TRAGEDY: Poly’s beloved history teacher Leo Caudill unexpectedly passed away.
By Guadelupe Meza, Staff Writer
Poly is sad to announce that Mr. Leo Caudill has died. He passed away on Sunday, October 1, 2017 at around 1pm, at the age of 50.
Caudill worked in the social science department for more than 17 years. This year, he taught U.S history for juniors and World History for sophomores. He was an outstanding teacher that many admired. “He was the type of teacher you would look forward to seeing,” Ryanne Griggs (11) said. He supported his students more than just academically. He would go so far as to help his students get jobs and even provide yearbooks for seniors who could not afford them so that they could cherish their high school memories. Caudill was regarded as a very involved teacher who would work the extra mile to ensure his students’ success.
According to his colleagues, Caudill was an incredible person. He had a great sense of humor and he loved playing pranks. “He would leave rap lyrics on my phone and it was pretty funny,” Cherniss said. He was someone who could brighten your day. Caudill’s untimely death left many grieving. His current students had only known him for a short amount of time, but he had already impacted their lives. “Mr. Caudill was a very caring person, and I’m going to miss him,” Sarah Ukpong (11) said.
In the meantime, former classes have a substitute teacher. The substitute teacher will remain active until a new history teacher has been found. Poly remains thankful to have had such an amazing teacher be a part of its family. It will be difficult to adapt to a school without Mr. Caudill. He will be greatly missed by everyone here in the Poly and Riverside community.