At the most recent Board of Education meeting, Ridgefield Public Schools celebrated the 21 employees retiring this year. With a combined 401 years of service and an average of almost 20 years served, these outstanding employees will be sorely missed.
Principals and district leaders honored the employees with heartfelt words and a book donated to a school library in the retiree’s name.
Jeanne Deming, RHS Speech and Language Pathologist, is the longest-serving District employee of the group retiring after 31 years at RPS. Her words reflected what felt like a shared sentiment about the joy these employees got from their careers at RPS, “I absolutely loved my job. The more I did it, the more I loved it.” Scotts Ridge English teacher Linda Haines expressed bittersweet emotions about her decision to retire, laughing, “I love my job. I’m still not sure.” Her husband reports the couple is off to Kenya, Africa, when school gets out and to Peru after that.
Superintendent Da Silva feted Veterans Park Elementary Principal Ellen Tuckner with the words of her students: “Principal Tuckner looks for the good; she’s funny; she connects with kids; she’s patient, kind and thoughtful; she likes Dance parties and crazy hair day.” Director of Personnel Karen Dewing noted that Patricia Hance Roche was the consummate professional, putting RPS before herself, and joked that she “literally touched the lives of everyone in the District because she fingerprinted everyone.”
Retirees are off to travel, sit on the beach, keep bees, golf, and spend more time with family. Thank you, enjoy your much-deserved retirement, and please visit!
The full list of 2021-22 retirees is here
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