BC News

A sign for Bethlehem Central High School's times

BCCO, Class of '54 and Student Senate make it happen

Release Date: Nov. 30, 2007

In 1954, when the high school seniors became the first to graduate from the district’s new high school, there was no sign on Delaware Avenue letting passersby know that the building there was, in fact, Bethlehem Central High School.

So, when the class gathered for its 50th reunion, it was fitting that the collection taken for a gift to the district went toward a high school sign on Delaware Avenue to complement the most extensive renovation in the school’s 50 year history which was underway.

Thanks to the efforts of the Class of 1954, the Bethlehem Central Community Organization and the BCHS Student Senate, when BCHS opened its doors in September 2007, that lighted sign was in operation – ready to inform everyone who passes by about school news, announcements and events such as games, concerts and achievements.

“It’s beautiful,” said Anita Umholtz, the chair of the Class of 1954 Reunion Committee who drives by the high school twice a day. Umholtz had a picture of the sign made into notepaper, which she uses to correspond with her classmates.

“Everyone was shocked when I sent them the thank-you note,” she said.

In the early days of the district-wide building project that voters approved in 2003, the Bethlehem Central Community Organization (BCHS’ parent group) began thinking about erecting a sign outside the high school to complement the dramatic building improvements that were underway. At that time, the Class of 1954 was about to hold its 50th reunion, and was looking for a way to use the collection it would take up at the gathering.

Fred Eckel, a Class of 1954 member who was also involved in the BCCO, raised the idea of contributing toward the sign project, and class members agreed. The Student Senate also decided to contribute to the effort.

The combined contributions from the three organizations covered the cost of the sign, while the district covered its installation.

“The sign will help to unite the student body with the community, informing it of upcoming games and performances,” said Benjamin Finkle, BCHS Student Senate president at the time and now a Cornell student. “As the town continues to grow, it is important that we continue to nurture this connection.”

Helen Smith, who as BCCO co-president with Helene Meckler at that time spearheaded the project, agrees that the presence of the sign at the high school, along a prominent corridor through town, is important.

“We wanted there to be a sign that would say to the community, ‘This is Bethlehem Central, this is what’s going on at the school, and we’re proud of it,” Smith said. “We were way past the time when there should have been something like this right on Delaware Avenue.”

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