MHS hopes to shine brighter light on its Hall of Famers
Megan Peterson, principal of Manteca High, photographed in her office on Nov. 21, 2023. (Julian Maldonado)
By DANIEL GARCIA & MARIAH RAMIREZ
The Tower
The Hall of Fame at Manteca High was founded in 1989 but went more than two decades without an inductee before its re-introduction in 2021. The Hall of Fame was introduced to keep the tradition and spirit of Manteca High alive and to honor those who have made great contributions.
Megan Peterson, principal of Manteca High, hopes that more people will learn about the school’s hall of fame and wants to shine a brighter light on the upcoming class. The new and improved Hall of Fame will put a greater emphasis on the inductees than ever before.
“Honoring people who make a difference for Manteca High, I think it’s a really wonderful thing to do,” said Peterson, who is in her first full year as the school’s principal.
Manteca High put a pause on the tradition in 2000, but returned in 2021 with a six-member class. The inductees included Dan Eavenson, Mary Ann (Foehringer) Tolbert, Mike Henry, Jack Miller, Karen (Steves) Ott, and Eric Reis.
The Hall of Fame has recently undergone new changes and enhancements with the help of Peterson, who believes the enshrinement should be a bigger deal on campus and in the community.
The old Hall of Fame from 1989-2021 was presented on a wooden plaque with name plates. The new Hall of Fame will reside right across from the current one in the office November 21, 2023. (Julian Maldonado)
She wants greater public awareness for the Hall of Fame: “When I got here, there was a thing on the wall with their names on it, but I just wanted to make a bigger deal out of it.”
Nominations for the Hall of Fame can be made from simply anyone on campus but also from community members and business members. There are many different categories that can be nominated, such as alumni of Manteca High, staff members with the Manteca Unified School District, as well as former athletes, coaches, teams and teachers.
To nominate a former student, the student would need to have attended Manteca High for a minimum of three years. The alumni would also need to have made a positive impact on campus and in the community. To nominate an employee at Manteca High, they would need at least 10 years of service in the district with a majority of the service at MHS. The nominee would also need to be dedicated to the job and loyal to both the school and district.
When nominating an individual athlete, the Hall of Fame committee will take into consideration an athlete’s body of work and highlights, including: all-league, MVP of their sport, all-state selection, league, section or state champion, record setter or holder, being recognized at the national or international level for athletics, having a distinguished post-high school career, winning a special award given by teammates or coaches, or being a member of a region or state all-star team. The athlete must represent themselves in a way that reflects the honor of the school and must have exhibited qualities of conduct consistent with their status as a role model to the community.
Nominating a specific sports team means they need to be a distinguished team with special accomplishments and those that have exhibited excellent sportsmanship. To nominate coaches of teams, they need to demonstrate exceptional leadership, character, and/or athletic achievements. There will be stronger consideration for coaches with outstanding achievements, including league championships, sectional/regional/state championships, national or international coaching, coach of the year honor(s), career winning percentage, athletic success of individual coach, or years of coaching service to MHS or being a member of a coaching staff of a state recognized all-star team.
Nomination forms can be picked up in the main administration office at Manteca High or downloaded from the Manteca High website. The form must be completed in its entirety. It is preferred that the nomination form is type-written and include letters of recommendations, photocopies of newspaper clippings and magazine articles, scorebook pages, and more. The materials should focus on high school accomplishments and contributions and should be arranged in chronological order.
The nomination form and other documents must be returned to the Manteca High School administration office or emailed to Peterson at mpeterson@musd.net.