A John F. Ross Collegiate and Vocational Institute committee is looking for extraordinary students and graduates to include on its first ever hall of fame.
The hall of fame committee is currently gathering nominations and information about graduates and past students who went above and beyond in their chosen career path.
“Whether it’s in the arts or in athletics or in business,” said Cisca Campolongo, a member of the committee. “We are trying to open it up to all areas.”
The committee hopes to have the first inductees chosen by next spring when the school celebrates its 60th anniversary.
The idea for the wall stemmed from an effort that began two years ago to track down and display all of the athletic championships the school has won.
“We finally said, ‘we have no history on the walls about all the championships in athletics,’” Campolongo said. “We have no idea how many we won way back when.
“This is crazy that students are walking into this building and thinking we’ve never won a championship because there’s nothing on the wall.”
She said the school went to the District 10 records to track down much of the necessary information.
Now both school gyms are lined with banners showcasing what championships, including provincial championships, were won in the past.
Going forward, the school is keeping up with current athletic titles won, Campolongo said.
Now the focus has switched to former students who have made significant contributions to society.
“We’ve had a lot of great things happen in this building but the history seems to be missing,” said Rod Evans, another committee member.
Community members are encouraged to submit nominations to jfrhalloffame.ca if they know a former John F. Ross student or a graduate who fits the bill.
Students from two Grade 12 leadership classes will do further research on the nominees in the fall to help the committee of about 12 teachers make the decision about which individuals to honour for the inaugural Hall of Fame.
“I’d love to see a gamut from all the different eras,” Campolongo said. “Especially when we first start so that we get a chance to recognize all the different decades that are out there.”
Once the inductees have been selected, Campolongo said students will verify the information and some will also be responsible for writing a short biography for each inductee.
“The plaque, ideally, on the board, will have a picture and then a brief … bio on the person,” she explained.
“It’s no good for us to just have a plaque with their name if we don’t know what they’ve accomplished or what they’ve done.”
The committee hopes the wall, which is located at the entrance leading to the E. L. Fox Auditorium, will be revealed at a gala event celebrating the achievements of the inductees. If all goes well they also hope the inductees will be able to attend the event.
“One of the criteria in the end that we’re hoping is that if the community selects this person to honour them with this that they actually attend the event,” Campolongo said.
“There’s no point in us honouring people and then only two of them show up, unless of course they are deceased already, but we do want some representation from the person.”
All nominations will be held by the committee and if not chosen, will be considered for a later induction.
To make a nomination visit jfrhalloffame.ca and fill out all the fields on the nomination form or call vice principal Jeff Weddig with any questions at 519-822-7090 ext. 306.
