Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
AKRON - Tippecanoe Valley School Board accepted a grant, donation and award at a meeting Monday, Sept. 21.
Ashlie Schlemmer, director of communication, grants and marketing for TVSC, shared the Indiana Department of Homeland Security awarded them $86,000 to help the school resource officers. The matching grant will be used for new radios, new door upgrades and other safety improvements for the corporation.
“We appreciate our SROs and everything that they do for us, and keeping some zebras out of the building, too,” TVSC Superintendent Blaine Conley said, sparking some laughter in the room. Conley was referring to a video post SRO Mason Teel made with some students during Bell Week, the week leading up to the annual rivalry football game between the Tippecanoe Valley High School Vikings and Rochester High School Zebras.
Stephanie Bibler, founder of the Sweet Sassy Golf Classic and widow of the late Scott Bibler, presented a check to the board for $32,500.
“Here we are, 11 days away from marking 11 years without Scott,” Bibler said.
Scott Bibler was a 1982 Tippecanoe Valley graduate and a teacher, counselor and coach at the high school.
She explained how the Sweet Sassy Golf Classic started “on a whim,” to “elevate and honor Scott and his life and his love for education and the students.”
Stephanie has been in front of the board several times before to present donations.
“Little did we know, what an event this would turn into,” Stephanie said. “What it has become is so much bigger than any one person or team of people.”
The community golfing event involves golfers, sponsors, volunteers and others, people who “show up year after year to help us pull this event off,” Bibler said.
This year’s outing had 53 teams, down from previous years, Bibler said, but still had more than 70 sponsors and at least 30 volunteers the day of the event.
“The Sweet Sassy Team and I are simply the vessel,” Bibler said. “We help bring everyone together, but the community is what makes this all possible.”
Over nine years, more than $230,000 have been raised from the annual outing.
“That is an incredible number, but behind that number are hundreds of people who have given their time, money and talents to make this event possible,” Bibler said. “So, this check may have our name on it, but it truly belongs to all of you.”
She added that each school did a “great job” spending the funds last year, and that after donating money to each school for this year, $22,350 will be left to give to other grants.
Ryan Christner, president and chief executive officer of OrthoWorx, also attended the Monday night meeting to present a glass award to TVSC and the board on behalf of OrthoWorx and Kosciusko County.
Christner shared that in November 2025, Kosciusko County was named the “Community of the Year” by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, marking the county as the first one in the history of the award to be awarded to a county, not just a town or city.
“That says something powerful,” Christner said. “The recognition doesn’t come by accident; it comes from people who show up because they invest, they lead and because they believe in something bigger than themselves.”
He went on further to say the award belongs to “all of us,” to the “businesses willing to take risks, the educators willing to prepare the next generation, the community and civic leaders making bold decisions and volunteers serving behind the scenes.”
Christner also said the award represents momentum, belief and “what is possible when communities align around a shared vision for our future.”
He called the award “a call to go further,” and a commitment to building Kosciusko County as not only a community of the year but a “community of the future.”
Christner explained OrthoWorx had duplicate awards made to present to the school corporations, while KEDCO presented awards to many municipalities.
Upcoming board meetings are 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19 and 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, both in the new Administration building, 8343 Ind. 19, Akron.
In other business, student representatives Mackenzie Evans and Nolan Whitaker updated the board on student activities. Evans shared homecoming week was a “huge success.” TVHS also had auditions for the fall play, “Radium Girls.”
