OTTAWA TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL HALL OF FAME

Background and Authority

The Ottawa Township High School District 140 Educational Foundation, Inc. was formed in 1993 to secure and channel private funds to support and promote educational programs and activities of students served by OTHS District 140 under the direction or approval of the Board of Education.

Hall of Fame

Consistent with its commitment to excellence, the Foundation has established and intends to support the Ottawa Township High School Hall of Fame.  The focus of the Hall of Fame is to recognize excellence in achievement, be it academic, fine arts, athletic, or general distinguished achievement accomplished while a high school student, after leaving high school, or a combination of both.  Further, honorees may have attended OTHS, or may never have attended OTHS but were significant and accomplished contributors that have been associated with the school. 

Purpose

The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to highlight the accomplishments of inductees with the intention that current students will be inspired by the standard of excellence and accomplishment achieved by their predecessors.

Structure

The Foundation will form annually, without limitation on succession, a Hall of Fame Selection Committee consisting of 7 members, or more if the Educational Foundation Board in its sole discretion deems appropriate.  No member of the Selection Committee may be a member of a Decade Nominating Committee as hereinafter described.  The Selection Committee shall consist of the Superintendent of Ottawa Township High School, or his or her designee, a member of the Board of Education as chosen by said Board, a member of the Educational Foundation Board as chosen by said Board, a current OTHS educator as chosen by the Foundation Board, a retired OTHS educator and additional members at large as chosen by the Foundation Board.

Nominating Committees

Decade Nominating Committees will be established by decade and shall consist of 5 to 11 members.  The committees will be established annually by the Foundation, without limitation on succession.  There shall initially be a separate Decade Nominating Committees for the 1940’s and before, the 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s, 1990’s,  with additional committees added thereafter as appropriate.  Additionally, a Century Committee will be established, be able to nominate, and shall have more of an at-large perspective and oversight.  The respective Nominating Committees shall be responsible for researching and submitting up to four (4) nominations per year for nominees that either graduated in their respective decade or accomplished significant achievements during their respective decade, or in the case of the Century Committee, achievements from any era.

Nominations

Nominations may be submitted by any source, but all will be submitted to the Superintendent of OTHS, thereafter to be directed to the appropriate Nominating Committee.  Therefore, for a nominee to be presented to the Selection Committee the appropriate Nominating Committee must select and submit same among their four (4) potential annual nominees as described above.

Process

The Selection Committee shall review and select, on an annual basis, nominations for inductions submitted by the Decade Nominating Committees.  Selections shall be no more than ten (10) in any calendar year.  All members of the Selection Committee shall vote, with a simple majority of the Selection Committee sufficient to award induction.

Eligibility

Nominees’ graduating class must have graduated at least 5 years prior to selection.  Nominees may be individuals, groups, or teams.  Achievements may be academic, athletic, in the fine arts, general distinguished achievement locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally, or a combination thereof.  The nature of achievements include, but are not limited to, those in business, civic, organizational, or humanitarian endeavors.