Schools

Dumfries high school’s athletic field gets a makeover

Ashleigh Kassock | Catholic Herald

Construction crews prepare to sprig a practice field with bermuda grass seed. The adjacent stadium field will get new sod, bleachers and a press box at Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School in Dumfries. CHRIS VANDER WOUDE | COURTESY

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More than 120 yards of athletic fields worn down by a decade of use at St. John Paul the Great High School in Dumfries are getting an upgrade this summer. Thanks to the generosity of Mike and Corrine Kosar, the parents of a rising senior, the football-size field will receive fresh sod, bleachers with 700 seats and an 8-foot by 18-foot press box. The adjacent practice field also will be sprigged with Bermuda grass.

 

“I’m super excited about it,” said Dominican Sister Mary Veronica Keller, principal. “This project really supports our mission, which is rooted in the formation of youth in the life of virtue, as well as the Dominican tradition of prayer, study, community and service. It will help (our students) grow in virtue through the pursuit of athletics and we will have this beautiful place for community-building events.”  

 

The new bleachers will provide a place for the whole school to assemble for Mass, the monthly house system competitions and events to promote evangelization.

 

“We just see this as the next step as appose to this being the end,” said Corrine Kosar. “This is just taking the project to the next phase, and we would hope that others would join us on that journey. There is just so much opportunity in other areas of the school to help build out this great community.”

 

According to Athletic Director Chris Vander Woude, the new fields will be a special treat for the girls and boys soccer teams who have qualified for the state tournaments for the past two years. He hopes that being able to host soccer games at home will give the teams a boost.

 

“Athletics are great because of what they teach the young person and they allow the students to use their God-given gifts in a certain way,” said Vander Woude. “We pursue excellence in sports here at Saint John Paul the Great just like we pursue excellence in all the other areas with a focus on the dignity of each human person.”

 

The renovations are scheduled to be complete by the first home football game this fall. 

 

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