State Bank of New Richland Vice President Matt Harrington joins NRHEG student council members and other student representatives next to the new school sign. A donation from State Bank covered the majority of the cost for the new unit.
Star Eagle photo by Deb Bently
By McKenna Schiell
Panther Press
“This is something that we do in our role as a community bank,” observes State Bank of New Richland Vice President Matt Harrington. “The new sign is a quality project, and we’re glad to support it.”
As of last week, the new electronic sign outside the secondary school is up and running. Planning, construction and installation processes have lasted about six months, and costs have exceeded $25,000, much of which was covered by a donation from the State Bank of New Richland.
According to district financial manager Karla Christopherson, the new sign is similar to the one which stopped working late in 2020. Thanks to updated technology, however, it has a higher definition display and is more flexible in terms of what can be shown and when. “For example, it can be pre-programmed to change displays in advance, and can be accessed from more locations,” Christopherson explains. The electronic display board is 8 feet wide and 6 feet tall, and allows full color artwork and animations.
The structure around the base of the sign is built of the same bricks as were used during the 2019-20 school construction. Some finishing landscape features will be added in spring. Discussing the installation during their October meeting, school board members commented that they believe the sign is a useful way to connect with and inform community members about upcoming events.