Sweet Home honors scholar-athletes and advances student-driven Panther logo contest

The Sweet Home Board recognized student scholar-athletes and announced the final stage of a student-driven Panther logo contest at its March 11 meeting.

Athlete recognition: Chris Schumel, director of athletics, presented certificates to fall scholar-athletes. Schumel said student-athletes who average a 90 or above across six semesters were eligible for honorable mention; teams selected one winner to advance for section-level consideration. Schumel reported the district had roughly 18 honorable mentions and one overall winner for the fall season. Schumel called several students to the stage by name, including Maya Atala (tennis), Nathan Darling (boys golf), Makena Flato (women's soccer), Ella Hubert (girls volleyball), Kendra Kepesak and Taylor Nugent (girls cross country), Margaret Palush (volleyball), Emily Phillips (girls golf), Cameron Smith (girls volleyball) and Frankie Bellani (solo winner for the fall season).

Panther logo contest and next steps: Dr. Genestri said the district narrowed more than 300 student submissions to 10 finalist concepts'at least one finalist from each building. Design work with the vendor 26 Shirts is underway; the concepts will be published mid-to-late April for community review and the district expects a final community vote on May 20.

Events and community updates: Administrators reminded the public of upcoming events, including the high school musical Once Upon a Mattress (performances April 14'16) and a Dollars for Scholars craft show (Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) that supports senior scholarships. Officials said last year the Dollars for Scholars program provided roughly $108,000 in scholarships.

Ending: The board thanked students, coaches and volunteers for the season and encouraged families to view logo concepts online once posted.