2025 COMMUNITY PARTNERS
TERRY & TONI DIEL
Inducted in 2025 |
Toni & Terry Diel were honored at the 2025 SHSAA Hall of Fame with the Community Partner Award.
Toni graduated from East Wichita High School in Kansas. She attended Doane University but received her bachelor’s degree from Olivet Nazarene University in Chicago, IL. She earned her master’s degree from Governor State University in University, IL. Terry graduated from Cherokee Oklahoma High School. There were 25 students at the school. He earned his bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the Kansas City Art Institute. He earned his master’s degree from the University of Illinois, Champagne, IL. They both taught in three separate school districts including Champagne Illinois, Kansas City, Missouri and the Omaha Public School District (OPS). Terry taught at King Science and Marrs Middle School. Their careers each spanned over 38 years in public schools. From the moment they began working at South High, she and Terry stepped into the school and community as if they had been part of it their entire lives. They met new people and remembered almost everyone they encountered, and people remembered them. Their familiar faces frequented sporting events, plays, concerts, and more. They knew the students and enjoyed meeting their families both at school and while out and about in the community. After they both retired from OPS, they remained part of South High by substitute teaching, continuing to attend school events, and helping in various ways. Toni helps with early registration in the fall and proctors AP exams in the spring while Terry makes creative features for the display cases, provides artistic help when needed for a graphic, and makes the best chili for the English Department. They are frequently requested to be subs, and students like them. Toni can disarm rule breakers with a gentle touch to the arm while saying, "Honey, I love you but..." and Terry is quick with a dad joke. Both have established themselves as true South High icons. When asked 'why South?' - Toni laughed and said she always tells the students, “When you stop amusing me, I will quit.” She said she loves being around the students in attendance, the staff and the families. |