By Laura Fitzgerald

Marysville High School (MHS) is preserving its history with the help of a $5,000 grant from the Marysville Community Fund, which is supporting a Digital Wall of Fame.

“We felt the project itself really encompassed the community beyond just your traditional athletic department hall of fame wall,” said Marysville Community Fund Chair Nick Beaudry. “We saw that it was state-of-the-art, and an opportunity to highlight the community and history of MHS and our amazing town through this initiative.”

A 72-inch TV screen at the school’s athletic entrance displays a collection of photos, newspaper clippings, yearbooks, awards and historical information for any passerby to browse through an interactive touchscreen. The viewer can click on a certain year or topic to explore and find information about athletics, former state championships, previous yearbooks, academic awards, marching band shows, performing arts productions and more.

The grant provided the funding to initiate the project, which totaled approximately $16,000 for the TV and software necessary to create the display, said MHS Athletic Director and project organizer Ryan Biewer. The remaining project cost was raised via alumni, private and corporate donations.

Coaches can use the display to showcase their team’s history, including previous championships and awards. Parents and alumni can show their students their accomplishments. Passersby can learn about the school’s history through the screen.

“It’s more than just trophies –it’s the people who were involved in it,” Biewer said. “The people who go through Marysville, I want them to remember and to see all the things and people that were involved in making Marysville what it was. So, this is the start of recognizing those people that gave so much to the education of Marysville students in the community. It’s the connection between the past, the present and hopefully inspiration for the future.”

Seventh-grade volleyball coach Jo Ann Tetlock contributed to the project with articles, photos and statistics from the years she played at MHS. She said she is happy that others will be able to learn how the school has evolved.

“I will be very proud to see all these items available for MHS alumni and current students put in one medium to view and understand MHS’ history,” she said.

More on the Marysville Community Fund

The fund supports special programs, projects, community events and initiatives in and around the Marysville community. Marysville organizations are invited to apply for a new round of grants; the online application will be available soon. Winners will be announced at the Marysville boys’ varsity basketball game on December 19.

The Marysville Community Fund is one of three local community funds managed by the Community Foundation of St. Clair County. The St. Clair Endowment Funds and the Algonac Clay Community Fund are locally governed and designed to support hometown priorities through grantmaking, projects and scholarships.

The Marysville fund was established in 2015 with a $25,000 gift from DTE Energy. This year, organizers are aiming to raise $100,000 in grants donated over the life of the fund, said Beaudry.

“I think it’s really exciting to watch our community partners that we continue to support and invest in as their projects and programs near completion or come full circle,” Beaudry said. “It inspires us to continue to do what we’re doing, to raise more support for the fund and expand what we continue to do for them, because they deliver so quickly on the initiatives that we fundraise to support.”

Last fall, the Marysville Community Fund awarded 10 grants at the high school football game. Notable grant recipients and projects from that giveaway are:

• The Marysville Lions Club received $3,800 to renovate the Riverlawn Cemetery Military Monument
• Marysville Public Schools received $5,000 to complete a digital wall of fame commemorating the school’s and city’s history
• SOS Marysville Food Pantry received $1,000 in general support

Support Your Hometown

Want to make a lasting impact in your community? Gifts of any size to local community funds—like those in Marysville, St. Clair, or Algonac/Clay—help support programs, projects and scholarships that strengthen hometowns across St. Clair County.

To give to an existing fund or learn more about starting a community fund for your community, visit stclairfoundation.org or reach out to Jackie Hanton at jackie@stclairfoundation.org or (810) 984-4761.