Thorsby has been raising money since the start of the school year in hopes of getting a new digital sign out in front of the school.

The effort received some more help when Sen. Cam Ward donated $2,500 toward the fund during a check presentation on April 4.

“We’ve been working on it all year long,” Thorsby Principal Corey Clements said. “We’re about half way there. We hope to finish strong and have it [new sign] ready for next [school] year.”

According to Clements, the new sign will open up an avenue of options for how the school shares information and gets across its news to residents.

Digital signs have been installed at other schools throughout the county in recent years.

Dr. Kris Wood is a Thorsby alum and has been helping to spearhead the idea of a new sign for more than a year.

“Aside from everybody saying it looks nice, what we want is a better way to communicate with stakeholders in the community,” Clements said.

The school currently calls out to parents and leaves a message about schedule changes. However, callouts are subject to people missing the message.

The digital sign would give the school another alternative to relay messages and a backup plan to the callouts.

“It’s a great communication tool and also a way for us to celebrate success,” Clements said. “When we have a big win in football, we want to be able to put the score up there. We want to celebrate our kids when they’re doing well.”

An advantage of the sign is that it will allow for multiple upcoming events and news to be advertised on a rotating basis.

The sign will have the option to be changed remotely, which will mean eliminating the process of climbing up a ladder and manually changing the letters.

Alumni and community businesses have stepped up to provide donations, while Marika Porter has been in charge of a pair of fundraisers as a member of the school staff.

The fundraisers included selling fleece pullovers and cookie dough.

Donors will have their name run on the digital sign as often as possible, as a show of thanks for their support of Thorsby High School.

Anyone looking to make a donation or to get involved can contact the school at (205) 280-4880.