Lakewood High School surrounds itself with the best staff, who support their students in every way possible. After spending a lot of time at this school, 12 excellent staff members are retiring after the 2025-2026 school year.

​Joy Morgan, the principal of Lakewood High School, has nothing but great things to say about this group of retiring teachers.

“We have some longtime staff members who just encompass it all,” Morgan said. “There’s been so much change in education, and they have been able to roll with it, always leaving an impact on students.”

​As the school looks to fill vacancies, Morgan noted that the priority is finding educators who can connect deeply with the building’s population.

“We look for people who hopefully have some experience in schools like ours and who can relate to students, because, in the end, that is the most important thing,” Morgan said.

​As the year comes to an end, we want to thank the teachers who have put their time and effort into our school.

​Beth Byrne, Speech Pathologist, has been working in the Lakewood City School District for 36 years, teaching students communication skills and important social lessons.

“My students have impacted me the most,” Byrne said. “I have learned so much from them as I have worked with many different populations and age levels; it has all just been so rewarding.”

​They have impacted Byrne as much as she hopes to have impacted them.

“I just want them to be able to go into the world and communicate,” said Byrne. “I hope they remember our time and really just feel comfortable communicating in any setting, with adults, peers, strangers, anyone.”

Byrne wants to start her retirement by enjoying the summer months off. “The good thing about speech pathology is you can still work, so I will likely continue my service in other forms,” she said.

​Tracy Chesmar, a Paraprofessional, has been at Lakewood High School for 19 years.

“I started embarking with the physically disabled, then started working with the mentally disabled, and then I started working with learning disabilities,” Chesmar said.

​Chesmar hopes to leave her students with an important lesson. “Just to try hard and be honest,” Chesmar said. “I think honesty and being up front is much better than a lie.”

​With her retirement, Chesmar has a fun time ahead of her, trading school books for agriculture. “I moved out of Lakewood and now have a homestead with chickens and a large garden,” Chesmar said.

​Nina Dechant, a School Counselor, has been in the Lakewood City School District for 38 years. She started as a substitute teacher, but then it turned into a five-year gig.

“To be a school counselor, before the rule changed, you had to have years of teaching experience,” Dechant said. “After teaching, I was at Emerson in a counseling position. It was amazing. I developed a lot of school-wide programs, small group counseling, peace circles, just a lot of things with the kids.”

​Dechant later transitioned to the high school level. “The hardest part was going from elementary school kids, playing with toys and puppets, to then transitioning into high school students,” Dechant said.

​Dechant’s favorite part of her career was the relationships she could make with her students. “I had always wanted to be a school counselor, went to school for it, and being with the students was my true reward,” Dechant said.

Denise Eplin, a Transition Coordinator, has been at Lakewood High School for 27 years. She works to place students with special needs into work settings.

“I take students to the community-based work setting at Winking Lizard,” Eplin said.

​This is not her only position; Eplin wears many hats at the high school. “I refer students to Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities,” she said. “It helps students with special needs after high school, in college, or further employment.”

​With her retirement, she plans to continue helping others, but also enter her grandma phase. “My oldest son is having a baby in July, which I am really looking forward to,” Eplin said. “And I am actually going to be working a little bit in job coaching for special needs individuals, through a Summer Youth Program.”

Kathy Gabriel, Science Teacher, has been at Lakewood High School for 20 years. Starting her career in physical science, she quickly transferred into chemistry.

“I have taught all levels of chemistry that we have: environmental, general, advanced, and AP for the last ten years,” Gabriel said.

​Gabriel has not always been a teacher and even spent 18 months living in Egypt. “I was a chemist in my past life,” Gabriel said. “A research chemist in pharmaceuticals, as a synthetic organic chemist. When someone said ‘make this’, I was the person who tested and made it.”

​This experience enables Gabriel to be the best mentor for her students. “I can give advice and show how a lab will actually run,” said Gabriel. “I hope to have taught all of my students perseverance. You don’t know what you like until you try it, so just keep doing it and take advantage of the opportunities that we have.”

​Elizabeth (Beth) Hankins, Orchestra Teacher, has been fostering creativity at Lakewood High School for 36 years.

“Lakewood High School wants to press boundaries,” Hankins said. “They didn’t want to be like everyone else; they wanted to be unique, and they celebrated staff who went above and beyond to bring unique opportunities to their students.”

​Hankins wants to make sure her students know that anything is possible. “Lakewood High School challenged me, and they accepted my wacky ideas when I had them,” Hankins said. “I don’t want my students to accept the word no. Find the people who believe in the same things you believe in, and go for it. Remember your past and learn from it, and use it to launch you even further.”

​While resting with her golden retriever, Hankins will continue to educate future musicians. “I have also continued my teaching career at Case Western,” she said.

David Hille, one of the Physics Teachers, has been at Lakewood High School for 27 years. He has taught all levels of physics.

“I hope that I have made better problem solvers,” Hille said. “They might not remember all the physics, but to be able to see a problem and have a strategic solution is an important skill.”

​During his retirement, Hille plans to do what he has already been doing on the side. “I own New Castle Roofing and Remodeling in Avon Lake, so I will be running that full-time,” Hille said.

​Danita Mills, Paraprofessional, has been in the Lakewood City School District for 26 years, including 8 years at Lakewood High School. She works with students who have emotional struggles.

“We stay here in the classroom and teach math and science,” Mills said.

​Mills loves seeing the progress her students can make. “It’s been nice to see the students’ maturity,” Mills said. “To see how they start to take school seriously, and their true talents shine through. I’ve always had a love for students, working with them and helping them.”

​Mills looks forward to traveling during the autumn months and reviving her creative passions. “I am also excited to get back to my art, as I am an artist,” she said. “It will be nice to start an art piece and actually be able to finish it, along with my garden and planting my flowers.”

Ann Pesta, Science Teacher, has been in the Lakewood City School District for 31 years. She started at Emerson in 1995 and worked there for 12 years. Then she moved to Harding Middle School for 10 years. Since then, she has been at the High School for nine years.

​She hopes her impact has inspired the students she has worked with. “I hope they know I believe in them, not just in the classroom but as people as well,” Pesta said. “I even hope I inspire some to go into scientific fields.”

​More importantly, she wants the students to know how much they have impacted her teaching styles. “The students taught me how to teach. Through my career, I have learned to see what works and what doesn’t,” Pesta said. “I can tell if they are bored. I can modify what we are doing based on that. How much time to spend on notes and how much time needs to be spent hands-on.”

​Pesta added, “My favorite part is when you can see the lightbulb click on in the student’s head, and that tells you that they understand, and it is really exciting.”

​Retirement is starting with some rest before turning to more adventures. “I am going to relax and most likely take the summer off,” said Pesta. “I want to take 15 to 20-minute lessons, paired with a hands-on activity for nursing homes and the elderly. I want them to experience the excitement and the fun things to stay stimulated.”

Joanne Schwark, West Shore Paraprofessional, has been at Lakewood High School for about nine and a half years. She has primarily worked in the electronics lab and cooking classrooms.

“I’ve learned so much from the curriculum, and it has actually improved my life at home,” Schwark said. “I was able to fix my stove and dishwasher, along with other electronics. It has also improved my cooking and allowed me to make a bunch of meals.”

Schwark gets to fulfill her dream once retirement hits. “I cannot wait to finally deep clean my house,” Schwark says. “Nothing terribly ambitious, but I’m looking forward to it very much.”

Meredith Wojtkun, House Principal, has been in the Lakewood City School District for 34 years.

“I started at the High School and taught students with learning disabilities. I was then an interim coordinator at an alternative school,” Wojtkun said. “I went to Harding to teach seventh-grade English for a couple of years. I got up to assistant principal and later principal of Harding… I jumped from middle school, then to elementary school, and then finished here at the high school for the past five years as the House One Principal.”

​Wojtkun can’t speak enough about her colleagues. “I have always liked who I work with. I think we have fabulous teachers and administrators with hearts in the right place,” said Wojtkun.

​Retirement for Wojtkun sounds like a vacation. “I have always played tennis and golf and gone to yoga. A lot of my retired friends and I have a golf league on Tuesdays. I also belong to a tennis club,” Wojtkun said. “My husband travels for work, so I might also join him in Florida on a random week.”

​Barbara Wolansky, a Transportation and Mobility Specialist, has been in the City School District for 39 years. She works to make sure students with a range of disabilities can travel safely to and from school and throughout the community.

“I work with visually impaired and multi-handicapped students,” Wolansky said. “I teach them how to use a cane, cross streets, and how to take the bus.”

​Wolansky said, “I just hope that as they get older, they remember what we worked on and how to travel anywhere safely. I see so many of my old students working and traveling through Lakewood, which is such a walking community.”

​With her retirement, Wolansky wants to be number one grandma. “My youngest daughter is having her baby in June, and that will be my eighth grandchild,” Wolansky said. “I just want to help out my kids and babysit my grandchildren as much as I can.”

​All of these teachers have had a significant impact on the lives of students and staff at Lakewood High School. They will each be missed, and we wish them a joyous time in their retirement. Congratulations, and go Rangers!