List the family members’ first names, last names, and maiden names who’ve attended Kettering City Schools:
Ken Pifer (teacher/coach 39 years) Emily (Pifer) Newman, Molly (Pifer) Merrill, Brian Merrill, Abby (Pifer) Ryberg, Randy Ryberg, Tim Pifer, Sawyer Newman, Reid Newman, Sally Merrill, Max Merrill, George Merrill, Henry Ryberg, Charlie Rybergy, Percy Ryberg, Lilly Pifer, Mason Pifer, Judson Pifer

Share your family members' high school(s) and graduation years:
Emily Newman-1996, Molly Merrill 1999, Brian Merrill 2001, Randy Ryberg 2001, Abby (Pifer) Ryberg 2003, Tim Pifer 2003, Sawyer Newman 2026, Reid Newman 2029, Sally Merrill 2031, Lilly Pifer 2032, Max Merrill 2033, George Merrill 2034, Henry Ryberg 2034, Charlie Ryberg 2034, Mason Pifer 2037, Judson Pifer 2038, Percy Ryberg 2038

What inspired your family members to choose Kettering across generations? (i.e. traditions, a particular experience, or a shared value):
Our family’s connection to Kettering City Schools spans multiple generations and decades. Our dad moved here in 1973 to teach math and coach at Fairmont West High School and finally retired after 39 years. Our parents raised four children who all graduated from Fairmont. Today, that legacy continues in a new way: three of us—sisters—now teach Biology at Fairmont as well. Our brother, Timmy, works for Kettering Parks as a Conservation Specialist, helping to care for the parks we love!

Altogether, there are currently 11 grandchildren enrolled in the district! The oldest is a senior, graduating this year, while the youngest two are in kindergarten. Although all four Pifer kids lived out of state after high school, each of us ultimately chose to return to Kettering to raise our families—something we’re incredibly grateful for.

Being together and part of each other’s daily lives is what matters most to us. We love Kettering for so many reasons: it’s the perfect size, has an excellent school district, beautiful parks, and welcoming, well-established neighborhoods. After living in places like Minnesota, North Carolina and South Carolina, we truly believe Ohio has the best balance of all four seasons. More than anything, Kettering offers the sense of family and community we were looking for when deciding where to raise our children.

How have your experiences as a Kettering student, parent, or grandparent influenced the personal or professional journeys of you and your family members?
Having a large family rooted in this community has allowed us to build connections across schools, sports, activities, and neighborhoods. Everywhere we go, we run into people we grew up with, work alongside, teach, or who are friends of our children. Living elsewhere helped us recognize just how special Kettering is—its strong sense of community, genuine relationships, and support that spans generations. Those experiences have shaped both our personal and professional paths and continually remind us why Kettering feels like home.

In what ways has attending the same schools in Kettering created a stronger bond within your family?
Attending the same schools in Kettering has created deep, overlapping connections that strengthen not only our family bond, but our connection to the community as a whole. A simple trip to a basketball game often includes seeing former classmates, current students, neighbors, and colleagues all in one place. We now teach our friends’ children and know our kids’ coaches, classmates, and families in multiple ways. It’s common to drop our children off at a birthday party and discover that the grandparent taught with our dad or that our brother once played sports with the child’s parent. These constant interconnections across generations reinforce the close-knit sense of family and community we cherish

Any special memories or reflections that highlight the significance of this shared experience?
One of our most meaningful shared experiences is that all three sisters began teaching while our dad was still teaching in Kettering. Having him mentor us as we entered the school system was incredibly special. Since we all teach Biology, we continue to work closely together—often joking that about half of Kettering students have had one of the Pifer sisters for Biology.

We’ve also loved watching our children attend the same elementary, middle, and high schools that we once did. Seeing them re-create memories we treasure, while also finding their own paths through activities we didn’t experience—like orchestra and cross country—has been incredibly meaningful. Because our family has invested so much time, energy, and love into Kettering City Schools, having our own children move through the district now feels especially significant. We are genuinely thankful for the teachers and staff who support our kids and continually impressed by all that is happening across the schools. The oldest cousin, Sawyer Newman will graduate from Fairmont this year and is planning to pursue a career in math education! We are truly proud to be part of Kettering City Schools.