Catasauqua Area School District bid farewell to a number of faculty and staff members who retired at the end of the 2025-26 school year.

Donna Tercha served the district as a school nurse for 23 years. She grew up in Allentown and currently lives in Fogelsville. She graduated from Parkland High School and then Cedar Crest College in 1982.

Before making the jump to school nursing, Tercha worked for Lehigh Valley Hospital, now Lehigh Valley/Jefferson Health Network, for nearly 15 years. She specialized in cardiology, general surgery, general medicine, orthopedics, oncology and the float pool.

For a short amount of time, Tercha worked as an academic adviser for the nursing students at Cedar Crest College. She noted the job included too much paperwork and not enough “people work.”

She then worked as a health room assistant in Northwestern Lehigh School District.

“I loved the job so I went back to school for my certification in school nursing, which gave me the credentials for my current job, which I love even more,” Tercha said.

Before finally landing in Catasauqua, she also taught clinical nursing for Northampton Community College and did some home care work.

Tercha has enjoyed her time at CASD, noting it has been a “great environment” for her.

“I’m part of the educational team. I have been given the support to grow as a professional, as well as expand and grow school health services in Catty,” she said. “Through the years, with challenges such as the pandemic and technology advances, there was a need to be innovative and adaptive to the needs of the community and the students.”

When asked what she will miss most about working in the district, Tercha said the people, without hesitation. She reported the students and staff have become like family to her.

Tercha noted she has a long list of plans for her retirement, but the short version includes travel, volunteer work, exploring hobbies, reading and continuing to learn. She also mentioned that she’ll “always be a nurse but in other capacities.”

Tercha said she is thankful for the “support, trust and friendship of the community.

“I will always hold my Catty family in my heart,” Tercha said.

Kimberly Ceccatti, a counselor at Sheckler Elementary School, was born in Minneapolis, Minn. She joked that her students would know the Vikings won over the weekend if she was wearing purple on a Monday.

Her family moved to Nazareth where she graduated high school, before attending Bloomsburg University. She received a master’s degree in counseling from Temple University.

She began her career in Allentown School District, where she served for nine years. Ceccatti then spent the next 20 years in CASD.

“Being a school counselor for 29 years has been the greatest joy, especially in this smaller community,” Ceccatti said. “The traditions of this community and the way this community takes care of each other is very heartwarming.”

She said she will miss the students the most once she leaves the school.

“They are the light of Sheckler,” she said. “They bring an energy and joy that I know I will miss come August.”

According to Ceccatti, one of her greatest joys as a school counselor is getting to know the students and letting them get to know her during their guidance lessons.

She added she will really miss the staff at Sheckler as well.

“They have been my extended family for the past 20 years,” Ceccatti said.

Her retirement plans include traveling and looking forward to “whatever the future may hold.”

“I would like to thank the Catasauqua families for always being open to working with me over the years. Life can throw some pretty hard curve balls and helping families navigate through some of those tough situations has been both challenging and rewarding,” Ceccatti said. “I was very blessed to have been part of a very special school community, and I will cherish my memories made here over the past 20 years!”

Denise Shoemaker has had “the privilege of living and working in Catasauqua for the last 47 years.” She worked in the district as a secretary at Sheckler Elementary for about 30 years.

She grew up on Allentown’s east side and attended Ritter Elementary School and Harrison Morton Middle School before graduating from Dieruff High School in 1975.

She spent 13 years working for Lehigh Valley Dairy and, during that time, married her husband, John, moved to Catasauqua and had her sons, John and Tim.

“We were very happy living in the Catasauqua community, and I was very excited when offered a job as a secretary at Sheckler Elementary School in 1996,” she said. “Meeting and working with five different principals and five different secretaries was very rewarding and enjoyable. Friendships were made that have lasted 30 years. We have become a family and love and support each other.”

Shoemaker noted that working with the students has led to many funny experiences and happy memories over the years. She reported enjoying the Halloween parade, Thanksgiving lunches and Santa visits at Christmas.

While she will miss the people she has worked with for so long, she said she is looking forward to spending more time with her friends and family.

“As the song goes, ‘thanks for the memories,’” Shoemaker said. “The Sheckler family will always have a special place in my heart.”

Other district retirees include V. Trojano Bastidas, Linda Pluchinsky, Stephanie Ritter, Cynthia Reppert, Michael Ritter and Salvatore Scibetta.

Wishing them all the best in their retirement!