First Posted: 4/15/2014

The Lackawanna Trail school board voted to accept Janice Joyce’s letter of retirement as curriculum director, effective June 30, during its monthly meeting on Monday.

“Thirty-seven years (Joyce served) in public education as a teacher, a principal, an administrator-general, a curriculum director,” Superintendent Matthew Rakauskas said. “The last 11 years has gone really fast.”

Rakauskas was a high school assistant principal when Joyce came to Lackawanna Trail 11 years ago.

“Congratulations on your retirement,” he said. “You will be missed.”

The board members applauded.

“Don’t make me cry now,” Joyce quipped.

“Mrs. Joyce’s work is behind the scenes,” Board member Ned Clarke said. “Not a lot of people know how much you do, but it’s greatly appreciated.”

Joyce replied, “It was a pleasure. I enjoyed every minute of it.”

The board voted to appoint Dr. Tania Stoker curriculum director as per the Act 93 Contract, effective July 1.

“Dr. Stoker is an assistant principal of the high school, elementary principal, and now director of curriculum and resources,” Rakauskas said. “We look forward to her leadership, which she brought here in the last six years and will continue.”

Stoker will remain elementary principal until June 3.

In her elementary report, Stoker thanked the board for her new appointment.

“I look forward to starting that position over the summer,” she said. “And I wish Janice the best in her retirement.”

In other business, board president Mark Lombardi recognized Dr. Mark Murphy in his first meeting as high school principal.

Murphy thanked the board for the textbook adoption for the graphics communications class. Earlier in the meeting, the board voted to approve the measure to purchase 28 Graphic Communications 5th Edition textbooks for approximately $1,848 and 15 Photography textbooks for approximately $1,968.

The board voted also voted to:

  • Accept Christian Sunseri’s resignation as assistant boy’s basketball coach .
  • Accept Kathleen Snyder’s resignation as field hockey coach .
  • Appoint Matthew Landsiedel assistant football coach at a stipend of $3,400 as stipulated in the collective bargaining agreement.
  • Appoint Christian Sunseri head boys’ basketball coach at a stipend of $4,750 as stipulated in the collective bargaining agreement.