Athletic Hall of Fame established at PIHS
Sports Reporter
PRESQUE ISLE – A number of outstanding athletes have roamed the halls of Presque Isle High School over the years, and thanks mainly to the collaboration of two men in the community, these athletic achievements will be celebrated in a newly-formed Presque Isle Athletic Hall of Fame.
Mark White, a 17-year teacher at PIHS, became familiar with some of the accomplishments of these individual athletes through feature articles written in The Star-Herald by “Sports Lore” columnist Jim Carter.
“The articles made it clear that Presque Isle High School has been the home of some very impressive individual athletic careers,” said White, who is also the adviser to the school’s Varsity Club. “So I happened to see Jim out and about one day a few years back and asked him about a PIHS athletic hall of fame, and I guess the rest is history.”
“I agreed with him that I thought it was a good idea,” said Carter, a 1964 PIHS graduate who retired from teaching and coaching after a lengthy career at Caribou High School. “We didn’t do much to pursue it until a few months ago, but then I began researching bylaws for the hall, presented them to [White], and he passed them on to [SAD 1 Superintendent] Gehrig Johnson.
“The three of us met and [Johnson] gave his approval to move forward.”
Carter said he felt it was important “to recognize those individuals who through their accomplishments brought pride and distinction to Presque Isle High School and the community as either an athlete, coach, administrator or as a contributor to the development and success of the school’s athletic program.”
The 11-member committee consists of the SAD 1 superintendent (or designee), the athletic admininstrator, the high school principal (or designee), three current members of the Presque Isle High School coaching staff, two current PIHS student-athletes and three community/at large members
The committee held its first meeting March 11 “to refine the bylaws and to formulate a plan to obtain sponsorship for the Hall and to obtain nominations for prospective inductees,” according to Carter.
He said a nominating committee was formed to filter nominations and present them to the entire committee to be voted upon this summer.
Candidates for induction must meet at least one of the following criteria. Student-athletes must have:
• Graduated from Presque Isle High School 10 years ago or more.
• Received all-state recognition.
• Received all-conference selection.
• Been a recognized award winner for league, region and state awards.
• Earned at least two varsity letters.
Coaches must have coached within the district for more than 10 years and/or served with distinction in the athletic programs, while contributors and administrators must have gone “above and beyond” for student-athletes at Presque Isle High School. The waiting period for both coaches and contributors/administrators is of at least five years.
Nomination forms are available through the SAD 1 Web site (www.sad1.org). Sponsorship forms and the committee’s bylaws are also available online through the district Web site and eventually on the social-networking site Facebook. Forms can also be obtained at the high school athletic office.
Nominations from the public will be accepted through May 30. The nominating committee will then recommend up to 30 potential inductees to the membership committee, according to the bylaws. The inaugural class of 2010 will include no more than 10 inductees. The second class of 2011 will include up to seven inductees and subsequent classes will include up to five inductees.
White said although Presque Isle High School “has always done a good job celebrating the accomplishments of teams,” the Hall of Fame will focus on the accomplishments of individual PIHS athletes.
“Not only will inductees be selected for their athletic accomplishments, but for their accomplishments and citizenship after graduating from Presque Isle High School,” White said.
Carter said the committee would like to have the Hall’s first induction take place next winter (2010-11). The plan is to have an induction ceremony on a Saturday between varsity girls and boys home basketball games.
“We also discussed having a meal for the inductees the evening prior to the induction or a breakfast the next morning,” Carter said.
The Hall of Fame wall, explained Carter, is “a 4-foot by 10-foot oak board that will be mounted to the wall as you leave the gymnasium toward the main part of the building.
“It will be enclosed in glass and possibly lit,” he said. “The wall will include brass plates honoring the inductees. At the induction ceremony, each inductee or family representative will be presented a plaque.”
Sponsorship opportunities available for businesses and individuals range from Team Player ($10-$49), Winners Sponsors ($50-$99), Charter Sponsors ($100-$249) and Championship Sponsors ($250-$499) to Founding Sponsors ($500 or more).
“We want to establish in our youth a motivating influence to excel in athletics as well as community,” Carter said. “We want to encourage pride, promote good sportsmanship, scholarship and citizenship in the school and the community, and also promote the rich tradition of Presque Isle athletics.”
