Pikeland board accepts girl’s basketball coach’s resignation

By Editor | February 25, 2026 |

By BETH ZUMWALT

The Pikeland School Board met Feb. 18 and accepted the resignation of Noah Mendenhall as both the junior high and high school girls basketball coach.
Mendenhall addressed the board.
Mendenhall said he was called into Angie Gregor, Pittsfield High School principal’s office Monday Feb.16 and was told to resign or be terminated. Mendenhall said Gregor said she had received complaints from parents and players regarding conditioning, preparation and coaching style. The complaints supposedly came in January, but, Mendenhall said he was not made aware of the problems until the February meeting.
“I asked why I was not made aware of the concerns and allowed time to make adjustments or resolutions for them,” Mendenhall said. “Gregor said she kept them confidential during the season.”
Mendenhall said he was then told to either resign immediately or face a recommendation of non-retention by the administration at the following board meeting.
Mendenhall met with the district’s superintendent, the following day and according to Tepen, who told Mendenhall, he planned to recommend him for retention at the following day’s board meeting.
“This was a direct contradiction to what I was told the previous day in the meeting with Mrs. Gregor,” Mendenhall said.
Mendenhall said he then learned student-athletes were being asked to submit letters or attend the Feb. 18 meeting.
“To protect the student-athletes from the emotional burden of a public, divisive confrontation, I have made the decision to step away,” Mendenhall said. “My priority still remains to the well-being of the players. I refuse to allow their high school experience be tarnished by a highly charged administrative conflict.”
Several people stepped to the podium and expressed support for Mendenhall after his resignation. Many mentioned his dedication to the program and pointing out that the chain of command and procedure in asking for this resignation had not been followed.
The chain of command in the contract between the players, parents and school, calls for complaints to start with the coach, then if no resolution is reached, the athletic director, then school administration.
Jacquelyn Feldspauch, the union steward for the teachers, was one of those speaking.
“This is a reminder to the school board and the administration that there is a wrong and a right way to handle complaints,” Feldspauch said. “This administration has never followed the procedures and the board as allowed it. It will continue to happen until you rectify your poor practices.”
Later in the meeting the board accepted Mendenhall’s resignation on a 5-2 vote with Charlie Hull and Jerry Edison voting No and Lindsy Henderson voting a “reluctant yes.”
Hull said after the meeting he wanted to clarify that asking for Mendenhall’s resignation was not a board decision.
Gregor did not speak at the meeting nor did she return calls from River County News.
In other action, the board agreed to advertise for bids to replace 91 windows at Pikeland Community School over the summer break, approved a co-op agreement with Calhoun for a clay target trap shooting team and accepted the resignations of Karen Flynn as lead custodian at South Elementary School, Katilyn Ketchum a full-time paraprofessional for Pikeland Community School, Haley Morgan as full-time paraprofessional for Pikeland School district, Heather Richards as PCS special education teacher and Sadie Ruble as Title I teacher.
Hired was Jennifer Peebles as full-time, long-term substitute for the 2026-27 school year, Arianna Ashby, full-time paraprofessional for the Pikeland School District effective March 9 and Patricia (Carol) Lightner, from 190-200 day employees as of Aug.2, 2023.