Woodland Hall of Fame, history in the making

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I’m sure many of you remember the All-Decade sports section I researched and we published in January 2010. It was the most fantastic and rewarding piece of work I’ve ever done and was my way of contributing a little history to the area.

Now, along with a panel of distinguished colleagues, it’s time to make some more history, at least in Beacon Falls and Prospect.

You’ve read about it already, but consider this the official announcement of the opening of the Woodland Regional High School Hall of Fame.

Kyle Brennan

Before I get into the details of what the WRHS Hall of Fame is going to be, I’ll give you a little background on how it came to be.

Of course, last August was the 10th anniversary of Woodland’s existence and the school has been celebrating its milestone throughout the year. This anniversary came at a great time, because I’d been hatching this idea since my sophomore year of high school.

I envisioned a way to honor those Woodland teachers, administrators, alumni, athletes, coaches, and contributors who made me proud to wear black and gold and call the school my alma mater.

I pitched the idea to Woodland Principal Dr. Arnold Frank in September and he was thrilled with the concept. So for the last six months or so, he and I, along with some other important Woodland faculty, have slowly developed the plan to open the WRHS Hall of Fame this year.

We’ve formed a 15-person committee which includes administrators, teachers, Board of Education members, PTO members, alumni, and community members.

But it’s extremely important to us to have the community’s input on the WRHS Hall of Fame. We don’t want this to be a hall of fame selected by one room full of people. This is our hall of fame, and by ours I mean yours.

Therefore, I’m proud to announce that we will be accepting nominations for the historic inaugural class of the WRHS Hall of Fame starting this Friday, March 11, until April 15.

Invariably, this raises plenty of questions, so here are some quick answers:

Q: Who can nominate candidates for the WRHS Hall of Fame?

A: Anyone who is or has ever been a part of the Woodland community can nominate candidates for the WRHS Hall of Fame. This includes students, alumni, staff, parents, townspeople, and any others who consider themselves a part of the Woodland community.

Q: Who can I nominate as a candidate for the WRHS Hall of Fame?

A: We will have four categories of inductees to the WRHS Hall of Fame: Faculty and staff, alumni, athletics, and contributors. In this first year, alumni and former athletes from the classes of 2004 and 2005 are eligible, as well as former staff and coaches. Contributors who don’t fall in those categories are also eligible. There are also other criteria listed in the nomination packets and on our website at halloffame.wrhsonline.net.

Q: How can I nominate a candidate for the WRHS Hall of Fame?

A: There are plenty of ways to nominate a candidate. Nomination packets will be available in the central offices at all five schools in the region as well as public places in Beacon Falls and Prospect. All you have to do is fill out a packet and mail or return it to Woodland before the deadline. It’s also easy to nominate a candidate online at our website, halloffame.wrhsonline.net.

The WRHS Hall of Fame Committee is still hammering out all of the procedures and by-laws for the organization, but you can find plenty of details on the website at halloffame.wrhsonline.net.

Once again, nominations are open starting this Friday and will be open until April 15. I encourage you to check out our website and get involved in this process. It is our hope that the WRHS Hall of Fame becomes a prestigious way to recognize those who make important contributions to our community.

On behalf of the WRHS Hall of Fame Committee, we look forward to reading the nominations you send over the next month. Remember, it’s not just our hall of fame; it’s yours.

Kyle Brennan is a contributing writer for the Citizen’s News.