From left, Counselor Lisa Graham and students Alaina Hahn, Nathan Taylor, Corey Wolfe, Elaina Donahue and Adelyn Paul helped with the street sign initiative. Submitted photo

A group of Seneca Valley students is hoping to create more school spirit throughout the district’s nine individual communities through new signage.

The group of high school students, along with counselor Lisa Graham, launched a district signage initiative to install new Seneca Valley-themed street signs throughout Cranberry, Jackson, Forward and Lancaster townships; and Evans City, Harmony, Zelienople, Seven Fields and Callery.

The students who pitched the project to the district and the local municipalities are seniors Adelyn Paul and Nathan Taylor; and juniors Corey Wolfe, Alaina Hahn and Elaina Donahue. The students are part of the “Lead Committee” at Seneca Valley, which works to build a positive culture around the school.

Inside the senior high school, flags for the nine municipalities that make up the district are displayed near the front entrance. Graham thinks it is important to have a similar display for the school in the community.

A group of Seneca Valley students are working to put up new street signs around the nine individual municipalities that make up the district. Submitted photo.

“They put those flags up there in the early 2000s with the idea that these communities make up this one school. And so likewise, we talk about how Seneca Valley is a part of this community. So while the symbolism really matters in the school, we feel symbolism for the district in the community is important as well.

Originally, Wolfe had the idea to put a giant “SV” on the Pennsylvania American Water tower recently built near the high school, although doing that appeared unlikely. Stemming from this proposal, the Lead Committee came up with the idea of the signs.

“It’s the small things that impact the bigger picture. The small things make a difference in the community,” Wolfe said.

The students said they felt there is importance in engaging in school spirit, and seeing these signs throughout the district community will help. Places like North Allegheny have signs up throughout the community, establishing a sense of pride, they said.

For the fast-growing Seneca Valley, highlighting the district is also a way to bring residents together when the separate communities making up the district are spread out. You can be right near the border with Allegheny County in Cranberry Township, or closer to Slippery Rock Area School District’s border in Lancaster Township or in Forward Township headed toward Butler.

“We have nine municipalities that make up the district — nine of them. And even if they’re all in Seneca Valley, they’re all different in their own ways,” Taylor said.

Taylor, who takes graphic design classes at Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School, led the design of the signs, going through around 40 to 50 designs. The 12-inch-by-18-inch signs are simple, black with bold blue letters. The signs also will be reflective, so in the dark, headlights will make the SV logo stick out.

The students have had to present the proposal to the school administration, the school board and reach out to each municipal government to gauge interest. According to Graham, the signs will cost around $20 each. The Seneca Valley Foundation is raising money for the project and Graham is hopeful the signs are ready to be installed by this upcoming fall.

Paul did research on the benefits of such signs of school unity and the positive impact it has on student bodies.

“Some people may say it’s just a sign. But in the bigger picture of things, this helps students, and community members, and staff and faculty feel more connected to their school. There’s evidence when students feel more connected to their school, they do better, they perform better in areas like their academics,” Paul said.

Donahue reached out to the different municipalities’ governments about how many signs they would like to have in their community. The school is still waiting to hear from some, but others have expressed interest in using signs on some of their buisier roads. Graham said the process takes time, because of waiting for the boards to vote and then also having to make sure signs are compliant with PennDOT restrictions.

“Seeing it outside of school is also a huge thing. We have stuff in the school building obviously — little projects hung up in the front of the school and such — but that’s only in the school year you’re seeing it. Seeing it out in public, that really harps on the district being part of the community,” Hahn said.