A local group of Hillsboro R-3 School District alumni and faculty is raising funds to have a new sign installed at the town entrance that will highlight the Hillsboro Hawks’ athletic achievements.
The committee is currently accepting donations for the sign, which will be placed at Big Nasty Motorsports at 10290 Business 21 at the city entrance.
Frank Schultz, former R-3 athletic director, said the Hawks football team’s championship bid in 2023 was the impetus for the project.
“The community really rallied around that,” Schultz said. “People said, ‘Let’s do something to honor and recognize these athletes.’”
Schultz attended that game with Hillsboro Mayor Buddy Russell – a former Hawk football player himself – and after hearing the community’s support for Hawks athletics, the pair formed a committee that includes local residents Matt Woods, Joe Phillips and Teresa Gau to consider ways to support the district’s teams.
After nearly two years of discussion, the group decided that high school teams that finish first or second in national and state championships could be recognized on a new welcome sign at the entrance of Hillsboro.
“We talked about it for the last two years. Everything you can see listed on that sign has very intense requirements that you have to have to even be considered,” Schultz said.
According to the district, Hillsboro’s state records started in 1982, when the Hawks volleyball team won state runner-up. In 2015, the dance team won runner-up at its state championship, followed by the boys track and wrestling teams in 2022, the football team in 2023 and the wrestling team again in 2024.
The Hawks earned their first state championship in bullseye archery in 2018, following it with two more in 2021 and 2023, along with a championship in boys cross country in 2022 and boys wrestling in 2023. And the district earned its first national championship last year as well, when the archery team placed first at the Eastern National Bullseye Championship competition.
“Two hundred fifty-three high school teams competed in the Eastern Championship, and Hillsboro was number one,” Schultz said. “That’s a pretty amazing accomplishment.”
The proposed new sign would be 12 feet wide by 6 feet tall and say, “Welcome to Hillsboro Home of the Hawks,” with a list of national and state championship wins and state runner-up finishes. The championship teams must meet Missouri Dance Team Association, National Archery in Schools Program and Missouri State High School Activities Association requirements, as applicable, as well.
Schultz said the sign committee solicited bids for the project and selected the low bidder, Piros Signs, which proposed doing the work for $6,000.
Schultz said the installation of the sign may result in additional cost, as will maintenance and adding future champion teams; however, he said it was important to the committee that neither the district nor the city be on the hook for the costs.
“We wanted to make sure we weren’t asking the school for funds. These are volunteer donations – it could be alumni, parents, grandparents, businesses. We didn’t want the school to have to fund this, and same thing with the city,” Schultz said.
He said city and district officials have been supportive of the project, helping to secure a permit for the new sign and providing district athletic records for the committee.
Schultz said if enough funds are raised, the committee will consider having a second sign placed at the south side of town near the city limits.
Donations may be made via mail to Hawk Sign Committee, P.O. Box 49, Hillsboro, 63050; via Venmo to @hawksigncommittee; or in person to a sign committee member.
For more information, contact Schultz at faschultz@charter.net.