Two from Chester High School and four from Chester Grade School.
By Jim Beers
CHESTER – At the end of the 2025-26 school year, Chester School District # 139 will be six teachers shorter. Together these six teachers, two from Chester High School and four from Chester Grade School, have 176 years teaching of experience.
From Chester High School Steve Colonel and Cheri Diercks-Boyd will retire and from Chester Grade School Mary Bohnert, Sue Colonel, Gail Kordys and Robin Renfroe will retire.
Especially devastating to the District is the fact that Steve Colonel is the Music Director at Chester High School and Sue Colonel is the Music Director at Chester Grade School. Together they have 60 years of teaching experience. The entire District No. 139 Music Program will lose its leaders at the same time. A rich, popular, and very successful program could possibly face challenging times.
Chester High School
Steve Colonel (33 Years)
At Chester High School Steve Colonel will be ending his teaching career with a total of 33 years teaching. He began his career at Vienna where he spent two years, then came to Chester for what will be 31 years.
At CHS Colonel has taught marching band, concert band, jazz band, concert choir, and swing choir, “Sound Affect”. He also teaches private lessons and has directed the orchestra for Chester High School musicals.
Recently he took over responsibilities as the CHS Theatre Director for CHS musicals. He has also been the Yearbook Sponsor for several at CHS. Steve also directed the choir at Chester Grade School for several years in addition to his high school duties. His musical groups have historically performed very well at the IHSA Music Contest events.
Finally, Mr. Colonel has directed the Chester Municipal Band since John A. Birchler retired. His groups at CHS have performed at various community events throughout the years.
Cheri Diercks-Boyd (27 Years)
Cheri Diercks-Boyd will retire from Chester High School in May of 2026. She is a product of Chester Schools having attended Chester Grade School and Chester High School.
After graduating from Chester High School Cheri attended Eastern Illinois University for a brief while, then transferred to Southern Illinois University-Carbondale where she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree and then a Master’s Degree in Education. She is now only a Dissertation away from finishing a Doctorate Degree.
After completing her Master’s Degree Cheri taught in downtown Chicago at the Chicago Business College for one year. She then taught for 10 years at a Decatur High School. After leaving Decatur, Diercks-Boyd taught for 11 years in Corporate Training. She then moved back to the Chester area, and for the past five years, Mrs. Diercks-Boyd has taught at Chester High School.
While at Chester Mrs. Diercks-Boyd has primarily taught in the area of Career Technical Education (CTE). More specifically she has taught Web Based Design, and Business Classes. This, her final year, Cheri is teaching Career Education, Workforce Education and Consumer Education.
At CHS she is sponsor of the HIVE Pep Club. She also has been Senior Class Sponsor all five years at CHS. Finally, Cheri is the Sponsor of the Chester Chapter of S.A.D.D. (Students Against Destructive Decisions).
Upon retirement in May of 2026, Cheri will have a total of 27 years of experience in the teaching field. Mrs. Diercks-Boyd said, “When I returned to CHS I had one major goal. I wanted to bring back school spirit to CHS. I want students and staff to stand with pride when the School Loyalty Song is being played, and I want everyone to know it was ‘NOT’ alright to step on our school mascot, the YellowJacket!”
Chester Grade School
Mary Bohnert (21 Years)
Mary Bohnert moved to Chester from Springfield, Illinois at an early age and attended elementary school at St. Mary’s School in Chester. After graduating from 8th Grade she went to Gibault Catholic High School in Waterloo where she graduated in 1989.
After High School Mrs. Bohnert attended Eastern Illinois University for a while before transferring the Southern Illinois University in Carbondale where she graduated in 2004 with her teaching credentials.
Upon graduating from SIU-C, Mary was hired at Chester Grade School where she was a Substitute Teacher for one year. Mary then moved to teach 5th Grade for 12 years. For the past seven years Mrs. Bohnert has taught Kindergarten. This 2025-26 school year Mary will teach 3rd Grade to close out her teaching career at CGS. In total, Mrs. Bohnert has had a most successful 21-year teaching career.
In May of 2026 Mrs. Bohnert will retire. She stated, “I look forward to retirement and plan to spend lots of time with my grandson and enjoying my retirement.”
Sue Colonel (29 Years)
At Chester Grade School Sue Colonel will retire with a 29-year teaching career. Mrs. Colonel began her career teaching at Johnston City her first year, then had the opportunity to come to Chester Grade School. CGS is where she has been teaching for the past 28 years.
At CGS Mrs. Colonel has had the responsibility for recruiting and starting new musicians in the 5th grade. Her Beginning Bands have always been surprisingly talented and able to perform well after just two semesters at the 5th grade level.
Mrs. Colonel has always likewise produced very good 6th Grade Bands. She has motivated and encouraged her Beginner Band students to advance to bigger and better performances at the next level.
Mrs. Colonel then takes her musicians to the highest level with her 7th and 8th Grade Junior High Bands. Those bands go to the IGSMA Music Contests each year and have always received high ratings from the Judges.
In addition to bands, Mrs. Colonel also has been responsible for teaching the Chester Grade School General Music Program for 1st through 4th Grades. Her annual Christmas Programs, and Veteran’s Day Programs are well known for being quality events.
In her spare time Mrs. Colonel performs with the Chester Municipal Band in the summers and has been instrumental in getting music folders prepared each week for the musicians. Furthermore, Mrs. Colonel enjoys performing with the orchestra that provides music for the Chester High School Theatre Department Spring Musicals.
Gail Kordys (37 Years)
Gail Kordys graduated from college in 1989. Her first teaching job was in Pinckneyville, teaching Social Studies. She was at Pinckneyville for one year. After leaving Pinckneyville Mrs. Kordys began her career in Chester. She was a substitute teacher at both Chester Grade School and Chester High School for three years.
Kordys began her full-time teaching career at Chester Grade School after finishing her 3-year stint as a substitute teacher. She taught 6th Grade Social Studies and Jr. High Computers for almost a year when her Junior High Math position opened up and she willingly accepted that position.
She has been in that role for 32 years. All together Mrs. Kordys has been in the teaching field for a total of 37 years making her the longest-reigning teacher to be retiring at the end of this 2025-26 school year.
At CGS Gail has been a Cheerleading Coach, a Volleyball Coach, a Track Coach, and sponsor of the Beta Club and the Student Council.
Robin Renfroe (29 Years)
Robin Renfroe will retire in May of 2026. When she closes her teaching career she will have been working in the field of education for a total of 29 years!
Robin began her teaching career in Perryville, Missouri at the Perry County Middle School. She taught Math and Science while there for the first nine years of her career.
Upon leaving Perry County Middle School, Mrs. Renfroe accepted a position at Chester Grade School. She has been at Chester Grade School since then for the past 20 years. Her specialty has been teaching Math and Science.
She began at CGS teaching 6th Grade Math and Science. Robin was then the Math Specialist in the CGS Math Room assisting students with their math issues. She also spent three years at CGS serving as the Curriculum Director. Renfroe will close out her career at CGS this 2025-26 school year doing what she really loves, teaching 6th Grade Math and Science.
Chester School District # 139 stated, “CGS Teachers Mary Bohnert, Sue Colonel, Gail Kordys, and Robin Renfroe as well as Chester High School teachers Steve Colonel and Cheri Diercks-Boyd, started the final ‘first day’ of their teaching careers Thursday August 14. They will retire at the end of this school year.”
“They have served our students and community, and have the opportunity of this final year to enjoy seeing the young people of Chester grow, becoming our next generation. Thank you for your service!”
Steve Colonel, CHS Music Director, will retire at the end of the 2025-26 school year. He will have taught 33 years. Jim Beers Photo
Cheri Direcks-Boyd, CHS Consumer Education/Workforce Education Teacher, will retire at the end of the 2025-26 school year. She will have taught 27 years. Jim Beers Photo
Mary Bohnert, CGS 3rd Grade Teacher, will retire at the end of the 2025-26 school year. She will have taught 21 years.
Sue Colonel, CGS Music Teacher, will retire at the end of the 2025-26 school year. She will have taught 29 years. Jim Beers Photo
Gail Kordys, CGS Junior High Math Teacher, will retire at the end of the 2025-26 school year. She will have taught 37 years. Jim Beers Photo
Robin Renfroe, CGS 6th Grade Math & Science Teacher, will retire at the end of the 2025-26 school year. She will have taught 29 years. Jim Beers Photo