2026 Retirement Celebration

Peggy Aalderink has been a part of the HPS staff for the past 32 years, most recently as an Instructional Assistant at Holland Middle School.  She was born to be in HPS, her mother being an alumna of Holland High School and her father having worked for the construction company that built Holland High School, including The Dome.  Peggy has learned a great deal about Autism during her time as an employee, and appreciates knowing that her work is noticed and valued by her colleagues.  Peggy is looking forward to finishing building her house, spending time with her grandchildren, and finishing up her unfinished sewing projects.

Emily Armstrong has been an English teacher at Holland High School for the past 27 years.  She has taught a variety of subjects, including Creative Writing and Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition.  Her leadership among her AP colleagues led to a role as a reader for AP exams nationwide.  Emily is grateful to have worked for Holland Public Schools and truly enjoyed having all three of her daughters as students in her class.  In retirement, Emily is looking forward to a summer trip to the south of France, and returning stateside to adopt a dog after her trip.  Emily’s advice to new educators is to imagine the potential in every student.

Gabriela Arzamendi-Villareal is finishing her 44th year as a district employee.  Gabriela has served in a variety of positions, most recently as an Instructional Assistant at Holland Heights Elementary School.  She has enjoyed having four generations of her family in the district, and has loved the trips to the Outdoor Discovery Center with the Nature Based program.  In retirement, Gabriela looks forward to traveling with her husband and caring for her mother.  She will miss her colleagues and advises new educators to “Remember we all come from different places and you can be such a difference in a child’s life. Be kind… love what you teach but love who you teach.”

Betty Castro has been a HPS employee for the past thirty years, most recently as an Instructional Assistant in the Early Childhood Special Education program at West Elementary.  During her time at East K-7, Betty earned an award for excellence for her work in the Severe Multiple Impairment (SXI) program.  She looks forward to spending time with her grandchildren in retirement and advises that, “No matter what the day looks like, there’s always tomorrow and just know you made an impact.”

Glenn DeRitter has been a Science teacher in HPS for 32 years. The majority of his career has been teaching 8th grade science, and for the past eight years, Glenn has taught 9th grade Biology. His advice to new educators is, “Make sure the kids know you care.  Kids will enjoy the class and be free to learn if they feel safe.”  Glenn looks forward to spending time with his best friend and wife, Kim, and his five (almost six!) grandchildren. He plans to fill his time in retirement with volunteer work and a part-time job.

Debra Demerest has been a Middle School science teacher in Holland for 31 years. During her time in HPS, Debra has served as a Technology Pioneer Group Member, School Improvement Chairperson, Middle School Science Department Chairperson, Strategic Instruction Model (SIM) Trainer, Student Council Advisor, Mentor Teacher, and Science Olympiad Coach. She looks forward to spending time with her husband and visiting both of her daughters: one in Japan who is stationed on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. George Washington, and the other in Denver who works as a professional dog trainer. Debra’s advice to new educators is to build relationships with your students. “Get to know them! Also ask for help from other staff members. Some of the “old teachers” have tips and tricks that can/will help.”

Lynne Gardner has been a Special Education teacher at Jefferson Elementary for the past four years, working over two decades before moving to Holland for the last years of her career.  Her fondest memories include those times working with the amazing staff at Jefferson to collaboratively support students. “The dedication, resourcefulness, resilience, and compassion they show on a daily basis has been so admirable.”  Lynne looks forward to traveling and spending time with family in retirement.  Her advice to new educators is to make and take time for your physical, emotional, and mental health in a career that demands so much of all of that from you. 

Sue Hemmeke has served the students of HPS for the past 35 years, first as a classroom teacher at East Middle School and Longfellow Elementary School. She has been a Counselor at Holland High School for the past 20 years, and remarks on the “incredible resilience I’ve been able to witness and encourage through the years. We have incredible students!” Sue is a recipient of the Power H Award and was a finalist for the 2026 Impact Award. Her advice to new educators is, “Always build on a student’s strengths. Find them, affirm them, and build from there. Success breeds success and believing one can is halfway there.”  Sue and her husband, Ron, look forward to traveling and spending time with their children and grandchildren.

Sharon Hoitenga has been a part of the HPS family for over 20 years, most recently as the Associate Dean of Students at Holland Heights Elementary School.  She has worked in seven different buildings during her time in the district, and is looking forward to spending time with her five grandchildren, spending FULL summers at Sandy Pines, taking a cross-country Amtrak trip, and a Mississippi River cruise.  Sharon still loves her job and says, “It’s hard for me to retire because I thoroughly enjoyed getting up every day to work for HPS. Keep up the good work!”  Her advice for new educators is to be flexible, support each other, be kind, and ask for help if needed.

Carrie Krauss has been a teacher in the Autism Spectrum Disorder Program at West Elementary School for the past seven years. She plans on continuing working in the Education field in retirement. Her advice for new educators is, “Don’t sweat the small stuff! If you focus on loving your students, there really is no limit to what you can accomplish!” 

Dana Loveland has been a staff member in HPS for over 20 years. She ends her career as a Counselor at Holland High School, and was instrumental in launching the Holland Early College program. Dana looks forward to spending time with friends and family, playing pickleball, and traveling. She advises new educators to “Always build relationships!”

Luz Melendez has been an Instructional Assistant at Holland Language Academy for seven years. She is grateful to have found a position working at a school in the United States. In retirement, Luz would like to continue working as a Teacher’s Aide in Puerto Rico. She shares that working in Education is a profession that entails a great deal of love and continuous learning.

Mike Mummert is a graduate of Holland High School and has been the District Technology Lead for the past eleven years.  While he will miss his colleagues greatly, he will not miss the stress of this position.  Mike shares the following advice with new educators:  “As someone new to education, when you struggle with some aspect of your new position; and struggle you will…don’t feel like you need to go it alone. Ask for help from your fellow staff who have been through it before.  Remember why you chose education as a career in the first place. It is a noble profession!”  Mike looks forward to improving his musical skills, staying healthy, and taking care of his family.

Ken Ogle is retiring from HPS after teaching English in the district for 25 years. He is planning to read, write, travel, advocate for justice, and of course, work on his model trains!  Ken has saved “all of the cards and letters from students who have shown their love and gratitude for me and their successes are my greatest accomplishments.”  His advice to new educators is, “First, Truly love your students--and the students that are giving you the hardest time are most likely the ones who need your love the most.  All your students need to know that everything you ask them to do is because you care about them.  Err on the side of grace.  Second, love yourself.  Remember to maintain your mental health.  It is so easy to become frustrated and stressed.  Mindfulness and especially the practice of gratefulness are not simple, superficial self-help techniques,. They are transformative.  Seek support from your fellow staff.  They will listen with lots of understanding because they’ve been there, too.” 

Sue Podein has been a Food Service employee for sixteen years in HPS.  She was the recipient of the Unsung Hero Award during her time in the district. She is excited to build a home up north and advises new employees to communicate and ask questions.

Anne Wallace has been a Special Education Teacher and Teacher Consultant for 27 years. She has also served as Special Education Department Chair, DCIT member, Mentor Cadre member, Class Advisor, several HEA roles, and several committee roles. Most recently, Anne spent five years as the President of the Holland Education Association.  She describes these years as “the most challenging of my career. However, they are easily the ones of which I am most proud, and I will always feel honored to have served our members and Holland Public Schools in this role.”  Anne is looking forward to spending more quality time with family, catching up on hobbies, and traveling during ALL seasons of the year! Her advice to new educators is, “Don’t be shy about tapping into your most valuable resources - your colleagues - who were once brand new to the district themselves. Talk to them, ask questions, and seek help. HPS has the most dedicated, talented, professional staff anywhere, and now you are a part of this amazing team!