Moniteau County R-1 recently held its Employee Appreciation Luncheon at the California High School Commons. A luncheon was served to honor faculty, staff and board members. Superintendent Dwight Sanders recognized the 2015-16 School Board members. Board President Craig Ash thanked the faculty and staff for their dedication to the students of Moniteau County.
The following employees were recognized for their service to the school district:
• Five years: Dana Hardin, Jacquelyn Pedro, Susan Ferrell, Rick Whitson and Mona Spayde.
• 10 years: Debbie Elliott, Elizabeth Morris, Angela Butts-Althoff, Susan Hogan, Florent Siewert, Ashley Atteberry, Dana Barr, Adam Bieri, Lorrie Brauner, Linda Fulbright and Eric Larimore.
• 15 years: Donna Wallingford, Brandon Klein, Debbie Pardoe, Ruth Rohrbach, Jackie Howard, Amy Kuebler and Hal McNeal.
• 20 years: David Wittenberger, Linda Wittenberger, Amy Mouse, Bobbi Sansbury and Carol Zimmerman.
• 25 years: Jennifer Dampf.
Employees leaving the district were also recognized during the employee appreciation dinner. The following employees received recognition: Avie April, Jeanne Beck, Kate Cuba, Sarah Hays, Brittany Healy, Gwendolyn Hendrickson, Dustijn Hollon, Cathy Lovins, Callie Spurgeion, Courtney Stratton and Daniel Williams.
Dwight Sanders also honored 11 retirees. Retiring from California R-1 School District are Ron Ash, 28 years at California R-1 and in education; Patty Baquet, 11 years at California R-1 and 11 years in education; Lisa Bieri, 13 years at California R-1 and 25 years in education; Jennifer Dampf, 26 years at California R-1 and 29 years in education; Linda Fulbright, 10 years at California R-1 and 32 years in education; Peggy Huhmann, 33 years at California R-1 and 35 years in education; Hal McNeal, 15 years at California R-1 and 22 years in education; Clarice Nelson, 16 years at California R-1 and 35 years in education; Rhonda Stevenson, four years at California R-1 and 18 years in education; Mary Thomas, 14 years at California R-1 and 21 years in education; Mary Ann Wasser, 22 years at California R-1 and 22 years in education.
Daniel Williams, California Elementary principal, received the Administrator of the Year award. Nominations received stated, “Mr. Williams has been vital in shaping our elementary into what it is today. We are well on our way to being an exemplary PLC building, and we couldn’t have done it without his leadership and guidance. His absence will be a tremendous loss to our entire district, as he has positively impacted every building during his administrative role. He isn’t afraid to be the one to make the difficult decisions among our building and he always does what’s best for children 100% of the time. We are grateful to have had him here to make such a valuable and lasting difference in teachers and children.â€
Jennifer Dampf, California Elementary second-grade teacher, received the Teacher of the Year Award. Her nomination said, “Jennifer is the kindest teacher I know. She never loses her cool, and has been a great asset to this school. She is always there to answer questions. She has great classroom management. Always has a smile and a kind word for everyone.â€
The Support Staff Employee of the Year was awarded to Sarah Wickham, California Elementary secretary. Sarah ’s nomination stated, “Sarah provides a ray of sunshine into the day of some many staff members, parents and students. There is never a time that Sarah meets you with anything but a smile and is always willing to do anything she can to improve the day of another. She goes above and beyond to help every teacher and does the work of numerous employees! She is an invaluable resource for our building and we couldn’t do our jobs without her!â€
The reception ended with Sanders thanking the California R-1 staff for a year of hard work, benefiting the students of Moniteau County.