(Left to right) Benicia Unified School District Chief Business Official Tim Rahill, Bond Oversight Committee Chair Ellen Blaufarb, school board trustee Diane Ferrucci, trustee Peter Morgan, Superintendent Charles Young, Benicia High School Principal Brianna Kleinschmidt, school board President Gary Wing and trustee Stacy Holguin break ground for Benicia High’s new stadium Wednesday. Construction is expected to be completed by spring. (Photo by Nick Sestanovich)
After a summer of demolishing the old Benicia High School stadium, the first shovels were dug into the soil Wednesday to commemorate the first day of construction for the new stadium— one of the largest projects to be funded by Measure S.
Benicia Unified School District officials held a groundbreaking ceremony for the renovated George Drolette Stadium. Superintendent Charles Young led the groundbreaking and was joined by Benicia High Principal Brianna Kleinschmidt, Bond Oversight Committee Chair Ellen Blaufarb, Chief Business Official Tim Rahill and school board trustees Diane Ferrucci, Stacy Holguin, Peter Morgan and Gary Wing. Also in attendance were Benicia High’s vice principals, Measure S Bond Director Roxanne Egan and former Superintendent Janice Adams, who oversaw the district when Measure S was passed by voters in 2014.
The previous stadium was constructed not long after Benicia High moved to its present location at Military West in the ‘60s. In that time, it has been the hub for Benicia High’s football, soccer and track and field teams as well as the location for many of its graduation ceremonies. However, with Measure S—a bond initiative which provides $49.6 million in funding for special projects at Benicia schools— the stadium will be receiving an upgrade with an 8-lane all-weather track, a new locker room and restroom, improved lighting and bleachers that can seat up to 3,300 spectators.
The school board awarded a contract to Santa Clara-based company Bothman Construction, which began demolishing the old stadium and leveling the field in July. Young said the district made sure to chronicle the process on social media and share it with the community.
“It’s a big event when the community comes together with the district to improve education for students, as they did with Measure S,” he said. “There’s lots of excitement for the athletes and the sports they’ll be playing.”
Kleinschmidt also expressed excitement, having herself been a student athlete when she attended Benicia High.
The construction is expected to be completed in the spring. During the process, Kleinschmidt said all football and soccer games will be played on the road, but the district will provide vans to transport people to away games.
“We don’t want not being at home to dampen school spirit,” she said.
Young said the school and construction workers will be mindful of traffic and students and teachers in classrooms close to the stadium. Kleinschmidt also acknowledged that the construction would take some time getting used to, but the final product would be enough to make up for it.
“It will be a year of construction and lots of noise, but we’re happy about what it will lead to,” she said. “There’s a lot of excitement among staff, students and the community.”
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“It’s a big event when the community comes together with the district to improve education for students…..” How, exactly, does this project improve education for students?
How does it not.
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It gives them a place for Physical Education classes. It gives them a place for after school activities, including band practice. It gives the school a place where they can have the entire student body in one place for assemblies etc. It gives the community a facility that can be used. It eliminates the need for water and fertilizer. It gives them something that is available year round,
“It gives them a place for Physical Education classes. It gives them a place for after school activities, including band practice. It gives the school a place where they can have the entire student body in one place for assemblies etc. It gives the community a facility that can be used.” They already had this. The question remains, how does it improve education? Not, how does it improve the school. Do you think test scores will improve? Do you think other more cerebral programs will benefit?
When was the last time you visited the stadium? The stands were in real danger of falling down. There were other schools that would not come to BHS due to the condition of the track. In this time of drought do we really want to use the amount of water to keep the field in playable shape? Did YOU read the information supplied by the District on what the funds from Measure S would be spent on? It was all there in black and white that this project was splanned. Hell, using your logic, why should the phone systems, playgrounds, exterior painting, clocks, bells, PA upgrade and replacement, camera security system, fire alarms, and solar updates, to name a few, be done? They do nothing to improve education.
“They do nothing to improve education.” Agreed!
Mens sana in corpore sano.
Perfect response Greg.
To what?
Greg, Were there no physical education classes or sports programs before this project kicked off? Question still stands.
Tell us what you want. That would make it easy for all of us. Stop telling us what you do not want. Please tell us what you want. That should be very easy..
Bob Livesay! Great to get your input on this. Hope everything is going well, and your health is holding up. As a favor would you mind pointing out where I stated anything about “what I did not want”. That would be deeply appreciated. Thank you very much, in advance, and warm regards.
Thanks Thomas. My question was not so much what you said put what some take as what they were doing. You asked how it improved education for students. It was answered. I got the feeling you had other ideas on how to spend the money to improve education. So I would like your ideas. I think that is what this is about. How does it improve education. It does not matter if anyone likes the answers. There are two sides. Now tell me how the money should have been spent to improve education.. Clearly you think not how it was spent. If it just a question it was answered. If it was a comment waiting for answers that was answered. I just thought you had some ideas.
Bob, I hope you do’nt mind me quoting you here – “Clearly you think not how it was spent.” Actually not at all. I never made any kind of statement concerning how funds were spent. I don’t have a problem with the project. What I had issue with was the quote that I included. It may improve the high school experience for some (not all) of the students. When I hear “improve education for students”, my expectation is that it will result in higher test scores, GPAs, and higher SAT scores. I honestly don’t think that that will be a result of a new sports facility. Only time will tell. If we revisit this question in five years, perhaps data will indicate otherwise. However, it will be difficult to prove a direct correlation. On the unrelated question of what I think funds should be spent on: certainly things that benefit the entire student body, for sure fortifying science and math programs, as well as bringing back shop-type programs, advanced educational aids in the classroom, adequate salaries for teachers and staff, after school programs (other than athletics), etc. I hope this clears things up for you. Best,
As a, I’m sure some will consider it, provocative excerpt from a article (found here http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121909869003651101), I submit this as food for thought:
“Like most Chinese high schools, No. 19 has no sports teams and no gymnasium. On the pavement outside, there are a handful of basketball hoops and a set of rusty metal parallel bars. The playground was completely empty on a recent summer afternoon. “The cool kids are the ones who do best at their studies,””
The only facility that has not been upgraded in many decades has been the athletic field. The rest of the Benicia High School campus has been transformed, thanks to many of us in the community who have supported it. The notion that there is no “education” in “physical education” and that we don’t need facilities and equipment to support that and that the future careers of young people who will work in it, not just as athletes but as those will work with the disabled and elderly would be very shortsighted.
Reg, I think you are talking about recreational therapy, physical therapy, and/or sports medicine. There are plenty of people in those fields that were never involved in organized sports.
BTW Reg, that was a pretty detailed “notion”.. Whose was it?
It was mine Thomas! Are you suggesting I borrowed it from elsewhere? Your notion is akin to saying that we can have chemistry classes but labs are unnecessary.
BTW, I think if you show respect for other opinions when you post you’ll get more in return.
Reg, You can say that again.
….and again, not my notion.
O, reason not the need! Our basest beggars
Are in the poorest thing superfluous.
Allow not nature more than nature needs,
Man’s life’s as cheap as beast’s.
I have been observing this discussion, letting it play out, but thought I might weigh in. One of the regular posters asks the question:How, exactly, does this project improve education for students?
I would respond by saying: This project improves the environment for education of the students.
The questioner is correct on the point that one cannot point to a specific cause and effect as measured by improved test scores or what ever measure you choose. But one does have to agree that a well rounded education is best attained in a positive environment that offers something for everyone.
My sons attended the middle school and high schools for a combined total of 12 years over an eight year period. During that time one or the other school was under almost constant construction; new science buildings, new classrooms, new parking lot and other upgrades. Some related directly to improving the education, others directly related to improving the environment for education.
Good for the school to do this and we should all be behind sound expenditures of dollars to make the schools a better place to learn.
“I would respond by saying: This project improves the environment for education of the students.”
The most important thing that is coming out of the project is that the bleachers are being rebuilt, as they were presenting a health and safety concern. However, the bleachers have little, if any significance, in the day to day activities of a typical student. The track and field are more significant as far as school activities are concerned. However, I get the feeling that most that have commented are under the impression that they were unusable in their state. I’ve used the track for jogging and have used the field for pick-up games. Neither was even remotely unusable. So, the idea that the school environment is being improved is only, ever so slightly true. Again, the litmus test for whether this truly will improve education at BHS will be better test scores, higher GPAs, and students moving on to good colleges. I say, let’s revisit this in 5 years. At that time, data will be available that supports the comment that this project will improve education at BHS. Until that time, this idea can only be considered to be purely subjective.
Agree Thomas. And the same thing can be said for the common planning day, you know, that half day every week when the kids get out early. Show me improved GPAs, test scores, better colleges and I will believe it benefits education.
http://bit.ly/2b9bqOS