Dalhart ISD presents service awards to staff
BY BILL KELLY
Dalhart Texan
On the final staff development day of the 2025-2026 school year for the Dalhart ISD, teachers who have served a certain amount of time in the district (multiples of five years), along with four retirees and a few others were presented special awards.
For the elementary school, Cassandra Borrunda, Amenah El-Far and Rylee Richardson received awards for their fifth year of service. Kathy Claborn, Angela Encinias, Amanda Gonzalez and Sam Sherber received their 10-year awards, and Elizabeth Flores and Janie Navarette received awards for 15 years of service. Melissa Ritchey received an award for 25 years of service, and Tammie Frische received an award for 30 years of service.
For Dalhart Intermediate, Kodi Gardner, Adrien Gordon, Marissa Hernandez and Angela Wilcox received awards for five years of service. Lacey Bolton and Diane Thompson received awards for 10 years of service. Tomasa Gomez, Shelley Helver and Christy Swain from Dalhart Junior High received awards for five years of service.
For Dalhart High School, Ruben Lopez, Jeff Metcalf and received awards for five years of serChase Thompson vice. I.J. Hinojos and Kourtney Thelander received their 10-year service awards, and Nicole Guidry received an award for 15 years of service. Natalie Garcia, Jennifer Read, Joey Read and Lida Trusler received awards for 20 years of service. Paula Bowen and Laura Portillo-Amaya received awards for 30 years of service.
Employees in the Central Office, Maintenance Department and Transportation Department also received service awards. Lance Keplinger of the Maintenance Department received his award for five years of service. Shannon Friese, who is in Special Services at the Central Office and Gary Schniederjan of the Transportation Department received awards for 10 years of service. Elgin Sledge of the Transportation Department received an award for 25 years of service.
The Elementary Teacher of the Year is Lacey Bolton of Dalhart Intermediate, and David Hutchison of Dalhart High School in the Secondary Teacher of the Year. Ernest Fernandez was named District Employee of the Year.
Four staff members received rocking chairs for their retirement. They included Kenneth Hopson, who was teaching math at the junior high after teaching at the high school for one year; Marlo Byrd, who was high school counselor for a couple of years and has been ESL Director/Testing Coordinator for Dalhart ISD for the past two years; Kurtis Abla, who has been an assistant principal for both the high school and junior high and is retiring as the principal of Dalhart Junior High; and David Hutchison, who taught social studies at Dalhart High School for over 25 years.
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