Our Team: Meet the KRTF Board
Elaine Arvidson and Kathy Werner Co-Chairs
In September 2022, Elaine and Kathy agreed to try to fill the big shoes of Linda Monfette, who has served so faithfully as KRTF Chair.
Linda Monfette, KRTF Chair Emerita
I was a primary elementary school teacher at Greenville Central School (3 years) and Kingston City Schools (31 years). I spent a 3 year span as librarian in Kingston City Schools.
I now am the Chair of the KRTF Board. The Chair oversees the programs and events of the organization. The organization was “formed to bring retired educators of the Kingston Consolidated Schools together for mutual assistance, cooperation and socialization, to obtain all the rights to which they are entitled, to offer liaison services to our members who have relocated, and to keep informed about educational policies”. Taken from KRTF Constitution. Contact me at lindaljpm@aol.com for questions about our organization.
All photos of our beautiful Hudson Valley by Peter Tongue, former MCM Technology Teacher .
Joy Gross was a reading teacher at Brigham, Kennedy, Meagher and Chambers schools before retiring in 2009.
Currently a Member-at- Large, Joy served as the VOTE-COPE chairperson for about ten years. VOTE-COPE encourages members to stay politically active. Contributions to VOTE-COPE provide NYSUT with funds needed to fight on our behalf and protect the rights and benefits we worked hard to achieve.
Joy Gross, Member-at-Large
Eileen Bradley & Diane Nowicki, Treasurers
Eileen Bradley, a Special Education teacher, retired in 2015. She taught at Zena, Miller, Edson, Kennedy, Meagher, Chambers, Crosby and finally KHS in programs ranging from the most to least restrictive. Along the way, she enjoyed interacting with students in traditional classrooms, alternative programs and extracurricular activities.
As one of the KRTF Treasurers, Eileen processes membership payments and food pantry donations, finalizes the annual budget, and maintains credit and debit records for the organization.
Mary Matturro, Cheryl Drews
Membership
Mary Matturro was a School Psychologist with the district for 29 years. She was assigned to Edson, Zena, Sophie Finn, Graves, Crosby, Chambers and Bailey. In addition, she provided services to the private schools - John A. Coleman, St. Joseph's, Kingston Catholic and Good Shepherd.
Cheryl Drews was a Social Studies teacher at JWB.
The Membership Committee maintains contact information for all retirees who continue active membership in KRTF through yearly dues. Membership in KRTF affords the continuation of Union benefits. This committee also maintains accurate contact information with NYSUT and KTF. Changes in contact information should be sent to Mary at mmatturro@aol.com
Thanks to Linda Monfette, Rae Dibble, and Chris Callahan, who encouraged Diane to teach for a living instead of volunteering all the time, Diane went back to school in her mid-30's, got her Ed degrees, and began teaching - her second career - in 1989 . (She previously worked for the Federal government in the tax field before starting her family.) Diane taught first grade for three years, then did sixteen years as a third grade teacher, all at Robert Graves, eventually moving to George Washington as Teacher on Special Assignment (aka Montessori Curriculum Coordinator) where she retired in 2013.
Again recruited by Linda Monfette, Diane has served as Communications Chair and editor of KRTF's newsletter, the P.O.R.C.H., since 2014. From gathering information from all the other chairs regarding their committees' activities, to creating flyers and our newsletters (including scheduling of printing, procurement of supplies, and sometimes crews of volunteers to assist when machines are down), to submitting articles to Mid-Hudson Bridges to keep other organizations aware of our doings, to correspondence and letters when needed, Diane's duties encompass a multitude of tasks that keep her busier than she might have been had she continued to teach!
Through it all, Diane has enjoyed the challenge of keeping the members of KRTF informed, enthused, and well aware of the importance of unionism. She extends her thanks and gratitude to all the other chairs who help her do so!
Diane Long, Publication Chair Emerita
Ana and Ron Rodgers, Lisa Gallo, Scholarships
Ana Rodgers was a Foreign Language teacher (mostly Spanish) for 32 years- 29 of them at Kingston High School -before retiring in 1995. She worked with the Spanish Honor Society and the American Field Service Club. Ron taught German & Latin at a Junior and senior high school upstate from 1961-1966. He came to Kingston in 1966 and took a German position at J.Watson Bailey School. He acquired guidance certification in 1968 and held guidance positions at M. Clifford Miller and Kingston High Schools until retirement in 1995.
The Scholarship Committee coordinates the yearly drawing for the almost $5,000 in scholarship awards to children and grandchildren of KRTF members who are continuing their education beyond high school. Beginning with just one scholarship in 2005, we will be drawing names for 8 awards (plus one in memory of Ginger Martin) this coming June!
Diane Nowicki, Charities
Jessica Sunshine will be forever grateful that her first eligibility to retire arrived in March 2020. She began her teaching in Kingston as a student teacher at Zena School and then Myer. After a full year as a flourishing substitute across the district, she was hired in late August 1989 as a third grade teacher at Anna Devine. The following year Jessica joined the educational team at ERCrosby as a first grade teacher, the position from which she retired in June 2020. Now she’s joined the ranks of the KRTF. Following a brief stint as KRTF Member at Large, Jessica has volunteered to become the Vote-Cope committee chair, replacing longtime VOTE/COPE Chair Joy Gross.
VOTE-COPE is our lobbying voice in Albany. VOTE-COPE encourages members to stay politically active. Contributions to VOTE-COPE provide NYSUT with funds needed to fight on our behalf and protect the rights and benefits we worked hard to achieve.
Jessica Sunshine,VOTE-COPE
Vikki worked as a Speech/ Language Pathologist beginning her carreer at Kingston High School. She worked in most of the schools in Kingston for 31 years, ending at Myer School.
We have formed groups to learn about digital photography , knitting, hiking, and hope to be able to get together soon to continue our adventures.
Vikki Crowley: Webmaster
Kathy Hack, Kathy Rausch, Elaine Arvidson: Luncheon Committee
Kathy Hack spent her career teaching 7th grade social studies at MCM.
The luncheon committee traditionally plans three events during the course of a year. There is a “Not Back To School “ lunch in early September. Then we gather for the holidays during the first week of December. Lastly we celebrate scholarship winners in June. Due to the pandemic the committee is currently in hiatus but we hope to resume the luncheons soon
