Engagements & Weddings
Congratulations to Keona Griffin-King, a business education teacher at Ritenour High School, who married Jonathan King on Oct. 27.
Sammi Folsom, kindergarten teacher at Marvin Elementary, is excited to announce her engagement to Andrew in early November. Wedding bells are planned for January 2024. 
Amy Metz, English language teacher at RHS, and her partner, Scott Zumwalt, became engaged on Nov. 25 with the help of their daughter, Marley, 6, and son August, age 1. They are working on plans for a future destination wedding.
Wedding bells rang on Aug. 6 as Penni (Martin) Nuttall tied the knot with Jonathan Nuttall. Penni is a math teacher at Ritenour High School.
Kristin (Montgomery) Vivian, a resource teacher at Ritenour Middle School, married Nic Vivian on Oct. 1. The proud Mother-of-the-Bride is Pam Montgomery, kindergarten teacher at Marion Elementary. 
Babies
Lisa Brougham, an English language counselor at Ritenour High School, celebrated the birth of her first grandchild, Patrick “Paddy” Allen Brougham, on Aug. 10. Paddy weighed in at 7 lbs. 14 oz. and was 20 inches long. His proud parents are Kyle and Brianna Brougham. 
Kayla Dell, a nurse at Ritenour Middle School, celebrated the birth of Zoey Faye Dell on June 30. Zoey made her debut at 7 lbs. 7 oz. and was 20 inches long. Kayla shares, “Zoey will be 6 months old at the end of December and is already showing much of her strong personality. Daxton, 2, loves being a big brother and showering her with kisses. He also is a very protective big brother and does not like sharing his sissy with anyone, including Santa.” 
Rolanda Dodds-Piggs, an office professional in the Curriculum & Instruction Department at the Administrative Center, is excited to welcome her ninth grandchild into the family. Her youngest daughter, Carlyle Piggs, a 2018 RHS graduate, celebrated the birth of her first child, Emorie Delaney Gray on July 12. Emorie weighed in at 3 lbs. 11 oz. and was 18 ½ inches long. 
Dr. Madison Fritsche, SSD school psychologist at Wyland Elementary, and husband Cody are thrilled to announce the birth of their first child, Blakely Lucille, who made her debut on Nov. 14 at 7 lbs. 5 oz. and 12 ¼ inches long. Madison shares, “We are so in love with our bundle of joy.”
Jill Hodges, second grade teacher at Marion Elementary, and husband Ryan are excited about celebrating the birth of a new grandson, Quentin Everett Hodges. Quentin made his debut on May 23 weighing 9 pounds. His proud parents are Matthew and Jenna Hodges. Big brother Warren was “so excited to welcome him home,” says Jill.
Austin Knott, a Ritenour computer technician, and Yasmein Mousa, kindergarten teacher at Marion Elementary, celebrated the birth of Austin Davis Knott Jr. (AJ) on Oct. 31. AJ made his debut at 5 lbs. 5 oz and was 19½ inches long. 
Christina Northrup-Thompson, librarian at Ritenour High School, became a grandma on Nov. 2 when she welcomed Tristyn Mae Northrup into the family. Tristyn made her debut at 5 lbs. 10 oz and is “absolutely perfect,” according to her beaming grandma. 
Lauren Openlander, an RHS alumna and third grade teacher at Kratz Elementary, and husband Chris, also an RHS alum, welcomed their second child into their family on Sept. 8. Amelia Rose weighed 7 lbs. 14 oz. and was 19 inches long. Amelia’s big brother is Everett.
Kudos
Congratulations to Hoech Middle School Principal Dr. Alexander Terrance and Dr. Ted Frigillana, a sixth grade science and social studies teacher at Ritenour Middle School, who both earned their doctorate in education from Maryville University. Their graduation was held Dec. 3. 
Ritenour High School Principal Dr. Jana Haywood and Husky Academy Director Tavonda Palmer Harvey received the Coach with COACH 2022 Award on Nov. 19. They were honored for being strong advocates for youth and their “tireless commitment to our scholars and future leaders." The award was presented by Coach and the Bold Moves Agency.
Tracy Weber, a science teacher at RHS, and her family are part of a show called “Christmas Is…” which was filmed in Orlando, Fl. The show will be available through video-on-demand beginning Dec. 18 through the end of December. Her daughter, Fiona, is featured in both acts of the show, and Tracy and her husband are in the second act. Tracy and her husband have been performing in the show for the last several years. Fiona has been performing for many years as part of Miss Kathey’s Academy for the Performing Arts (MKA), which is connected with their church, Grace Church St. Louis. In addition to the weekly seven-hour practices for the Christmas show at Grace Church, the St. Louis cast practiced for four 10-hour days with groups from Detroit, Orlando and Branson just prior to the taping. Tracy is also proud of Fiona for performing in the “Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet” at the Fox Theatre. 
