Brentwood Elementary Teachers: From Students to Stewards

By Jeff Nelson

BRENTWOOD, Pa., June 29, 2026 -- In many respects, the past year was like most at Brentwood’s Elroy and Moore Elementary Schools. Besides the daily learning, the year was filled with memories, recognitions, emotions, celebrations, sadness and anticipation.

But, the 2025-26 school year was unlike any other. The neighborhood schools are scheduled to close this Summer after serving Brentwood Borough students and families for more than 100 years. The new Brentwood Elementary School is on schedule to open in September, bringing all Brentwood K-5 students together in one modern building for the first time since 1921.

The first Moore School opened in 1912 and students have been learning in the current building since 1916. Construction began in 1914 and the following year the Brentwood Borough School District was incorporated. Construction on the Elroy School started in 1920 and it opened to students in 1921.

Both schools have meant so much to generations of students, families, educators and the Brentwood community. That feeling shone brightly in May as both schools held well-attended, lively Open Houses and Art Nights that brought reunions of families, friends and classmates to walk the halls one more time and bring wonderful memories alive. Former students traveled from Ohio, West Virginia and other locales in western Pennsylvania for one final personal moment with their school.

For seven outstanding, long-time teachers, the final year carried an even deeper meaning. Each of them once entered the doors of Elroy or Moore (or both) as a student—and years later returned as an educator, dedicating their careers to Brentwood students and the elementary schools that helped shape who they are today.

All seven educators have ties to Elroy Elementary and four have ties to Moore School. Four of the teachers attended Elroy School as a student and have taught there for more than 20 years:

- Christina Dietz, Kindergarten, 26 years

- Sheri Duing, 5^th grade, 27.5 years

- Mindy Golvash, 3^rd grade, 32 years

- Tracy Rittiger, 3^rd grade, 35.5 years (attended Moore for Kindergarten)

Two Moore School teachers, Shannon Schubert and Rebecca Wilson, attended Elroy as students, while Amy Smith attended Moore as a student and has taught at Elroy for more than 25 years:

-Shannon Schubert, 1^st grade, 30 years

-Amy Smith, 1^st grade, 27 years

-Rebecca Wilson, 3^rd grade, 23 years

There are more than 20 Brentwood Borough SD teachers and staff overall who were students at one of the two cherished elementary schools.

“I teach with very good friends, which is awesome,” Golvash said. “We have a lot in common - all of us having gone to school in Brentwood and being teachers at Brentwood. The staff is very supportive. We get it because we grew up in Brentwood.”

“Moore has been an incredible place for me to work these last 30 years,” Schubert stated.

We Are Family

One theme consistently came up as the teachers reflected on their journey from Brentwood students to educators - a family atmosphere has permeated in both buildings for many years.

“The family feel just makes it all the harder to leave Elroy and the transition is going to be a little emotional,” Rittiger said. “Since I’m coming towards the end of my career, that’s going to also be another hurdle to take on. There was a family feel (also as student). Some of the events and things we did, like Camp Kon-O-Kwee and field trips really made a significant impact on me.”

“We’ve always had a sense of family here,” Smith stated. “No matter what happens, whether it’s a student or staff member, we always pull together to help those people out. If it’s a collection of food, or collection of money or just trying to give those kids who need some special attention because of what’s happening in their life. It’s the closeness we have; the way we work together.”

Two of the teachers, Dietz and Golvash, had the opportunity to teach in the same school where their mothers also worked. Dietz’ mom, Mary Ann McSwigan, was a Title I reading specialist and an aide, working in Elroy, Moore and the St. Sylvester School for 32 years. “Elroy is very dear to me,” Dietz said.

Golvash’s mom, the late Nancy Dolinski, was a long-time district custodian, including at Elroy, who worked the 3-11 p.m. shift.

“I feel my mom at my school,” Golvash said. “She was a custodian for 27 years for the district. The closeness is what makes Elroy special. I feel my mom. My husband (Dan) also teaches in the district; I feel family.”

“We’re a small community; we all know each other,” Duing commented. “I’m now teaching the kids of other kids I’ve taught. This year, I had three students tell me that I taught their mom. I think that’s special.”

Schubert has taught at Moore amongst family – her three children.

“Teaching at the same school that my children attended was such a cool experience,” she exclaimed. “I loved whenever one of my children ate lunch while my students did because then I was able to stop by and say ‘hi’ to them and give them a quick hug. They had wonderful, caring teachers and administrators.”

Teacher Impact – Then and Now

Not surprisingly, it was during their time as an Elroy or Moore student when many of the teachers knew they wanted to pursue careers in education.

“Mrs. Fitzsimmons was my Kindergarten teacher and Mrs. Korintus was my 1^st grade teacher,” Wilson recalled. “They are the reasons why I wanted to become a teacher. You knew they truly loved their job and all their students.”

“I had a teacher in second grade, Miss Fecsen, I was probably like a teacher’s pet for her,” Duing said. “I watered her plants and she would teach me math that was ahead of where the other students were. In fourth grade, my teacher, Miss Stockhausen, taught us how to do sign language, so when we played spelling bingo, we would spell out the words with the letters she taught us.

“Brentwood made me who I am and the teachers I had at Elroy are who made me want to be a teacher,” Duing added.

Years later, it’s the current Elroy and Moore teachers who are inspiring their students to become educators.

“I recently had a student who is going to be a teacher,” Dietz said. “She was doing observations in my room but I had her in my kindergarten classroom. It’s kind of like, “Oh, my, I remember when you were real little.’ It’s special seeing them in a different time and grown up.”

These educators embody everything Brentwood Borough SD stands for: commitment, connection and community. Their stories remind us that while buildings may change, the heart of Elroy and Moore will live on through the people who learned and taught there and have great love for their school and students.

It has been an emotional period, but all the teachers also are excited about the opportunity to carry Elroy and Moore’s heart, spirit and legacy forward into the new Brentwood Elementary School. Besides finally having air conditioning, there is anticipation and excitement about bringing all of Brentwood’s K-5 students, teachers, staff and the community together into a new, modern, forward-thinking building.

“I’m excited to meet all the Brentwood families,” Duing said. “I’ve never taught in a new school before, so I’m excited about that - and having air conditioning. Because I work there (in Elroy) it keeps the memories alive from when I went there as a student. I don’t want those to fade.”

“While change is hard, I look forward to all the positive changes that will come with the new school,” commented Wilson.

“I’m really excited about the design of the new school,” Smith stated. “The way the floors are being done in different colors to represent the Earth. We’re all going to come together. Both Elroy and Moore are special places and I know when we come together in the new building it’s going to be even more special.”

“I love my kids; it’s nice to know I’ve left an impact on my students,” Golvash reflected. ”I really care about Brentwood. We have great kids; great people. Brentwood is a great place.”

(Elroy Elementary School Principal Jennifer Zunic contributed to this story)

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