Congratulations to the 2017 WYHS Hall Of Fame Inductees

The Whitehall-Yearling High School Hall of Fame Selection Committee has announced their inductees for this year’s 2017 class. Ms. Nancy Keller Fitton (class of 1970), Mr. Brian Hamler (class of 1977), and Ms. Karen Conison (class of 1980) were selected out of a group of numerous, well-deserving nominees.

Nominees were submitted by the general public and then voted on by the selection committee. To become eligible for the WYHS Hall of Fame, nominees had to have been an alum of Whitehall-Yearling for at least five years. They also had to display accomplishments in one or more of the following categories: extra-curricular activities, humanitarian pursuits, education, business/career, and service to school/community.

• Nancy Keller Fitton (class of 1970) has devoted over 10 years towards humanitarian efforts in Central America and at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She taught nutrition and health on the village level and developed training programs for primary healthcare workers in Central America from 1976-83. At Johns Hopkins where she was a Senior Research Program Coordinator in the Department of Epidemiology, Keller Fitton coordinated the US Cochrane Center and CUE- Consumers United for Evidence-based Healthcare. She received her Bachelor of Applied Science in Home Economics/Consumer Service from Miami (OH) University and her Master of Health Science, International Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (Baltimore, MD).

• Mr. Brian Hamler (class of 1977) is the Superintendent of Whitehall City Schools. Hamler started his career at Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools where he taught and coached baseball. He went on to become the head varsity baseball coach at New Albany High School while continuing to teach at Lincoln Elementary in Gahanna. Earning his Master of Arts in Educational Policy and Leadership from The Ohio State University in 1998, Hamler eventually went on to become an assistant principal at Hawthorne Elementary in the Westerville City School District. He then returned to Whitehall in 2001 as Principal of Beechwood Elementary where he remained until 2006. At that time, he was promoted to Associate Superintendent as Director of Administrative Services at Whitehall City Schools. A position he held until 2011. After a brief stint at South-Western City Schools where he was the Director of Personnel, Hamler once again returned to Whitehall to become the Superintendent after his mentor and former WCS Superintendent Judy Dobbert-Meloy retired. Hamler received his bachelor’s degree from Capital University where he also played collegiate baseball.

• Karen Conison (class of 1980) is the Human Resources Manager for IFORCE Staffing Agency located in Columbus, Ohio. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Journalism at The Ohio State University in 1984. Through her dedication to her community, Conison wears many different hats. She holds a seat on the Whitehall City Council at large where she has served for five years. She is the active President of the Whitehall Community Celebration Association (WCCA) that puts on a number of community-friendly events in Whitehall. Conison is a member of the Rams Sports Club that raises money for athletics at Whitehall-Yearling High School. She is also the founder of her local community watch group and a member of the community Police Patrol.

The Whitehall-Yearling High School Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was held on Saturday, January 28th, just before the Whitehall vs. Bexley varsity boys basketball game at WYHS.