New Faces and Fond Farewells at Manchester Schools

Manchester Local Schools are saying goodbye to two familiar faces and welcoming new ones. The school board recently swore in Krisi Gindlesperger to fill the seat left by Steve Rector. Rector stepped down to become the mayor of New Franklin. Gindlesperger will finish the remaining two years of Rector's term and then decide if she wants to run for a full term. The board also welcomed Dale Jolly, who was elected in November to take over for Joe Hercules. Hercules chose not to run again after serving his time. Jolly will be officially sworn in at the next meeting in January.The board took time to thank Rector and Hercules for their hard work. They praised Rector and Hercules for their knowledge of school buildings. This helped the district during tough times, especially with facility projects. Board member Richard Sponseller said Rector and Hercules always did what was best for the students. He called them good guys who cared about kids. Hercules thanked Cindy McDonald for helping him when he first joined the board. He felt the board did a great job and the district is in a better place now. His proudest moment was helping build the new high school on budget, even with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hercules is now studying to become a deacon. In other news, the board accepted $3, 090 in donations from various donors. The next board meeting will be on January 12th at 6 p. m. at Manchester High School.