Six residents have been selected to serve on the Facilitating Team for the Mehlville School District’s community-engagement program.
The residents represent a microcosm of the community, according to Dan Fowler, co-chairman of the program.
The six residents are:
Keith Benack, a paralegal and lifelong Mehlville School District resident. He attended Mehlville schools from kindergarten through high school and worked during college as a custodian in the district, then later as a substitute after-school activities bus driver. His grandfather was one of the first board presidents for Point School before the Mehlville School District was formed. Benack’s mother was a teacher at Washington Elementary, Trautwein Elementary and Beasley Elementary.
Marcella Foerstel, who has lived in the district for 46 years. She is a retired teacher, having taught in Mehlville for 22 years. All three of her children graduated from Mehlville High School. She is a recipient of the district’s Distinguished Service Award and a lay assistant pastor at Zion United Methodist Church.
Paul Goldak, who has lived in Oakville for 18 years. He is retired, most recently working for A. G. Edwards & Sons Inc. as a vice president and senior manager in the Information Technology Department. His two daughters attended private high schools. Goldak is a board member for the St. Louis Police Memorial Association and serves as chairman of his parish’s annual Catholic Appeal Committee.
Sandy Jacobs, who has been an actively involved parent in the district for the past 20 years. Her youngest child is now a senior at Mehlville High School. Besides volunteering for her children’s activities at school, Jacobs serves on the Board of Directors of Common Cents Credit Union. She is a past chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Catholic Knights of America and is active with the St. Matthias the Apostle Parish.
Desi Kirchhofer, who has lived in the Mehlville community his entire life. He and his three siblings graduated from Mehlville High School and all still reside in south county. Kirchhofer has two children who attend Wohlwend Elementary School. A former Mehlville High School teacher, he now serves as a principal in the Parkway School District.
Shauna Reed, who is a fourth-generation Mehlville student. Her great-grandmother attended Point Elementary when it was a one-room schoolhouse. After moving away as an adult, she recently moved back to the Mehlville School District. Reed’s children attend a private Christian school, although she has hopes that they will become fifth-generation Mehlville students. She has been an educator for eight years in the Fox School District.
