FRYEBURG – Fryeburg Academy is proud to announce the formation of its Hall of Excellence. The mission of this body is to further recognize outstanding achievements and contributions in the area of athletics by the Academy’s many dedicated and gifted students, coaches and supporters.

To get this endeavor off the ground, a Hall of Excellence committee was formed. It is a volunteer group made up of former Fryeburg athletes, coaches and personnel. Sue Thurston, the Academy’s Athletic Director, will be joined by Todd Gallagher, former Athletic Director and current Alumni Director, as the committee’s first co-chairs. Others joining the board in its first year will be, Dan Turner, teacher and former coach; Florence Tripp, former Archivist; Brett Russell, Board of Trustees; Terry MacGillivray, coach and President of the FAAA; Jim Osgood, Sr. Board of Trustees; Scott Kelly, former coach, teacher, Athletic Director and current Alumni Coordinator; Beth Jones, teacher and former coach; Al Glover, former teacher and coach; Steve Cote, Board of Trustees; Jeff Leach, former coach and former athlete; Bruce Smith, member of the Headmasters Council and former athlete; and Sally Whitaker, former Registrar at Fryeburg Academy.

This group will be asked to evaluate all the nominated individuals from the Academy’s long history and select those people for induction into the hall. There will be two categories of eligibility for a nominee: athlete, and significant-support individual. The latter category could include a coach, administrator, teacher, volunteer, trainer or a media person. It allows the committee the opportunity to thank those who have impacted the Academy’s athletics in other ways.

The criteria for these two categories are as follows:

Athletic Category: Any student athlete who graduated, or was unable to graduate due to mitigating circumstances, and received a letter is eligible to be nominated. Each nominee must have completed their high school career eight years prior to nomination. Significant-Support Category: An individual who has given outstanding support to the athletic programs at the Academy. This person does not need to be a graduate.

The committee will receive a written nomination form for each nominee. Once a form is received, the committee will send the nominee an information packet that will need to be completely filled out and returned by April 30, 2010. Once the packet is completed, the committee will create a portfolio on each nominee and the portfolio will be given to each committee member for review. The committee will then vote on that year’s induction class. Inductees will be notified in June 2010. The induction ceremony will take place during Homecoming weekend in Fall 2010. A nominee that is not inducted will remain on file for three years. After three years re-nomination is required.

Each individual inducted will be given a plaque symbolic of their achievements and their names will be placed on a “Hall of Excellence” plaque, which will be displayed in the Harvey Dow Gibson Recreation Center.

Nomination forms are available at Fryeburg Academy or may be downloaded from the Academy website. They will also be sent out in the Academy’s “Scenes” magazine.

Anyone who would like to be a part of helping the Hall of Excellence get off the ground may do so with a donation to defray the costs of plaques and ceremony expenses. Donations may be sent to: Fryeburg Academy Hall of Excellence, c/o Sue Thurston or Todd Gallagher, 745 Main St., Fryeburg, Maine 04037.