Age: 49
Residence: Regent Square
Family: Single, adopting an infant son from Guatemala
Occupation: Fourth-grade teacher, St. Bede School, Point Breeze
Education: Master's degree in special education and bachelor's degree in elementary education, both from the University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School, Class of '76.
Background: Riedel teaches language arts and religion at St. Bede School, where he has spent his 27-year career. He won a 1992 Golden Apple award, which the Diocese of Pittsburgh gives out annually to recognize teaching excellence.
Noteworthy: The Frick Art & Historical Center in Point Breeze on Wednesday will present Riedel with its Roy A. Hunt Foundation Award for Commitment to Education in the Arts and Humanities. For a decade, Riedel has brought students to the center to participate in its various art and writing programs. At the ceremony, Riedel's students will present poems based on a Frick exhibit of steel mill paintings.
Quote: "It's such a good opportunity to learn so many things -- things about art, things about history, things about Pittsburgh -- rather than just sitting in a classroom and having a lesson on writing."
