Mindy Golvash jokes she’s the first of many Golvash teachers that Brentwood students will have as they advance through the district.
Govash is a third grade teacher at Elroy Elementary School. Her husband, Dan, is a special education teacher at Brentwood High School. Her sister-in-law, Lynne, is an eighth grade math teacher in the district.
Golvash is one of seven Brentwood elementary teachers who have taught for more than 20 years in the district and are also former district students.
“I love teaching where I went to school,” said Golvash, who’s taught at Elroy for 32 years. “I loved my teachers and I had such good and caring teachers.”
The already tight-knit community of Brentwood will become even more close this fall.
Elroy and Moore schools — both of which have educated Brentwood children for more than a century — will close at the end of this school year.
Students will instead attend the new Brentwood Elementary School next fall.
“Both schools have their traditions and the way they do things,” Golvash said. “I think we will transition well because even though we don’t know those students as well, we all instill the same morals and values.
“I feel it will be successful.”
Institutional history
In total, there are more than 20 Brentwood teachers or staff who attended Elroy or Moore, including:
• Christina Dietz, 26-year employee and Elroy kindergarten teacher
• Sheri Duing, 26-year employee and Elroy fifth grade teacher
• Tracy Rittiger, 35-year employee and Elroy third grade teacher
• Shannon Schubert, 30-year employee and Moore first grade teacher
• Amy Smith, 27-year employee and Elroy first grade teacher
• Rebecca Wilson, 21-year employee and Moore third grade teacher
“I thought I had a real connection with the students,” Duing said. “I knew all the street names and the cool hangout spots. It’s kept my memories alive — I see my friends hanging out on the playground, I still see that because I’m in these halls every day.”
A 1993 Brentwood graduate, Duing said returning to teach was like seeing family again.
In a community like Brentwood — with about 1,100 students total — the family atmosphere isn’t exactly an exaggeration.
Golvash’s mother, the late Nancy Dolinski, was a custodian in the district for 27 years, including at Elroy, working the 3-11 p.m. shift.
Shannon Schubert’s husband, Rich, is a borough councilman. Their three children, Elizabeth, Emily and Evan, attended Moore and are now students at the Middle-High School.
“I loved that I was a part of that,” Shannon Schubert said. “I would see them at lunch times, run in and give them a quick hug.
“It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to Moore — I spent my whole career here — but I think the change will be good.”
Atmosphere
Things have changed at Brentwood over the years. Duing said that, years ago, many students walked to school.
In the past, some teachers would walk home during lunch breaks and watch “The Price Is Right,” Duing said.
Golvash enjoys the different perspectives from when she was a student to now being a teacher. One example was a children’s fair day.
“When I was a student, we looked in the gym and it seemed massive. It was like a mini-Kennywood,” Golvash said. “Now, as a teacher, it takes me back as a kid. They’re so excited.”
What hasn’t changed, the teachers say, is the involved, community atmosphere of the school. There’s much parental involvement in school events, Duing said.
“The sense of community has stayed the same,” Schubert said. “We’re a small district and when someone is going through something tough, we all pull together. It’s been a wonderful place for me to grow as an educator.”
Teachers also take on leadership or mentorship roles for school extracurriculars, Golvash said. She was a cheerleading coach and her husband is an assistant football coach.
“We know our kids,” Golvash said. “We have their whole families. Our students feel safe and confident to come to any teacher.”
Duing anticipates those connections to continue with the new school.
“We’ll get to interact with the entire community,” she said, “not just half of the community.”