MANSFIELD – As GOAL Digital Academy continues in its 20th year of education, three valued staff members have elected to retire. The staff members are Kristi Hamrick, Chris Deardurff and Cheri Nolting.
Hamrick retires from GOAL after working there for 14 years. She graduated with a degree in elementary education from Otterbein University and completed her education at Ohio State University. She started her career with a long tenure at Danville, teaching for 21 years, and spent one year as a Reading First tutor at Marion City Schools. Now that she has retired from GOAL, Hamrick has not left working with children and is now working at Childtime Preschool.
Deardurff has worked over 40 years in education. She spent 35 of those years teaching first through sixth grades and became highly qualified in science education. Deardurff then spent eight years teaching at a private school, and the last 3 ½ years she spent with GOAL. Now that her teaching days are through, Deardruff will stay busy babysitting her grandson, Hank, and volunteering for various charitable organizations.
Nolting received multiple degrees, including a bachelor's of science in education, physical education/coaching and adaptive physical education; and a master's in special education. Nolting started her career a little later due to being a mom but made quite an impact. She started an elementary K-6 Multiple Disabilities Unit at River Valley’s Caledonia Elementary, where she remained for 10 years. She then worked four years at Crawford County’s Fairway School. In 2005, she answered a job posting for a part-time behavior teacher and part-time online teacher at GOAL in Mansfield. She also worked in the Tomorrow Center simultaneously. Nolting’s retirement plans include enjoying her new, smaller house watching the wildlife, some traveling with her husband in their Ford Model Ts, restoring a 1914 Oakland and keeping up with her two grandsons.
“It's been a fun journey. I've met many people and many students all with different stories that I could write a book about,” Nolting said.
Tish Jenkins, GOAL superintendent, said, “We wish Kristi, Chris, and Cheri nothing but the best and they move on to the next chapter in their lives. Each of these talented educators dedicated themselves to our students, and we will miss them.”
GOAL Digital Academy serves 12 counties in Central Ohio with its seven Learning Labs and celebrates students’ diverse learning styles, interests and talents by going beyond academics and providing students with well-rounded opportunities to meet new people and engage in their passions. GOAL offers regular family education and networking opportunities and continually works to remove family or community barriers that impact student success.
