The bittersweet end of a long career in education at Portage Public Schools is here for numerous staff members this year.
Approximately 30 staff members – from teachers to food service workers and administrators – are closing their classroom doors or locking up the kitchen for the last time and retiring.
Combined, the group of retirees have served 550-plus years to our students, families and community, and for that, we are forever grateful. In the final days of the 2023-24 school year, retirees were showered with thank yous, cards, treats and hugs from colleagues and friends who will miss them in the hallways of our schools.
Our retiring staff are dedicated members of the PPS community, including Becky Klimp, who served 25 years in our Food Service Department, and Sylvia Sidorane-McClish, who taught orchestra at Portage Central High for 20 years.
There’s also those who tried to retire previously but couldn’t stay away from the work of education, like Trish King, who worked 15 years as registrar at PCHS before retiring but quickly came back to serve another few years working part-time in our Technology Department.
Or others like Nancy Martin whose 25-year career teaching physical education at PPS began in the halls of Waylee Elementary, a school that no longer exists.
To ALL of our retirees saying goodbye this year, THANK YOU for your years of service, compassion for students, friendship and support for your colleagues and dedication to our community.
Ryan Ledlow
Deb Shemberger
Randy Borden
Becky Klimp
Mike Getsinger
Ben Critz
Elizabeth Centilla
Melissa Haughn
Maria White
Lisa Buchinger-Aldrich
Johanna Toth
Maggie Braden
Nancy Martin
Shiela Hindman
Beth Taylor
Kim Robinson
Michele Tereshinski
Jeanne Friedman
Amy Block
Carolyn Meyers
Sylvia Sidorane-McClish
Tajia Anderson
Aaron Maybee
Lorin Lister
Cathy Hull
Tami Elzinga
Tammy Karmon-Hoffman
Trish King