SV Hall of Fame goes virtual
JACKSON TWP — Seneca Valley High School athletics have been around for 60 years.
That’s plenty of time to accumulate championships, individual achievements and school records.
“Eventually, we may run out of room,” SV athletic director Heather Lewis said of displaying such history.
Not anymore.
Seneca Valley recently unveiled its virtual Hall of Fame — 64-inch screens housing all of the Raiders’ team pages, Hall of Fame inductees, record books and honors, such as all-star and all-state awards. One screen is located on a wall outside of the high school gym, the other in the Aquatic Center.
“This is a work in progress,” Lewis said. “We will be adding achievements in there as they happen and when we dig things up. We’re still researching, working with all of our coaches on this.
“These screens can hold an endless amount of information. There is no charge to use them and look up memories or learn about the rich athletic heritage this school district has.”
Nii Sowa-Doku, SV’s assistant athletic director, said a Raider softball player “was looking at some information in there and found an achievement by her aunt. Things like that can happen a lot.”
The display showcases will be in operation from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and can be viewed by the public during SV home sporting events or other events taking place at the school or in the Aquatic Center.
The process to put the display showcases together began last fall.
“This is something I’ve wanted to see us do, give us a one-stop shop for people to view our athletic history,” Lewis said. “Every Hall of Fame member will have a profile in there. Team championships will be highlighted.
“I first got the idea from seeing these screens installed at other schools I’ve visited. Fox Chapel and Mt. Lebanon are two schools that immediately come to mind.”
“This has been a collaborative process, an ongoing process,” Sowa-Doku said. “We’ve reached out to our Hall of Fame committee to see what information they might have readily available. Our coaches have been cooperative as well. We’ve gone through yearbooks dating back into the 1960s.
“This project has taken hundreds of hours of work.”
Seneca Valley began its athletic Hall of Fame in 2008.
The display showcases came from a company in Dublin, Ohio. The school district bought two of them “because there’s always a nice discount when you do that and we had the perfect locations for two.
“When we had the Aquatic Center built, I had this in mind.”
The SV virtual Hall of Fame was made possible by generous donations in memory of Jamie Thomas. Thomas and his wife, Laura, are parents of Raider standout athletes Chase (boys soccer) and Natalie (cheer & dance/track and field). Chase and Natalie graduated from SV in 2021 and 2023, respectively.
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