Custodian secures purse with $8K inside

Someone nearly lost $8,000, but an honest custodian saved the day. 

Tyler Risch, a Centerville Senior High School custodian, secured a purse left at an elementary choir concert in CSHS’ Kehoe Auditorium. The purse had $8,000 in cash inside. 

During Centerville-Abington Community Schools’ Jan. 11 board meeting, Assistant Superintendent Sean Stevenson said Risch had handled the purse properly so it could be returned to its rightful owner. 

Risch is in his second year working for CSHS. He is a Connersville High School graduate and currently resides in that city. 

Stevenson also thanked Risch and fellow custodian Liz Leeth for their thorough work on cleaning the high school concession stands and football locker room over winter break. 

Appointments 

• Todd Duke, Brad Lambright and Renee Westover were reelected board president, vice president and secretary. Lambright will serve as legislative liaison. All members were reappointed to the district’s board of finance, which meets at 6:45 p.m. Jan. 24 before the 7 p.m. board meeting. 
• The board kept its compensation the same for 2024 ($2,000 per year plus $100 per regular meeting, $62 for special meetings).  
• Tyna Stover was reappointed corporation treasurer and Jennifer Robertson as deputy treasurer.
• Dr. William Rheuble of West Side Medical Center will again serve as CACS’ physician.  

In other business

• The board approved 2024 insurance proposals overseen by Turner & Shepherd Insurance in Centerville. CACS’ total building and personal property limit is now at $156,384,420, which is about $23 million higher than 2023 because of building additions and inflation. CACS had two significant claims last year that increased its overall premium. 
• The board congratulated Lorelei Guenther as the district’s 17th Lilly Endowment scholarship winner. She will use her full-tuition scholarship at Butler University for secondary education in social studies and English. Guenther has a 13.09 GPA and is ranked first in her class of 113. 
• Construction is nearly finished on CACS’ new transportation center. A final punch list is to be completed on Jan. 24. 
• A 20-foot section of roof at Centerville-Abington Elementary’s clerestory needs replacing. 
• The board conducted a first reading on several recommended policy updates. Topics include the school board’s role, duties, organization, functions and member eligibility, services for homeless students, criminal background checks, staff discipline, reduction in force, and adoption of curricular materials. They’ll be discussed at a future board meeting before approval.
• CSHS’ Business Professionals of America chapter received permission for a fundraiser before its state competition. 

Donations

Dot Foods, Inc. ($500), CSHS Art Club; Michelle Myers/NextStep Dance Studio ($150), CSHS’ music department. Stop the Bleed kits: Doan & Mills Funeral Home ($500), Centerville Church of the Nazarene ($400), Centerville Women’s Cemetery Association ($125) and First Baptist Church of Centerville ($126). 

Personnel updates

Departure: Jessica Maule, CSHS science teacher. Pending hires: Ella Jaynes, Rose Hamilton special education assistant; Tamera Geise, substitute. New hires: Traci Bertsch, CAE day custodian; Nolan Miller, seventh grade girls basketball coach. Transfers, Darren Ridenour, substitute to permanent sub for grades 7-12; Elizabeth Leeth, CSHS night custodian to day custodian.