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Ontario SD 8C board honors retiring teachers including Bertha Oviedo, Miss Carter, Sherry Gaines and Kemi Vanek
Summary
The board held a recognition ceremony for several retirees. Colleagues praised their long service, classroom impact and community contributions; the principal at Ontario Middle School highlighted Sherry Gaines and Kemi Vanek’s careers.
The Ontario School District (Ontario SD 8C) board honored multiple retiring staff members during the meeting, with colleagues sharing anecdotes and presenting a plaque.
Unidentified Speaker introduced retiree Bertha Oviedo and read staff-submitted tributes noting her long service to the district and her work with special-needs students. A colleague said, "She has a wealth of knowledge and information about our district" and described Oviedo as "an amazing asset to Ontario's school district." Colleagues recounted years of classroom mentorship, laughter and support.
Lisa Longoria, principal at Ontario Middle School, introduced two additional retirees: Sherry Gaines and Kemi (spelled in the transcript as "Kemi"/"Kemi's"/"Kemi Vanek"). Longoria summarized Sherry Gaines’s 27-year teaching career — seven years in the district followed by 20 years at Ontario Middle School — and noted roles including reading intervention specialist, language arts teacher, volleyball coach and student-council adviser. Longoria recalled a technology grant she helped secure that provided a classroom set of computers for language arts and science.
Speakers shared personal memories — from a burnt-forehead anecdote to a prank involving Vaseline on a doorknob — to illustrate the retirees’ rapport with students and colleagues. One colleague described Kemi as "a constant when it comes to communication and the culture of our school" and praised her ability to build genuine relationships with students.
Speakers presented a plaque and invited family members to stand for recognition. The meeting’s retiree recognition segment concluded with congratulations and well wishes for the retirees’ next steps.
