Community Spirit–November 2026
Ryan Ruggles, District Administrator
Hall of Distinction Induction Ceremony
Tomorrow River Schools recently had the honor of inducting the newest members of the Amherst Hall of Distinction at a dinner ceremony at the Jensen Center on Friday, October 2nd, and then again during halftime at the Homecoming Football game the same night. This year we honored two individuals, one posthumously, and one sports team, the 1999 Lady Falcons State Basketball Champions.
The first inductee that was honored was Miss Winifred Harvey. Miss Harvey dedicated 54 years of service to the students of this community before passing away in 1977. In her admirable tenure, she taught social studies and agriculture classes, served as librarian, Vice Principal, and the advisor to numerous clubs. For decades, Miss Harvey advised the Student Council with unrivaled passion. Former student and student council member, Sally Prideaux recalls, “Winifred was the optimistic and motivating force behind the members. She encouraged us to have more student events including hosting rock band concerts which would be open to the public. Winifred made certain that every student, regardless of income, would be included in all events and activities, and this included the Falcon Forum. Tim Harvey accepted the award on behalf of the family.
Our second inductee was William “Bill” Schweitzer, a long-time teacher, coach, and Athletic Director at Amherst High School. Bill taught history and coached several sports including baseball, where he led the varsity team for 36 years. Coach Schweitzer won over 300 games as a varsity baseball coach and led the team to the state tournament in 1986 and 1992. Coach Schweitzer was also the first Athletic Director of AHS, a position he served in for 20 years. Bill continues to help out at AHS by working the clock for home basketball games, and is a huge supporter of the athletic department. Many stories were shared about Coach Schweitzer and the lasting impact he has left and continues to leave on those around him. Coach Schweitzer shared some good stories as well, and in fitting fashion, finished his acceptance with a joke.
Last, we honored our second team for the Hall of Distinction, and the first women’s sports team. The 1999 Amherst Lady Falcons made school history becoming its first State Qualifier and Championship Basketball Team after knocking off Viroqua 49-33. The Falcons defeated three highly ranked opponents before dominating Viroqua in all aspects of the Division 3 State Wisconsin Basketball Championship. In the final game, the Falcons jumped out to a 19-0 lead after the first quarter using a dominating 2-2-1 full-court press. The Falcons became a Cinderella story as an unranked team that took down several ranked opponents, most notably the number one ranked North Fond du Lac in the semifinals with a score of 55-43. They closed out the season on an 18-game winning streak to take home the gold ball. The Falcons were coached by Shelli Haferbecker, assisted by Deb Otto, and teammates were Jenni Patoka, Melissa Schweitzer, Jamie Krutza, Anne Stanislawski, Jenny Dombrowski, Erin Jensen, Meghan Simkins, Sada Konkol, Betsy Hoffman, Kari Thompson, and Caroline Quinn.
Six of the team members were able to make it to the event and it was great to hear the stories from Coach Haferbecker and her players about the season. They were a special group of players that beyond the great memories, really took life lessons away from their state championship season.
We would like to give one more thank you and congratulations to this year’s inductees. We would also like to thank all of the community members that nominated individuals or teams for the Hall of Distinction, and also thank our HOD Committee for their planning and service. It was a great day to be a Falcon!