Sodus Central honors students, names retirees and grants tenure to multiple staff

The Sodus Central School District Board of Education used its annual awards night to recognize student achievement, honor long-serving employees and confirm tenure recommendations.

The meeting opened with a presentation of RRK (Respect, Responsibility, Kindness) awards across grade levels. Miss Mater, the elementary school principal, and Mrs. Munzer, assistant principal, led elementary recognitions and read the names of UPK through third-grade honorees. Megan Johnson, intermediate school principal, announced fourth- through sixth-grade recipients. David Russell, the building principal, described the junior–senior high principal’s list criteria — students with a 95% or higher GPA over the district’s stated window — and read names of honor-roll students from eighth grade through the senior class.

The board presented the 2026 Community Service Award to Sue Gibson. Board presenters noted Gibson began her career with the district in 1998, retired in 2023 and has since returned as a near-daily volunteer supporting students. The presenters credited her ongoing mentorship, academic support and daily presence in the high school as reasons for the honor.

The board read tributes to several retirees. Among those recognized were Lisa Moore, who was described as having served 38 years in roles including teacher, tennis coach and special education coordinator; Steve Moore, the district business administrator since 2004 who was credited with careful capital planning and strong financial stewardship; and Deb Palmer, a longtime school social worker and coach. The board also recognized Eva Hyatt, Missy (teacher aide), Kathy Cooch (business office) and others for their years of service.

Nelson Kaisa, the district leader whose career included roles as social worker, assistant principal, principal and superintendent, received an extended tribute. Kaisa addressed the audience and said, "It's been an absolute pleasure to serve here," and thanked the community for the opportunity to work with students and staff.

Administrators recommended tenure for multiple staff members. The board recommended Tiffany Daru for tenure in special education, Emma Fuller for tenure in music education and Maddie Sergeant for tenure in elementary education; several junior–senior high staff were also named as tenure recipients, including Mr. Jean Hoskins, Miss Peg Lumpky and Miss Morgan Siktish. Presenters cited experience, leadership of extracurricular programs and demonstrated classroom effectiveness in recommending tenure.

Procedural business that followed included a set of consent motions and routine approvals. The board moved through consent motions numbered one through three and then moved an anticipated executive-session motion, which concluded the public portion of the meeting. The transcript does not include roll-call tallies in full detail.

The board previewed its July reorganizational meeting and said it would feature K–6 math and reading data and final exam and Regents data for the junior–senior high school.

Notes: The district name appears in the meeting and materials as Sodus Central School District.