DALLAS TWP. — Several esteemed teachers have made their goodbyes to Dallas classrooms after finishing storied, decadeslong careers.
The school board held a ceremony honoring the district’s retirees last week. Superintendent Thomas Duffy led the ceremony and praised the departing teachers for their service to the district.
“It’s always bittersweet,” Duffy said at the June 29 school board meeting. “Because we’re all incredibly happy for our faculty and our support staff who are moving onto the next chapter of their time, (but) it’s also a loss for the district….”
One of the retirees was Wynn Nardone, who worked as a mathematics and computer teacher in the district for 18 years, primarily at Dallas Middle School, and had a career in education totaling 26 years.
“It was a pleasure to teach at Dallas,” Nardone said after the ceremony. “My children went to school here. I will always say, you can reach your dreams with a Dallas education as long as you put the effort into it.”
“I truly enjoyed my time and it was time to go in another path, so I’m going to enjoy my retirement,” she added.
Duffy said that he worked closely with Nardone when he was a middle school administrator and praised her contributions to the district and Mountaineer families. He specifically lauded Nardone for what he said was her work championing additional math help for students in the district, calling her a “strong advocate for students.”
Duffy also recalled a time when she worked with another district employee to personally bring students’ senior yard signs directly to their household doors during the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing what he said was “something a little bit bright during a tough time.”
“So, we decided to deliver them to their front yards,” Nardone said. “It was a really uplifting moment at that time and parents and kids were so excited….”
Dallas High School English teacher Laura Bulgaris, whose career in education in the district spans 20 years, was another retiree honored. Bulgaris has served in a litany of leading academic and extracurricular roles, including English department chair, speech-and-debate coach, and senior and junior-class advisor, as the faculty advisor to the diversity club, newspaper club, student council, and the mysteries-of-the-universe club.
“It’s been a pleasure teaching Dallas students and working for the district,” Bulgaris said after the meeting. “And I’ll miss it but I’ll stay involved.”
Duffy said her deep involvement in the district helped transform students’ lives.
“At Dallas High School, Laura has definitely been part of the culture and the community of students,” Duffy said. “The rapport with her students and her advocacy for kids, all kids, is something that I think Ms. Bulgaris can take great pride in from her time at Dallas.”
Dallas Intermediate School Principal Thomas Traver talks with Jennifer Derr at a ceremony honoring Dallas retirees. (CHRISTOPHER DOYLE/STAFF PHOTO)
Laura Bulgaris at the ceremony honoring Dallas School District retirees on June 29, 2026 (CHRISTOPHER DOYLE/STAFF PHOTO)
Wynn Nardone at the ceremony honoring Dallas retirees on June 29, 2026 (CHRISTOPHER DOYLE/STAFF PHOTO)
Dallas Intermediate School Principal Thomas Traver, right, congratulates Jennifer Derr on her retirement from the Dallas School District at the June 29, 2026 school board meeting. (CHRISTOPHER DOYLE/STAFF PHOTO)
Laura Bulgaris at the ceremony honoring Dallas School District retirees on June 29, 2026 (CHRISTOPHER DOYLE/STAFF PHOTO)
Dallas Intermediate School Principal Thomas Traver embraces Jennifer Derr following during a celebration honoring Dallas retirees June 29, 2026 (CHRISTOPHER DOYLE/STAFF PHOTO)
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Dallas Intermediate School Principal Thomas Traver talks with Jennifer Derr at a ceremony honoring Dallas retirees. (CHRISTOPHER DOYLE/STAFF PHOTO)
Duffy said he would meet directly with Bulgaris to discuss challenges facing the district, draw from her wealth of experience. He noted that Bulgaris has also worked at Baltimore County Public Schools for a decade and worked as a soccer and softball coach at Millford Mill Academy, has served as a multi-cultural liaison and a member of the North Branch Quaker Meeting. She has also, Duffy noted, become an award-winning poet and a brown belt in northern eagle claw kung fu.
“I thought, well if the kids can rely on Ms. Bulgaris for some input and some feedback and some guidance, I certainly can as well,” Duffy said. “And I thank you personally for that.”
Dallas Intermediate School Principal Thomas Traver delivered a speech honoring teacher Jennifer Derr, who said she taught third grade and who also taught kindergarten, first, second, and fourth grade at the district, according to a biography of her posted by the Dallas Education Association.
“Hopefully I keep this together, this is an emotional one, because….Mrs. Derr and I worked together for a long, long time,” Traver said. “No matter what I’ve asked you (to) do, she’s done it very, very well.”
“Always a consummate professional,” Duffy added when speaking of Derr. “It was a privilege and an honor to work alongside her….You hear many accolades, compliments of parents who were extraordinarily thrilled with having their children in her room over the years.”
Derr was similarly positive when reflecting on her 30-year career in the district
“It was the best job in the world,” Derr said. “Dallas is full of amazing kiddos and families and I’m really going to miss it.”
At the end of the ceremony, Duffy assured all retirees that they would remain members of the Mountaineer community.
“The most important attribute of any school district or any entity is really our people,” Duffy said. “And these are some of the very best that will be moving onto the next chapter of their life.”
The ceremony was a moving one for the retiring teachers, who reflected on their long careers and what it means to dedicate your life to education.
“I appreciate it,” Bulgaris said at the ceremony. “Teaching your kids has been the joy of my life.”