National Finalist
Oak Hills High School
Cincinnati, OH
 Oak Hills School District (Cincinnati, OH) is an 8,000 student public school district located in southwest Ohio. Ohio public school funding requires that voters pass tax levies to increase the amount of funds schools can generate from tax payers. Therefore, public schools are constantly monitoring expenses and area "watch dog" groups often publicly scrutinize any non academic expense. The installation of a $785,000 football field had to come from 100% private donors - no tax dollars could be used for this project. Prior to the "Home Field Advantage" Campaign, the most our school school had raised privately was $125,000 - and that was over ten years ago!
We installed our field in 2007. At the time only 3 other schools in our 10 team conference had artificial turf . There were many who were not convinced that this "new product" could perform as advertised. We visited several schools throughout the state that had synthetic turf in order to convince our school leaders that this product would make a tremendous positive impact on our athletic programs.
Prior to the installation of our artificial turf, our stadium field was used fifteen times a year (five varsity football games, five junior varsity football games and five freshman games). All high school football teams practiced either on the softball playing field or at one of the elementary schools. We spent about $20,000 per year in maintenance costs to bring the natural turf to average playable condition. No community youth teams could access the field and no additional games (either youth, middle school or high school) could be played on the field.
By installing an artificial stadium turf, it enabled Oak Hills Local School District to not only increase the use of Oak Hills High School stadium field for our students, but also increase the use of the stadium facility for the entire Oak Hills Local School District Community, including both public and private school students.
The impact that the installation of the turf field had on the entire community (athletes, students, parents and youth) was immediate. Obviously, the football team now has a first class facility to practice and play on everyday - rain or shine. The men's and women's soccer teams both use the field for training - during their season and off season. In the spring, the baseball and softball teams use the field when their playing surfaces are too wet due to spring rain. In summer and fall, basketball players, tennis players, swimmers and volleyball players use the field to train on with our strength coach.
Our fitness education classes use the field six bells a day, five days a week for five months. The field has had a significant impact on their ability to teach various fitness education classes outside, especially on days where it might rain in the morning but then then the sun is out later - because the field is always ready to go, they can still utilize it whereas in the past it would be too muddy.
The entire Oak Hills community has benefited from this field because it gives access to community teams and groups that in the past we would have to turn away. There are no community football teams in our school district. Community youth teams such as the two youth football programs rely on the Oak Hills School District to provide fields for their fifteen teams. The teams currently play at our middle schools. Because our middle school teams practice and play on those same fields, the condition of those fields is poor. In addition, area non public schools also have limited football fields. We have seven catholic grade schools in our district. Of those seven schools, only three have their own football fields. Because of funding and lack of space, there does not appear to be any new construction of youth football fields in the area.
Our field is unique and deserving of the title "Real Field of Dreams" because it was truly built by the community for the community. People donated their own money to make the dream a reality. During the fundraising process, a donor stepped forward to name the field, not after himself, but after his football coach in Oak Hills. During the ground breaking ceremony he explained why he felt that $100,000 was a small price to pay to honor his football coach who taught him so many life lessons. It was very influential and powerful for our current student athletes to hear.
Since the field's installation in 2007, over 10,000 students have played on the field. If we still would have a natural surface field that number would be 700. To have an on campus facility that we can use rain or shine (or snow), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week makes our field a "Real Field of Dreams."
|
