Pine-Richland School District is proud to celebrate the years of service for many individuals entering retirement this year. Retirees were honored and thanked for their service at the May 22 school board meeting.
Lynne Christy, Paraprofessional, Eden Hall Upper Elementary
Since 2013, Lynne Christy has worked as a paraprofessional in Eden Hall’s autistic support and life skills classrooms.
Described as “the epitome of what a paraprofessional and coworker should be,” Mrs. Christy will be very missed by her Eden Hall family. She is known to give her all to every student, and always with a smile on her face.
Mrs. Christy says she will cherish memories of student accomplishments through graduation. She has always enjoyed seeing students at work in the community, especially when she stops to talk with them and sees and hears the pride they have in their work. Mrs. Christy says her colleagues have felt like a family and she will miss them, and she will also miss working together to help students succeed.
In retirement, Mrs. Christy looks forward to helping her daughter with her three- and one-year-old grandchildren in Erie. She plans to travel with her husband this fall to Napa Valley and to South Carolina.
Ilene Greenblatt, Special Education Teacher, Hance Elementary
Ilene Greenblatt has been a special education teacher in Pine-Richland for 15 years. In her first year, she split her time between Hance and Wexford, but since then has been solely at Hance.
Mrs. Greenblatt says she feels lucky to end her teaching career at Pine-Richland, and notes that she has made life-long friendships and strong relationships with colleagues and students that she will always hold close to her heart.
The Hance team will miss Mrs. Greenblatt’s hard work, dedication and enthusiasm for teaching Tier 3 reading.
In retirement, she is most excited to spend “endless hours” playing with her grandchildren Ian, Asher and Ray, as well as with her husband Dave and grown children Meryl and Austin, Phil and Liz and Alex and Amy.
Pam Magill, First Grade Teacher, Hance Elementary
Pam Magill has been teaching first grade at Hance for the last 18 years of her 35-year teaching career. She has also taught kindergarten, third and fifth grades and has taught at Richland Elementary and Washington Elementary. Mrs. Magill earned a bachelor of science degree from Penn State University.
Described as kind, structured and dedicated, Mrs. Magill often stays late to prepare for the next day and always takes immense pride in all that she does.
Mrs. Magill says she has enjoyed working with students and their families, noting that she has taught many siblings and even children of former students. She will cherish friendships with her colleagues and will miss the children's smiles and laughter.
As she embarks on retirement, Mrs. Magill looks forward to traveling, discovering new hobbies, and spending time with friends and family, especially her husband, Wayne, and daughter, Emily.
Kathy Morrow, Secretary, Pine-Richland High School
Kathy Morrow started working for Pine-Richland School District nearly 23 years ago, taking on roles as attendance secretary, building secretary and most recently, principal’s secretary.
Mrs. Morrow is described as being a great resource for students, families and staff who brings a daily positive influence to the high school office. Her kind and caring approach with students and old-school expectations will be very missed.
Some of Mrs. Morrow’s favorite memories of her time at Pine-Richland include chaperoning six trips to France. She says she will miss the excitement of being around young adults as well as the wonderful people in the building.
As Mrs. Morrow looks forward to retirement, she plans to spend more time at her Conneaut Lake-front condo. Mrs. Morrow also wishes to thank her family for their support, especially during the stress of graduation, including her husband Tom, sons Chris, Brian and Greg, as well as her daughters-in-law and five grandchildren.
Heather Rogus, Physics Teacher, Pine-Richland High School
Heather Rogus knew she wanted to become a teacher since she was in preschool, and went on to earn a bachelor of science degree in physics education from Grove City College and a master of education degree in secondary administration from the University of Pittsburgh before starting her 35-year physics teaching career in the Lower Burrell School District. The more students that she taught, the more she realized she never wanted to leave the classroom; teaching was a passion and a calling.
Mrs. Rogus enjoyed relating physics to sports and students’ everyday lives. Highlights include chaperoning trips to Kennywood for Amusement Park Physics, egg drop projects and celebrating the study of water waves with Hawaiian decorations and beachwear. One year, senior students honored Mrs. Rogus by voting her the teacher most like a mother. She proudly sponsored the creation of a SciGirls club that encouraged Girl Scouts to enjoy science, and created award-winning chain reaction contraptions for annual contests at the Carnegie Science Center.
While she will miss her PR family, and plans to continue to follow PR news and cheer on the Rams, Mrs. Rogus looks forward to spending quality time with her family and parents and plans to look for volunteer opportunities.
Chip Sargent, Computer Science Teacher, Wexford Elementary
Chip Sargent has been teaching elementary students at Pine-Richland in computer resources, GATE and accelerated math since 1993.
Mr. Sargent has always formed strong relationships with the children and faculty at Wexford. He regularly greets students as they get off the bus. His enthusiasm is evident during bus duty at the end of the day when he is the last one to tell a child that tomorrow would be Ramtastic! He used his experience of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to inspire children to set goals and to work with a team to climb their own mountains in their daily lives. He taught his colleagues the importance of being humble-balanced with a sense of humor in order to achieve their best selves.
Mr. Sargent says he will miss the people he works with, but is looking forward to retirement, where he says he will focus on his personal, mental and physical wellbeing, and “maybe climb another mountain.”
Christine Scherer, P.E. Teacher, Pine-Richland High School
Christine Scherer has taught physical education for 38 years and has been with Pine-Richland High School since 1988.
In addition to her teaching role, Mrs. Scherer has coached Pine-Richland teams in girls’ tennis, boys’ golf and cross-country, and was the head varsity girls’ basketball coach from 1988 through 2000. Mrs. Scherer earned a bachelor of science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a master of education from East Tennessee State University.
As she reflects on her time at Pine-Richland, Mrs. Scherer says that her “hope is that I made a positive impact on the lives of students.” In retirement, she says she will miss day-to-day interaction with her colleagues and students and looks forward to traveling, hiking and playing golf and pickleball.
Jim Wolford, Custodian, Pine-Richland High School
For 13 years, Jim Wolford has worked as a custodian at Pine-Richland High School.
Described as positive, caring, dependable and student-focused, Mr. Wolford actively and joyfully seeks out ways to support students and always goes above and beyond in his work. Mr. Wolford has participated in school musicals, surprising students and families with his roles in shows including The Music Man, High School Musical and Elf. He has also been appreciated and valued by many athletic teams over the years.
Within the Facilities Department, Mr. Wolford is a trusted teammate and friend, often jokingly referred to as the “Mayor of PR” because of his in-depth knowledge of the building and student groups and his unwavering dedication to understanding event schedules and aligning resources to ensure every activity is successful. His legacy of caring for others and getting the job done will be felt for many years.
