools, and Martha Piñones, a bilingual therapist serving the Hahn Center for International Learners and Ritenour High School, presented at the March 12 UMSL Social Work Symposium: Immigration Matters and Matters of Immigration.
Three Ritenour teachers and an instructional coach were selected to participate in Washington University’s Institute for School Partnership Educator Showcase on May 5. Ellie Gund, a Ritenour Middle School (RMS) science teacher, presented a project on Multisyllable Word Decoding in Middle School Science; Melanie Turnage, a district instructional coach, presented on The Impact of UFLI Structured Literacy Instruction on K-2 Reading Growth; Mandy Harvell, an RMS Project Lead the Way teacher, presented on Medical Detectives: The Case for claim, Evidence, Reasoning; Camille Morgan, an RMS math teacher, presented on You Can Catch More Flies with Honey…Improving Feedback Given to Students Using Individualized Professional Development Plans.
Blake Hernton, RHS orchestra teacher, wanted to share two free music opportunities:
- Opera Theater St. Louis presents Our Songs at 7:30 p.m. on May 27 at Third Baptist Church, 620 N. Grand Ave. See the link for details, and reserve tickets for this free concert event featuring original compositions by Blake Hernton.
- Gateway Festival Orchestra presents a Juneteenth Concert at 7 p.m. on June 18 in the Ritenour High School Auditorium. The free concert is offered in celebration of historical Black composers, both living and deceased. See the link for more details.
Fareda Lytle, an English learner teacher at Ritenour Middle School, is proud to share that on May 8, their son, Eric Lytle II, proudly graduated from Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management. He graduated summa cum laude with honors, reflecting his dedication, leadership and academic excellence.
During his time at AAMU, Eric served as President of the NAHB AAMU Chapter from 2024 to 2026. Under his leadership, the university participated in its first-ever International Builders’ Show Student Competition in Orlando, successfully competing in the Custom/Small Home Build category, a tremendous accomplishment for the program and the university. Eric hopes the chapter will continue building on this momentum and ultimately bring home a future competition win.
Fareda’s daughter, Brooke, also recently completed a successful first year at Case Western Reserve University, where she is pursuing a degree in civil engineering. She said she and her family “are incredibly proud of both of our children and their continued achievements.”
Tina Nichols, a fourth grade teacher at Buder Elementary School, and her husband, Scott, celebrated 30 years of marriage on April 13. They celebrated their anniversary by spending a weekend in the Smoky Mountains.
Dr. May Shiaa, an English language learner teacher and science teacher, is proud to share that her daughter and former Buder student, Rawan Alhachami, is graduating this month from Saint Louis University with a Bachelor of Computer Science. Dr. Shiaa thanks all the Buder teachers who supported her.
Brooke Silliman, an SSD behavior technician at Iveland Elementary and Ritenour Middle School, is walking across the stage with an associate of arts and associate of general studies from Shawnee Community College in Ullin, Ill. on May 15. Although her degrees were conferred in December, the graduation ceremony is only held in May.
Yolanda Smart, an office professional at Iveland Elemetnary, is proud to share that her son, Arlen Smart, a Ritenour High School alum, will graduate from University of Missouri-St. Louis on May 15 with a B.S. in business administration.
Dr. Lauren Stephenson, an ELL teacher at Marion Elementary, received a doctorate in Leadership in Education with an emphasis in curriculum and instruction from Lindenwood University on May 9.
Sylvia Peña Steiner, an English Language Learner teacher at Wyland Elementary, sings in the St. Louis County Community Chorus. She invites everyone to their 50th anniversary concert at 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 17 at Powell Hall. For tickets, click this link.
DeQuinda Woods, executive assistant to the superintendent and secretary of the Ritenour Board of Education, and her husband, Deontae Woods, a sixth grade science teacher at Hoech Middle School, graduated with honors with a bachelor's in education from Saint Louis University on May 14.
Deonte was honored at the graduation ceremony with the James F. Gilsinan Distinguished Undergraduate Student Award for exemplifying the college's mission: educating, guiding, and transforming individuals and communities through teaching, research or community engagement.
