Pine-Richland board to vote on creation of athletic hall of fame

The Pine-Richland School Board is set to vote at its March meeting on the creation of a hall of fame for athletics that, if passed, would honor its first set of inductees in the fall.

Administrators began exploring the opportunity of launching the hall of fame to coincide with this year’s 60th anniversary as a way to celebrate the district’s history.

“We always look for that link to our mission, vision and values and we believe a Pine-Richland athletic hall of fame would be a nice opportunity to see that link, especially in our pride values, where we talk about those direct links that happen and learning inside and outside of the classroom quite a bit,” Assistant Superintendent Dr. Michael Pasquinelli said. “We see students experiencing those learning opportunities on the athletic fields and we see a value in this.”

Pasquinelli, athletic director Sean Simmons, director of communications Rachel Hathhorn and community member Jack McCurry have spent the last three months putting together a plan for how the hall of fame might function.

A maximum of five individuals would be inducted in one year. They could be students who attended Pine-Richland and have been out of school for at least five years, coaches who are no longer coaching and are being honored for their work with Pine-Richland teams or a contributor, who could be a staff or community member who has had an impact on athletics in the district. A contributor does not need to live in Pine-Richland and there will be no waiting period.

There could also be one team per year inducted, “recognized for significant achievement and growth, and/or overcoming challenges.”

An evaluation committee would be responsible for the selection process and would consist of the athletic director, who will serve as executive director of the hall of fame, the high school principal or an assistant principal, two current coaches (one each from a girls and boys team), two former coaches (one each from a girls and boys team), one current Pine-Richland Unified Booster Organization board member, two members from a boys and girls athletic booster group that falls under the PRUBO banner and two to four community members.

If the board approves the hall of fame, the plan will be to assemble the committee in April and begin soliciting nominees for the first class.

The hall of fame would be funded through revenue linked to the athletic department from sources including advertising and ticketing.