Eighth grader Bethany Hoag poses next to the new track and field record board at Seeley Lake Elementary. Hoag spent most of the school year designing the board.
SEELEY LAKE - There is a new monument to history in the entryway of Seeley Lake Elementary.
On Tuesday, May 30, Bethany Hoag hung the new track and field record board next to the entrance of the gymnasium.
"The final product is the most fun to see," said 14-year-old Hoag. "It's always been a vision of mine and seeing it come true is really cool."
Hoag had the idea for a record board since she was in sixth grade. One of her friends had recently broken a school record in the triple jump but there was no way to show that to the school and the public.
"Every other school you go to, Frenchtown, Charlo, they all have [a record board]," said Hoag. "Personally I always go to other schools and look at them when I don't have anything to do. To see where you're at."
Now every student and visitor at SLE will know exactly where they stand against the best Eagles of all time.
Hoag spent the better part of the school year working on the project. She joined student council and presented a mock-up for approval.
After balancing as many opinions and ideas as she could, Hoag finally got to work designing the board.
The hardest part?
"Getting everything straight-That was hard," said Hoag.
Secretary Suzie Teafoe used to be the keeper of the records at SLE. She inherited a handwritten list from former track coach Zelda Haines and typed it up. She kept the document on her computer, updating it every year a new student ran, jumped or threw a new record and showing it to students when they were curious.
"There was always the idea of where it could be but how was it going to get there and who was going to do it," said Teafoe. "All I had to do is provide what I had and there it is."
The oldest record on the board dates back to 1976. Shelby Nicholson ran 200 meters in 27.1 seconds, a time that no SLE student has yet surpassed.
On the recent end of the spectrum, in the last four years, 12 records have been set. Five of those were set this spring-good news for the future of Seeley-Swan High School's track teams.
Hoag graduated from SLE last week and is proud that she leaves behind a legacy that will endure.
"If I come back 10 years from now and it's still up, I can say 'I made that,'" said Hoag. "It was me."
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