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Being recognized by the Ripon School Board for a total of 174 years of service to Ripon Area School District are, from left, Dee Schmidtke, Randy Hatlen, Shelly Kemnitz, Dale Nehls, Sue O’Brien, Dennis Jahns and Lori Cluppert.
With a combined service to the Ripon Area School District (RASD) of 174 years, seven retirees were recognized for their dedication and work for the students, staff and families Monday evening.
Dee Schmidtke, Randy Hatlen, Shelly Kemnitz, Dale Nehls, Sue O’Brien, Dennis Jahns and Lori Cluppert will be finished with their service to the district at the end of this school year, and the Board of Education gave recognition and appreciation to all of them.
Nehls has been the physical education teacher at Barlow Park/Quest Elementary School for the last 31 years, principal Tanya Sanderfoot said.
“For those of you lucky enough to have Mr. Nehls as your PE teacher, you know how passionate he is about personal fitness,” she continued. “His dynamic personality and engaging lessons have helped many students grasp the concepts of health and personal fitness. He has helped us break records for Jump Rope for Hearts, and has worked tirelessly to create his famous heart and lung obstacle course. He has written grants to give kids access to an outdoor track and yoga mats for every student. The kids soak up his learning targets and are able to apply them to their own lives.
“What I will miss most about Dale is that he’s the ultimate hype guy. He is the integral piece to the whole show. The impacts Dale has had on so many Ripon residents is incomparable.”
Sanderfoot and RASD Facilities and Grounds Director Brian Appleman also thanked Jahns for 23 years as custodian, and Barlow Park/Journey (BPJ) lead custodian for the past eight years.
“My personal favorite memory of Dennis is of him teaching bathroom expectations at the beginning of the school year. I think he was a little surprised the first time at how specific he needed to be with our littles,” Sanderfoot said.
“He’s a go-getter; he’ll get things done,” Appleman added. “Through it all, Dennis has done a great job,”
Schmidtke has served RASD for 25 years and has been Sanderfoot’s right-hand woman since starting eight years ago.
“The relationship between a principal and their administrative assistant is a special bond. But even beyond that, working with me requires a specific skill set,” Sanderfoot told the board. “I’m certain Dee can communicate through telepathy, organizes receipts in her sleep, is a licensed private investigator, can find missing minutes in a timesheet and is not phased when other duties involve activities such as luring raccoons off the property, spray painting circles on the ground and filling in as the local meteorologist who orders up sunshine for the carnival every year. Thank you for taking care of BPJ for all these years.”
Cluppert has served RASD since 1990 in many roles, most recently as the administrative assistant at Murray Park/Quest Elementary School under principal Renee Bunge. She also has been coordinator for the school’s Brave and French Adventure programs since 2000 and 2007, respectively.
“She has shown extreme dedication to supporting our students, staff and families in countless ways,” Bunge said. “She’s been viewed as a trusted colleague and friend to all members of our team. Lori is always the kind of person to bring a warm smile to anyone’s days, spreading the feeling of compassion and kindness.”
Hatlen, who also was one of the recognized retirees, spoke of Ripon High School’s administrative assistant O’Brien.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with you for years, and I appreciate your professionalism, attention to detail, confidentiality, advice and how you conducted yourself each day,” Hatlen said.
Kemnitz has been a paraprofessional at the RASD for the past 23 years and was thanked by RASD Special Education Director Becky Morrin.
“Shelly is very dedicated to the work she does and the students she serves,” Morrin said. “She cares very much for her students, and many times goes above and beyond in making sure their basic needs are met so they can learn. Her dedication to staff, students and the district is remarkable.”
And Superintendent Mary Whitrock gave thanks to Hatlen, who began his time with the district in 2007 as Murray Park’s principal, then the high school’s principal.
“Thank you for being the principal whose most memorable words for me have always been, ‘We have great kids here in Ripon,’” Whitrock said. “Rare is a principal who could shepherd children in their elementary years and return to them when they were teenagers.
“You’ve always been willing to do what it takes to lead your team. During our time together, we’ve received many awards and reached high levels of student success with engagement and achievement. Thank you so much for your wisdom; you lead with such a calm integrity. You are leaving the district in a much better place than you found it. As you close on your time here, I want to thank you for being so fully committed and energized through this entire year. I just know somehow you are not done yet serving the students. You have so much to give.”
The school board also recognized students who competed at state for both the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and forensics.
