Congratulations to longtime Penn Manor school board member Dr. Richard Frerichs, who was honored by the school district and the Pennsylvania School Boards Association for his 24 years of service during his final school board meeting on November 15.
Also honored during the meeting were school board members Chris Straub for 12 years of service and Joe Fullerton and David Paitsel for eight years of service each.
School board president Herk Rintz estimated that Frerichs has spent about 9,000 hours – roughly equivalent to a full year of time – serving on the all-volunteer school board since he attended his first meeting in December 1997.
“You have truly been an outstanding board member, and you’ve been a mentor to every board member in this room,” Rintz told Frerichs.
Rich served three years as Penn Manor school board president and one year as president of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.
For years, he played an active role at the PSBA, serving as chair of the Pennsylvania Public Education Foundation and as a member of the EdPAC and Insurance Trust Boards. He received the PSBA Allwein Advocacy Award in 2016 for his efforts on behalf of Pennsylvania’s public schools.
Nathan Mains, PSBA CEO, attended the November 15 meeting and presented Frerichs with a PSBA Distinguished Service pin – one of only nine people in the field of education to earn the honor. Mains said Frerichs was a mentor to him, as well, when he took over the CEO role at the PSBA.
Also at the meeting, Paitsel, Straub and Fullerton received certificates of appreciation from the PSBA in recognition of their years of service bringing their “energy, talent and values to the guidance of youth and public education in Pennsylvania.”
Paitsel was not at the meeting.
Many thanks to these outstanding community members for all they’ve done for Penn Manor School District!
From left, superintendent Mike Leichliter, Rich Frerichs, school board president Herk Rintz and PSBA CEO Nathan Mains.
