New year comes with a new field

Besides the freshman class of 2017, there is another addition to the school’s campus that has caught the eye of students and teachers alike.

To kick off the new Red Pride campaign, the Benny Pierce turf field was dismantled during the summer and replaced with a high-tech turf field. The new field was paid for by private donors and fundraising at a cost of $600,000. With the new Cool Play infield, the temperature of the turf should be about 15 to 30 degrees cooler than the previous turf.

“The new field is an integral part of the project because more than 75 percent of the school will be able to use this new high tech field,” said district board member Katherine Tseng said. She is also on the Red Pride Campaign committee.

Senior football player Christian Lee likes the new look of the turf and feels that it helps him perform at a higher level.

“I really like the old style Falcon,” Lee said. “I also feel that with the new turf I can feel a better grip, and I feel more comfortable because it’s a bit cooler than the old turf.”

Although Lee thinks the new turf is better than the old, he doesn’t feel that it will really impact the team’s play.

“It’ll help with really hot practices, but practicing and studying film are the biggest contributors to how well we will perform as a team,” Lee said.

Aside from the new turf, a bigger plan for the Red Pride campaign is to build the Sports Plaza right by the track and football field.

Principal Paul Robinson said that the plans for the Sports Plaza are coming along well and the construction should begin later this year.

“The Sports Plaza architectural drawings are being worked on right now,” Robinson said. “We are incredibly close to getting everything set.”

The new sports plaza, expected to cost around $6 million,  will include new bathrooms, food stands, locker rooms for the athletes. The plaza will be a big upgrade to the small building where the plaza will be built.

As for the fundraising aspect for the plaza, Robinson mentioned that in order to have everything that is wanted for the Sports Plaza, the Red Pride Campaign is still $300,000 short of its goal.