Bernards High School recently unveiled a brand new display of its prestigious Wall of Honor and Athletics Hall of Fame. Ranging from award winning actresses, to time survivor contestants, to war heroes, the wall of honor represents the greatest achievements of the countless incredible alumni that have graced the halls of Bernards High School.
The new display is in the form of a large screen, situated on the wall next to the alumni tree in the foyer of the Performing Arts Center. In the past, the wall of honor has only been able to be accessed from inside the school. The new display will allow for anyone anywhere to access information regarding the members of the Wall of Honor, Sports Hall of Fame, or any other information that is put into the program in the years to come.
The screen outside the Performing Arts Center is a large TV display, allowing passersby to learn more about the school and its history just at a tap.
Dr. Neigel has spent the past few years attempting to turn this into a reality. Dr. Neigel explained how “it was kind of a pipe dream until I recently found a company.”
The company that ultimately allowed this “pipe dream” to become reality was ultimately Rocket Alumni. Rocket Alumni has over 2,000 installments all around the country, including both college and high schools.
As for pricing, Rocket Alumni runs a subscription based system, meaning that BHS will have to pay for its services every year. Dr. Neigel was not concerned with the price, saying that Rocket Alumni provided a “reasonable cost”.
The display currently shows only Wall of Honor and Athletic Hall of Fame information, providing biographies and descriptions of all alumni. However, that is just the first phase planned for the display. Some of the most well known members of the wall include actress Meryl Streep, singer Mitchell “Mitchy” Collins, and two time survivor contestant Christine “Chrissy” Hofbeck.
In 2012, the Bernards High School Student Council created the idea for a wall to honor the achievements of past Bernards graduates. By 2013, a committee was formed to create the Wall of Honor, which included district administrators, student council officers, teachers, Board of Education members, and the Bernards Historical Foundation Members. In order to become a member of the wall of honor, an alumni must have graduated at least ten years ago, and be nominated by someone other than themselves to be considered by the committee.
In the coming years, Dr. Neigel hopes to implement a variety of different information into the system. Yearbooks, issues of the Crimson, and Pinnacles are all expected to be uploaded and available as a window to the past at BHS. Dr. Neigel said “I want to get historical publications of Bernards High School up there.”
This will allow former students to be able to search their name, and access all of their references across the years in the yearbook, and newspaper. Any student, from any graduation year, will be able to access old images and memories of their time at Bernards High School.
Dr. Neigel said “There’s so many different things you can put on there to connect with alumni”, further displaying the importance and functions of the new screen and program.
The new Wall of Honor screen and website will allow for students past and present to further connect with one another, as alumni and students of Bernards High School.
