The place is nearly anonymous as you drive by.
    Hood River Valley High School certainly looks like a high school, and the campus is an attractive one.
    But the greeting the campus gives, if one looks at it that way, needs something more.

It needs a stronger face.

The sign in front of the school on Indian Creek Road needs replacing. It is small, pale blue and deteriorating

HRVHS represents education in Hood River County. It is, indeed, the flagship of the district.

Every school in the district is well cared for and inviting. Wy’east Middle School’s electronic reader board and giant eagle mural stand out, and the front of historic Hood River Middle School is a picture of grace. All the elementary schools have artwork or prominent signs that speak well for those places.

HRVHS has a small, bedraggled sign, yet it is the school with the most users, the most visitors and the highest profile.

HRVHS is more than just a school. It is a community center for activities beyond academics and athletics. Music, drama, continuing education classes, meetings and recycling projects all gather in or around the school. It even serves as a recreational trailhead.

Once you get on campus there are physical greetings aplenty.

The reader board installed a few years ago is an excellent resource, but the motion messages are readable only once you are on campus.

The brushed-metal sculpture over the main entrance sends an impressive welcome, once you are well into the forecourt.

On the south side of the campus, Athletic Director Keith Bassham has seen to installing improved signage for exterior doors and gates serving the athletic complex; and an informative, well-placed sandwich board sign tells visitors of that day’s events as they enter the east door.

So the stage has been set to give the school what it needs: a dominant street entrance sign that says, You Are Here at HRVHS.

We know of one Hood River business that has stepped forward to donate the first $50 toward a fund to design, build and install a new sign. Since HRVHS is a center for the community it should be up to the community, rather than the school district, to underwrite it.

We encourage other businesses to pledge funds or in-kind assistance.

Students can and should get involved; the project is a perfect educational one for shop students to take on, with help from faculty and community members.

There’s time to get it done in time for the start of the 2009-10 school year.

It’s a building we can be proud of. Improved signage will help students feel greater pride in their school. The time has come to give it a sign that expresses that pride.