BEACON FALLS — The Woodland Regional High School Hall of Fame hopes that less will equal more.
The WRHS Hall of Fame committee decided last month to turn the organization’s induction process into a biannual event, one which will include a separate ceremony outside the school’s annual academic awards night.
Nine honorees were inducted to the WRHS Hall of Fame in 2011 and 2012 after its creation to celebrate Woodland’s 10th anniversary. Inductees have included past teachers, athletes, contributing groups and the 2004 football team. Plaques for each honoree hang on a dedicated wall in the school’s main foyer.
“We wanted to get it started and we’ve accomplished that,” said Woodland Principal Arnold Frank, a committee member since its founding. “By inducting two classes we’ve gotten our name out there and people know that it exists. It’s an established organization now.”
The WRHS Hall of Fame committee opened nominations for the third year this April, but at a meeting in May the group voted to put off this year’s election and begin biannual inductions starting next spring.
Frank, who is retiring at the end of the month, said the organization’s decision was not because of a lack of candidates; rather, the WRHS Hall of Fame opened far sooner than many others and it would be more beneficial to schedule fewer inductions and keep honorees special.
“The committee decided that we wanted the number of potential candidates to catch up to us,” Frank said. “We’re going to make it every other year to make it more exclusive.”
As part of the switch, the WRHS Hall of Fame will revamp its committee with members’ terms expiring and focus on planning a year-end event to accompany the inductions. Previously, inductees were honored at the end of the school’s annual academic awards night, but the organization is interested in creating a separate dinner that could be combined with other non-student award ceremonies.
The dinner, and the potential for another fundraising event, would serve not only to honor WRHS Hall of Famers, but also as the first out-of-school alumni event. Woodland’s 10th graduating class walked Monday, and the WRHS Alumni Association is trying to get off the ground.
“It can become a fundraiser for us and an event for the alumni,” Frank said.
