HOF

Hall of Fame

To see current Hall of Fame members as well as yearbook archives and other pertinent Independence High School information please click HERE.

Nomination Information


I. Purpose

The purpose of the USD 446 Hall of Fame is to recognize individuals who have either graduated from IHS, been a staff member of USD 446, or a contributor to the district. It serves as a means of honoring those individuals who have exemplified outstanding accolades while a student, staff member, or in their careers after graduation.  

The USD 446 Hall of Fame committee adopts the following bylaws for the selection committee.

II. Selection Committee

The selection committee will have a total of five members, three will be standing members and two will be at-large members. The at-large members can serve a maximum of a four-year term. The selection committee will vote in the next two at-large members after the four-year term is up for at-large members. There will be an application form that will need to be filled out by people wishing to be an at-large member of the committee. 

Standing Members:

High School Principal

Athletic Director

Board Member- Decided on by the board annually. 


At Large Members:

At large members must be a graduate of IHS or a former staff member of USD 446. Outside of this there are no other qualifications one needs to be on the selection committee other than an awareness of the rich history of USD 446. An application form must be completed for people wishing to be an at large member. Members of the committee must abstain from voting if a member of his/her immediate family or relative is proposed. Committee members can’t be voted on or inducted while an active member. Hall of Fame members can be on the selection committee. The form will be accessible on the IHS website. Once the form has been completed it must be submitted to the Athletic Director.  The current members must elect a secretary from the selection committee. The secretary will keep accurate records of the selection meetings. The committee will be responsible for the selection of Hall of Fame inductees. The committee will meet every year to vote on candidates for the Hall of Fame. The number of inductees may vary from year to year but must not exceed three inductees an academic school year. A minimum of four votes is required to be inducted into the HOF.


Click HERE to access At Large Nomination Form

III. Nominations

A nomination form will be available on the high school website. In addition to the form, three one-page recommendation letters will be required for each nomination. These recommendation letters will be required to come from three separate people. 

If there are not three people to write papers recommending the nominee, the individual making the nomination will have the opportunity to present the selection committee with evidence regarding why the nominee should be considered. This plan of action is best suited for nominees who lived some time ago and/or nominees whose acquaintances are no longer alive.

Nominations may be made by anyone, however, self-nominations or anonymous/unsigned nominations will not be accepted. The nomination form and three recommendation letters must be submitted to the Athletic Director by September 1st each year to be considered for that academic year's induction class. The selection committee shall have the discretion to narrow the field of nominees.  Nomination forms will be kept and reviewed each year for five years if a nominee is not selected. After five years of not being selected, that nominee will no longer be considered. This nominee can, however, be nominated again and considered. 

Nomination for can be accessed by clicking HERE

IV. Eligibility/Criteria

IHS Graduates, Former Staff Members, or contributors to the district, 

living or deceased, shall be eligible for induction subject to the criteria below. All nominees must represent the USD 446 tradition of excellence.


IHS Graduates:  

  • Eligible ten years after graduation from IHS (i.e.: 2012 graduate for 2022 induction) 

  • Must be an IHS Graduate -- selection committee will have discretion

in unique, special circumstances (i.e.; death, accident).

  • The committee may also consider postgraduate activities including 

    college and professional experience.


Former USD 446 Staff Members:

  • Any staff member with five or more years experience in the district is eligible (the committee may make exceptions as to years experience in unique or special circumstances). 

  • The nominee must be inactive. 

Contributors to USD 446:

  • Exceptional leadership, character, loyalty to USD 446 and the passion for, and support of, the success of USD 446 students and staff.  

  • Community members who have dedicated their lives to contributing to the betterment of the lives of staff and students of USD 446. 

  • These nominees must exhibit the same characteristics of what we expect from our students and staff. 

USD 446 selection committee reserves the right to remove any individual from the Hall of Fame for personal conduct, which reflects discredit upon the school district. 

V. Voting Procedures

The Selection Committee shall review all candidates based on Information available at the time of the meeting. After open discussion about candidates, the Committee shall call for a vote for the purpose of selecting a slate of inductees to vote upon. To be listed on the slate of final nominees to be voted upon, the USD 446 Hall of Fame nominee must receive four of the five votes from the selection committee.

Every effort should be made to induct deserving candidates who are more senior in age before more recent graduates, while attempting to represent a good cross-section of graduation year/age and male/female in a given induction class. The voting procedure and details must be kept confidential. Hall of Fame selections will be announced after the individuals have been notified of their acceptance of the induction. If an inductee is deceased, a family member will stand in at the induction ceremony. 

VI. Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Induction into the USD 446 HOF will happen at a home basketball game in January or February.  When the inductees are notified the date will be shared at that time.  This date will vary year to year as our basketball schedule varies.  

VI. Bylaws

The selection committee reserves the rights to amend the bylaws, if needed.