Huntington Local Schools were honored to have two of our own recognized at the 2024 Ross County Board of Developmental Disabilities Award Banquet on March 27th. Sophomore Carson McCloskey received the Distinguished Student Achievement Award and Director of Special Programs Dan Riddle received the Marriott Achievement Award.
Rachel Lenegar nominated Carson for the student award:
Carson attends Huntington School and strives to educate anyone and everyone on Autism Awareness. Carson’s goal is to help others understand how everyone is different and should be included. Carson is active in school activities, archer and 4-H. Carson donates his proceeds from his 4-H hog project every year to Autism Awareness. Carson’s dream is to become a chef and own his own business. He hopes to bring Autism Awareness to everyone in Ross County.
Dan Riddle was nominated by Craig Kerns:
Dan has been a lifelong Ross County resident. After graduating from Southeastern High School he went on to pursue his teaching degree at Ohio University. He returned to Ross County to embark on a very successful career in education. Dan has been in education for nearly 38 years. He has been a pillar for the Huntington Local School District for the better part of three decades. He began at Huntington as a teacher. After 11 years he became the high school Guidance Counselor in which he served for 16 years. Ten years ago he transitioned into the Director of Special Services position. Over the years Dan has been an advocate for students at Huntington and across Ross County. He became a valuable resource for families that had a student with disabilities. In his role of Special Services Director he was in charge of the district's special education programs. His number one priority included ensuring students receive access to the most unrestricted education possible. Many, many students attribute their success to Mr. Riddle alone. He became an extremely valuable resource, not only for our teachers and students, but for the parents and community partners involved in special education. Dan has been looked upon as a leader in the special education community. It should be noted under Mr. Riddle's leadership the Huntington Local School District has received a perfect rating from the Ohio Department of Education's Office of Exceptional Learners.
For 35 plus years Dan also volunteered his time in various roles with local 4-H endeavors. He has been an advisor for the Jr. Fair Board in which he helped coordinate various activities for Ross County 4-H members. Dan has also been an active member of the Ross County Shrine Club. And finally, Dan has recently began serving on the Ross County Board of DD (Pioneer Center). I'm confident Mr. Riddle will continue to contribute and advocate for students and families across Ross County. As you can tell Mr. Riddle has dedicated his life and career to helping others succeed. The Huntington Local School District is proud of Mr. Riddle and how he represents the district, community and students in which he has served for so many years. I strongly feel his character, integrity and professionalism along with his career accomplishments makes him a wonderful choice for the Marriott Achievement Award.