Danbury's Retiring School Employees Honored

DANBURY, CT — The city's school board honored 22 retirees within the Danbury School System last week during the final regular board of education meeting of the school year.

From teachers to administrators to custodians and secretaries, all of the employees were honored by the Danbury Board of Education June 8.

In a sea of hugs and handshakes, those in attendance were, simply, thanked for choosing Danbury as the place they retired from this year.

Danbury Superintendent of Schools Kevin Walston read aloud the names and service times of 2022 retirees, with a loud burst of applause concluding the ceremony.

Then, each retiree greeted members of the school board and administrators seated in a giant "U" at Danbury High School's Black Box Theater.

"The mentioning of these names is about folks who've made a commitment to the district," said Walston. "I can't thank all of you enough."

The 22 employees honored for their service were as follows: Angela Cefaloni, secretary, 25 years; Lucille Chianese, special education teacher, nine years; Jeannie Combs, special education teacher, 20 years; Michael Crotta, English as a second language teacher, five years; Jackie DiNardo, alternative school director, 38 years; Cynthia Duddie, school lunch manager, 24 years; Vincent Fiddner, first-grade teacher, 15 years; Stephen Golden high school math teacher, 37 years; Susan Grumman, school lunch manager, 19 years; Kathleen Jones, special education teacher, 36 years; Lisa LaClair, middle school math teacher, 20 years; Elizabeth Leppla, third-grade teacher, 20 years; John Merrill, middle school science teacher, 15 years; Annamarie Mosca, special education teacher, 20 years; Donna Pace, interpreter for ASL, 34 years; Joaquim Pais, head custodian, 20 years; Suzanne Patnode, interpreter for ASL, 21 years; Anne Riddle, English as a second language teacher, 33 years; Maureen Sroka, payroll secretary, 17 years; Deborah Stanton, assistant superintendent secretary, 22 years; Joan Theriault, special education teacher, 32 years; and Edie Thomas, middle school principal, 31 years.

To watch the full June 8 Danbury Board of Education meeting, click on this link.