(Oakland) The Riverside Hall of Fame Class of 2023 will be honored this week. The purpose of the Riverside Community School District Hall of Fame is to keep graduates, employees, teams, individuals, and friends of the Riverside Community School District for their accomplishments at and to the service of the Riverside Community School District and also to inspire its students to become the best that they can be.
The accomplishments during the days of Macedonia, Carson, and Oakland are considered for the Riverside Community School District Hall of Fame. Applications are received each year, and the Riverside Board of Education selects.
The Induction Ceremony is Thursday, September 14, at 2:30 p.m. in the Middle/High School Gym at 18997 Hwy 59, Oakland, Iowa. The Parade is Friday, September 15, 2023, at 2:00 p.m.- in Carson. The Inductees will be introduced in front of the grandstands on Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Riverside Hall of Fame Class of 2023
Richard Merkle – Employee – Richard Merkle taught Junior and Senior High Science from 1957-1965. In the summers of 1962-1964, he completed an M.A. in secondary administration. In 1965, he became the Junior and Senior High School Principal until his retirement in 1988 (31-year teaching and administrative career).
Louise Merkle – Employee – Louise Merkle taught 4th Grade and 5th Grade and eventually stayed with 6th Grade at Oakland Elementary School and Riverside Middle School in Carson. She taught from 1974-1998 (24-year teaching career).
Merlin Haukoos-Employee – Merlin Haukoos taught Vocal Music, Choir, and Show Choir at Oakland High School from 1964 to 1976
Gayle Strickland – Employee – Gayle Strickland spent 28 years of her 40-year career at Oakland-Riverside. In 1968, she started working for Oakland Head Start, and then in the Fall of 1968, she taught Kindergarten. She taught in Fairbanks, AK, and Tillicum, WA, while her husband was in the military. She returned to Oakland in 1971, serving in many different roles before retiring in 2008 from the Harlan Community School District.
1993 Carson-Macedonia Softball Team-Team-Donell Hotze (Kvaal), Angie Krueger (Shanno), Rachel Duede (Richardson), Jenny Evans, Octavia Jarmin (Louis), Samantha Hodges (Hainey) Christi Danker (Gibler), Monica Parks (Parks-Makinde), Jana Bentley (Hensley), Becky Adickes (Caceres), Carrie Henderson (Laumann), Jodi Reed, Tara Turner (Achenbach), Jolene Herbert (Jackson), Lisa Pilling (Allen) Stats, Coach Gary Wax, and, Asst Coach Beth Loring (James).
