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Brian Riegler addresses the board of education following his introduction by Crete-Monee Superintendent John Rodgers as the newly hired principal for Crete-Monee High School. Riegler told the board he is ''excited to be here and honored to have been selected.''
New CMHS Principal Hired  Share
Crete-Monee School Superintendent John Rodgers announced the hiring of Brian Riegler as the new principal for Crete-Monee High School during the April 20 meeting ot the board of education. The choice of Riegler to fill the post being vacated by current principal Debbie Graham at the end of this school year was, according to Rodgers, the result of a nation-wide search and an intense interview process. The nation-wide search produced three candidates who were invited to participate in a set of interviews Ð one conducted by a panel of district and building administrators, the second by a representative panel of high school teachers and staff, the third by a panel of high school students, and the board of education. Rodgers reported Riegler was the first choice of all groups. Riegler comes to Crete-Monee from Herscher High School, where he served as principal. Prior to his tenure at Herscher, he held the positions of dean and assistant principal at other high schools.
Riegler served in the United States Navy and was recalled as a reservist for duty in Iraq. During the ''Public Comment'' portion of the school board meeting, Kelly Elliott was introduced as a 2009 recipient of the ''Ten Outstanding Young People of Illinois'' award presented by the Illinois Jaycees. Nominated because of her ''character, perseverance, and personal accomplishments, Elliott will be recognized at a special Jaycee banquet on May 2 in Decatur. A graduate of Crete-Monee, Elliott returned to the district to teach one year at the high school after receiving her Bachelor of Arts in special education from Eastern Illinois University. Wanting experience at the elementary level, Elliott taught for the next six years at the special education co-op Echo. She returned this year to the Crete-Monee district as a cross categorical teacher in grades 3, 4 and 5 at Monee Elementary School. In presenting Elliott to the board during the April 20 board meeting, JoAnn Jones said, ''Kelly's decision to work in the area of special education was influenced by her desire to give back to the community that opened the doors for her despite her disability.... ''Kelly serves as a very important role model in her students' lives. Her accomplishments are key in the message that she is sending her students each and every day. Kelly is proof that, with hard work and determination, goals can and will be reached.'' Also speaking during the ''Public Comment'' portion of the board meeting, Crete Mayor Michael Einhorn addressed the board on two topics. First, he presented the board with a status report on the progress made in funding the street and traffic light project in front of the high school with federal stimulus money. Because of the way the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association has chosen to allocate the stimulus funds (about $9.6 million) assigned to it by the state, and because more than 50 projects were submitted for funding, the Exchange St. project was dropped. The SSMMA decided to allocate funds for the top priority project submitted by each community. With the Exchange St. project estimated to cost approximately $2 million, it would take more than 20 percent of the total SSMMA allocation. After further discussion with the SSMMA, Mayor Einhorn came away with assurances that the worst case scenario would fund the Exchange St. project on an 80/20 basis.- Einhorn also told the board that with the way such projects are over-estimated, after bids for the projects come in, there may be sufficient funds to cover the entire cost of the project. He ended by saying he would keep the board informed as the situation continues to develop. The second topic Einhorn brought to the board pertained to an opportunity the village of had to purchase a water tower at a very good price. Manhattan is in the process of demolishing a 20-year-old, 300,000 gallon tower for which it has no current need. If Crete can find a location for the tower and resolve all issues, including board approval, in a very short amount of time, it can purchase the toweer for approximately half the cost of a new one. The village plan calls for a new tower on the west side of the village in the near future, and Einhorn believes this purchase would be a good idea for the village. Several appropriate sites for the tower have been identified. The two most appropriate are on school district property at the Exchange St. Campus site. He was at the meeting to find out if the board would look favorably on some arrangement with the village that would allow erecting the tower on one of the campus sites. He needed the board's response in order to know whether and how he should proceed with discussions with Manhattan and the demolition company responsible for taking the tower down and removing it from its current site. Without taking a vote, the board did convey a consensus that it would be open to pursuing the idea. In other business, the board -acknowledged the gift of a wheel chair to Crete Elementary School from Mr. and Mrs. Michael Stawicki of Crete -approved going out for bid for 2009-10 custodial supplies -an asbestos abatement project at Balmoral Elementary involving the gym and adjacent hallway floors. -approved renewing IHSA membership -and approved a CMHS choral music trip. Tom Thompson is a reporter for Russell Publications.
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