Springville-Griffith Institute bids farewell to four retiring staff members this fall:
Marcia Ayler
Marcia Ayler, senior clerk steno in the High School Main Office, retired in early November after 38 years with S-GI. She started in October 1971 as a clerk typist in the library for both the high and middle schools during the year of split sessions while the new middle school was under construction.
She served as the assistant high school principal’s secretary for 13 years and for the past 25 years was the high school principal’s secretary.
This 1971 graduate of S-GI has only worked for her school. “I only know how to be a school secretary, mother and wife,” she said.
Married to Ron Ayler, she has three children: Scott, Ronnie and Stacy.
“I’ve always tried to be an efficient, hard working, organized secretary and to get as much work done each day as possible – and I think that I have done that,” Ayler added. That statement won’t provoke any arguments at the high school.
Her retirement plans include not being on a schedule, traveling and her flower gardens – along with helping others.
Jeanne Schweickert
Jeanne Schweickert worked her last day at S-GI on October 1 – the last day of the previous 26 years with the district.
She retired as a cleaner in the high school, a position she has held for more than 10 years. Schweickert began with the district as a cafeteria monitor at Springville Elementary, worked in the kitchen there and as a cleaner at both SES and Springville Middle School before transferring to the high school. Prior to employment at S-GI she worked at Fisher-Price and Dairy Queen.
“I wore many different hats,” she noted. “I met a lot of people and made many good friends.”
She is married to Theodore Schweickert and they have four children: Michelle, Anne, Sarah and Tracy; six grandchildren, Susan, Austin, Janelle, Tyler, Nathan and Zachary.
The Schweickerts will be living in Florida for the winters. Schweickert also plans to “travel, travel, travel!”
Christine Barnas
Christine Barnas, director of food service ended a 25-year career in October, employed the entire time at S-GI. A Sodexho staffer, she began with the company in September 1984.
Among her career accomplishments, Barnas feels that working toward healthier meals and choices was one of the best.
Her retirement plans include visiting her son and family in Texas and daughter and family in North Carolina, along with spending more time with her other son and his family in the area.
She is married to Frank Barnas and they are the parents of two sons, Jeffrey (Deanna) and Gregory (Kimberly) and a daughter, Shannon Parsel. They have six grandchildren: Dylan, Zachary, Cody, Matt, Amanda and Blaise.
Diane Boberg
“I have had the privilege of working with Christine Barnas most of my career,” said Diane Boberg of her 30 years as the clerk of the Food Service Program at S-GI for Sodexho. She began working at S-GI on May 14, 1979 and has held the same position for all of those years.
She graduated from business college after high school.
Boberg is married to David Boberg and their three children are all S-GI graduates: Debra Hill, Duane Boberg and Dawn VanBerkel. They have seven grandsons and one granddaughter: Scott, Joseph, Adam, Daniel, Dylan, Jonathan, Ethan and Caitlin.
Boberg is looking forward to her retirement years: spending more time with her husband, family and friends and doing some traveling.