Bernards High 'Wall of Honor' Nomination Deadline Was Thursday

The deadline arrived on Thursday, Aug 15, for nominees for the Wall of Honor that Bernards High School is planning for later this year to highlight the achievements of graduates and others who have contributed toward the school during its 100-plus years of history.

Unless the deadline is extended, Thursday was the last day to drop off nominations Bernards High School's office off Olcott Avenue, said Bernards High School Principal Scott Neigel. 

Neigel said it will be announced later if the deadline is extended.

The nomination form is online on the Somerset Hills School District website. The nomination form was available to be printed out from online and submitted to the high school.

With two weeks to go, the nominating committee for the Wall of Honor, planned near the community room of the high school, had received the names of a good number of "very deserving" nominees, Neigel said at that time.

Neigel declined to say how many nominations had been received by then, but he said that he was pleased that those making suggestions had apparently thought through their reasons for making a selection.

He added the decision hadn't been made yet whether to extend the deadline for additional names for the first year of the project. Even so, "I believe we have enough [names] to create an inaugural induction class.

Bernards High School is planning to install a Wall of Honor, perhaps accompanied by a sculpture, that will honor "exemplary citizens that serve as role models for all members of the Bernards High School community."

"It's a tremendous project," Neigel said when discussing the exhibit earlier this spring. This week, he said that while the names of the first inductees are likely to be chosen by fall, the project might night get underway until later during the school year.

The selection committee for the consists of district administrators, teachers, student council advisor and officers, Board of Education members, and distinguished members of the community. This committee will receive and review the nominations and decide on the members of each induction class, the website said. Inductees then will be invited to join the committee in inducting the future Wall of Honor classes. 

Neigel said in the spring that perhaps a sculpture with branches reaching out to different areas of achievement would be part of the wall. He said then that sources of funding were being explored.

Neigel also was quick to credit to the initiative to the Bernards High council. He said that Council President Leon Da Silva and Vice-president Eric Oringer had written the criteria and had done much of the groundwork.

The council initiated the idea for a wall to honor the achievements of past Bernards graduates and contributors during the spring of 2012, according to the Somerset Hills school website. By the start of 2013, a committee had been formed to create the Wall of Honor, and the Somerset Hills Board of Education announced the project earlier this year.

Neigel said that the nominees do not need to be graduate of Bernards High. However, they must have graduated from high school at least 10 years ago, and must have made a "significant contribution to Bernards High."

This will be different from the school's athletic Hall of Fame, he said. Achievements in many areas will be recognized, Neigel said.

To be eligible for the wall, he or she must have graduated at least 10 years ago and made significant contributions to his or her field, the website said. That includes areas such as but not limited to arts, business, education, government and politics, law, philanthropy, or science and medicine.

People who have greatly contributed to the Bernards High School community will be eligible for induction, as well. For either category, posthumous nominations are acceptable, the website said.

"With over 100 years of rich history and tradition, the Bernards High School Wall of Honor will celebrate the achievements and contributions of graduates and members of our great high school community," according to information on the website.