The Board of Education and Superintendent of Schools Maria Navarro, Ed.D., honored several Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) employees on March 23, 2023, for their years of service to the school system and commitment to education during a ceremony held at North Point High School.
Honored were employees with careers that span a period of 45, 40, 35, 30 and 25 years.
Marcellus Pailen was honored for 45 years of service as an instrumental music teacher!
Pailen started his career at Henry E. Lackey High School as the instrumental music teacher after being referred to CCPS by a colleague. “I had never heard of Charles County before teaching down here,” Pailen said. He is a Washington D.C., native and hadn’t heard of the county before coming here for work. He was at Lackey for 13 years and then moved to Matthew Henson Middle School. Pailen has been the instrumental music teacher at Henson for nearly 32 years.
Pailen’s music interest came from his father’s music background. “My father was a postman with a small music background,” he said. Pailen took private lessons when he was in middle school and developed a love for various instruments, enough to become an instrumental music teacher. “I did not come from a long line of family members that were in education,” he said. He became the first one in his family to enter the field.
When asked why he has continued on as an educator for the extended time that he has, he said that he enjoys the “challenge to help students to improve.” He mentioned that it is rewarding to see students go from a basic knowledge of instruments to a more advanced one. Pailen has had a successful career in that students that he has taught long ago have now become important figures in the music world.
Adam Livers was honored for 40 years of service with CCPS as a general maintenance worker.
Livers started his career with CCPS because he simply needed a job. The need then turned into an desire to serve.
He comes to work, gets his assignment for the day, and then completes it, Livers said. He does it with ease and it’s translated into his 40 years of service with CCPS. Livers said that his brother worked in the school system and referred him to a position at Maurice J. McDonough High School as a building service worker. He was offered the position and worked at the school for 22 years.
After his 22 years at McDonough, he moved into his current role in the CCPS general maintenance department. Other than his extended family members who worked in food service or building service, Livers does not come from a long line of educators or maintenance workers. “When I was younger, I did not have dreams of becoming a maintenance worker,” he said. “At the time I may have wanted to become a carpenter or an automotive mechanic.”
Livers has worked in his current role as a general maintenance worker for nearly 18 years. When asked what has kept him with CCPS all these years he said that it is the community. “I truly enjoy the guys that I work with,” Livers said.
In addition to those honored for 45 and 40 years of service, the Board and Navarro honored 34 employees with 35, 30 and 25 years of service.
Employees with 35 years of service
- Duania Darby, social studies teacher, Theodore G. Davis Middle School.
- Meighan Hungerford, director of elementary schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building.
- Kenneth Lane, physical education teacher, North Point High School.
- Phyllis Whalen, building service assistant manager, William B. Wade Elementary School.
Employees with 30 years of service
- Kevin Clancy, language arts teacher, Benjamin Stoddert Middle School.
- Catherine Curtis, special education instructional assistant-inclusion, Mary B. Neal Elementary School.
- Karen Dennis, guidance secretary, Stoddert.
- Patrick Ganter, physical education teacher, Piccowaxen Middle School.
- Teresa Getgen, physical education teacher, La Plata High School.
- Tracie Gregan, first-grade teacher, Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary School.
- Edwin Hall, school counselor, Lackey.
- Henry Jamieson, job placement coordinator, Lackey.
- Andre Kenan, social studies teacher, Thomas Stone High School.
- Patricia Koch, library media specialist, Mary H. Matula Elementary School.
- Connie Mouton, assistant principal, William A. Diggs Elementary School.
- Diana Nagel, family and consumer science teacher, St. Charles High School.
- Kenneth Schroeck, senior project manager in Supporting Services, CCPS Annex I.
- Elisabeth Shook, instructional specialist for special education, Starkey.
- Clifton Shorter, building service manager, Milton M. Somers Middle School.
- Angie Sidney, kindergarten teacher, Malcolm Elementary School.
- Trisha Volland, foreign language teacher, Davis.
- Melinda Wright, second-grade teacher, Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School.
Employees with 25 years of service
- Leigh Ann Anderson, science resource teacher, Starkey.
- Karena Bennett, science teacher, McDonough.
- Traci Blakeley, third-grade teacher, Wade.
- Stephanie Boyer, vocal music teacher, Eva Turner Elementary School.
- Steven Brown, building service worker, Robert D. Stethem Educational Center.
- Sarah Burch, accounting assistant in food services, Starkey.
- Dennis Burns, special education teacher, St. Charles.
- Ian Buter, content specialist for science, Starkey.
- Michael Callahan, environmental education assistant, Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Center
- Jeremy Campbell, human resources specialist, Starkey.
- Tak Cheng, lead network engineer, Starkey.
- John Childers, virtual social studies teacher, Stethem.
- Lisa Cooper, kindergarten teacher, Mudd.
- Deidra Fuller, secretary to the principal, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Elementary School.
- Ann Garner, reading recovery teacher, Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy.
- Kelly Glossner, fifth-grade teacher, Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy.
- John Hairston, pupil personnel worker, Starkey.
- Kimberly Hairston, assistant principal, Dr. James Craik Elementary School.
- Cynthia Hangarter, kindergarten teacher, J.C. Parks Elementary School.
- Kellie Harding, academic mentor, John Hanson Middle School.
- Timothy Headley, alternative school teacher, Stethem.
- Michael Heim, chief of operations and supporting services, CCPS Annex I.
- Kara Higdon, kindergarten teacher, Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School.
- Olivia Hill, audiologist, F.B. Gwynn Educational Center.
- Brandon Hoch, art teacher, Davis.
- Beverley Jenkins, food service manager, Lackey.
- Kelly Kavlick, reading resource teacher, Gale-Bailey Elementary School.
- Carole Koller, accounting manager, Starkey.
- Susan Lucas, secretary to the principal, Stone.
- Jennifer Malone, reading resource teacher, Matula.
- Martin Margolis, physical education teacher, Mitchell.
- Donna Osakowicz, administrative instructional assistant, Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School.
- Matthew Petricoin, vision teacher, Starkey.
- Michele Petricoin, special education teacher, Davis.
- Jessica Pratta, social studies teacher, North Point.
- Charles Proctor, operations foreman, CCPS Annex I.
- Anita Richardson, reading recovery teacher, Jenifer.
- Steven Roberts, director of accountability, Starkey.
- David Rooney, physical education teacher, McDonough.
- Joni Rooney, learning resource teacher, Craik.
- Timothy Rosin, special education teacher, F.B. Gwynn.
- Todd Sharp, science teacher, La Plata.
- Samantha Shelton, special education teacher, Stone.
- Susan Stazetski, art teacher, McDonough.
- Catherine Swann, food service worker, Matula.
- William Tremaglio, social studies teacher, General Smallwood Middle School.
- Lolita Washington, administrative instructional assistant, Westlake High School.
- Norma Williams, prekindergarten teacher, Mudd.
- Anne Zabel, preschool instructional assistant, C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School.
About CCPS – Charles County Public Schools provides 27,598 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 37 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.
The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Kathy Kiessling, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (students) or Nikial M. Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (employees/ adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.
CCPS provides nondiscriminatory equal access to school facilities in accordance with its Use of Facilities rules to designated youth groups (including, but not limited to, the Boy Scouts).
