Mundelein High School held its annual Staff Recognition Ceremony May 16 at the Hawthorn Woods Country Club to honor those who have reached significant milestones in their careers. The event was hosted by Superintendent Kevin Myers and Principal Anthony Kroll. Laura Giese and Louise Krater, both of the special education department, were honored as retirees. Giese was also honored for reaching the 30-year mark as an MHS employee. Other milestone awards included Jennifer Fallon, math, 25 years; Caryl Clem, special education; Jennifer Cox, math; Rahul Sethna, business education; and Chris Stennett, applied arts; all 20 years; and Peggy Billittier, executive assistant to the principal, 15 years. Those honored for 10 years of service include Maureen Baker, special education; Fidel Garcia, security; Connie Hauswald, special education; Randy Lerner, math department chair; Rachelle Halbur, fine/applied arts; Chad Oldham, math; Amanda Parola, administrative assistant to the assistant principal; Mary Plucinski, social studies; Catherine Pirro, special education; Vanessa Prorok, math; Morgan Spitz, special education; Jaime Thatcher, guidance and counseling; and Catherine White, math. Teachers granted tenure include Samantha Balbarin, English; Patrick Gaughan, social studies; Jonathan Mahoney, social work; Kate Schultz, special education; Jonathan Pruc, fine and applied arts; Margaret Sharp, math; Jerald Shelato, instrumental music; Victoria Siwak, science; Andrew Sturgeon, instrumental music; and Elizabeth Willis, English. The event closed with the presentation of traditional Mustang Star Trophies to five staff members for going “above and beyond” in a number of different ways. The 2017 Mustang Star Trophy winners were Larry Calhoune, business and athletics; Steven Cone, security; Joe Maxwell, science; Kevin Quinn, maintenance and facilities director; and Barb Tegtmeier, copy/mail room. “We are proud of our dedicated staff members and it is a pleasure to spend an evening recognizing their hard work and their years of service,” Kroll said.