Shelton hall of fame inducts six Tuesday

Six people will be inducted into the Shelton School District & Community Hall of Fame at a ceremony from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Shelton High School Performing Arts Center.

The inductees are Sheryal Balding, Brian Fairbrother, Mike Fox, Dann Gagnon, Leslie Orme and Dick Wentz. Everyone is invited to attend. Translation services are available.

The hall recognizes students, alumni, faculty, staff, friends, benefactors and residents who have contributed to the success, tradition, integrity, development and promotion of the district, and/or excelled in athletics, fine arts, academics and/or business.

Light refreshments will be served after the ceremony in the lobby of the A building.

Six students will present speeches inducting the six: Filesi Tausa, Sophia Nakhla, Scott Jordan, Gwenny Smith, Josephine Simmons and Madison McClanahan.

Wentz, a native of Zillah, worked for the Shelton School District for three decades starting in 1968. The history teacher was the longtime head wrestling coach and also had stints as the assistant freshmen football coach and athletic director. He created the Shelton Christmas Wrestling Tournament.

Orme taught English at Shelton High School for 35 years and chaired or co-chaired the department for 10 years. She also co-taught history with John Tarrant and coached volleyball. She died in 2021.

Gagnon began his career in the district teaching sixth-grade students at Mountain View Elementary School in 1974, and then moved to Shelton Middle School and taught sixth-graders. Every year from 1974 to 2022, Gagnon coached at least one sport for the district, including varsity girls basketball, girls and boys tennis, varsity bowling and middle school boys and girls basketball.

Fairbrother created the boys soccer program at the high school in 1981, and the girls team in 1985. He coached for 27 years, including boys and girls soccer at Olympic Middle School.

Fox spent 28 years with the district, coaching track, girls volleyball, cross country and basketball. He's also known for his donations to the track program.

Balding's career with the district began in 1976 as a science teacher at Shelton High School. She then was hired as the assistant principal at Oakland Bay Junior High School. She also coached track.

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2026 Hall of Fame induction. Nominations can be submitted online or in writing on an official form, both available on the district's website at http://www.sheltonschools.org, and upon request at the district office at 700 S. First St. in downtown Shelton. People cannot nominate themselves. Also, no active members of the Hall of Fame Selection Committee are eligible for nomination.

Once nominated, a nominee remains under consideration for three years. After three years, if a nominee is not selected, the nomination expires and the candidate is again eligible for another nomination.

The induction ceremonies are hosted every two years. Nominations are due by Oct. 1 for the following year's inductions.