On October 6, the School District dedicated the Rams stadium to previous superintendent Dr. Rona Kaufmann.    

Along with Kaufmann, the district also recognized the following organizations and people: Reed and Connie Anderson, Kennard-Dale Sports Boosters, The Mill, Tom and Joan Norris, Peoples Bank, and Exelon Corp.

“The other people who are being honored initially started the light the night” campaign, said Assistant Athletic Director Barbara Peterson.

The “Light Up the Night” was a campaign that community members created to try to get our football field lights.

On Friday there was a regularly scheduled home football game against Dover. The marching band performed first, but when they came off of the field instead of the football team running on the field, the announcer directed the crowds’ attention to the track in front of the bleachers.

All of the people and organizations that the school was honoring stood in a line and various individuals such as: Board President Carrie Traeger, Superintendent Jeffery Hughes, and board member Mary Hyson handed each their honorary plaque.

Hughes seemed very pleased with the way that the dedication went. “I was on the track during the presentation with members of our school board. I felt the dedication was well done and well received,” he said.

Now that the stadium has a complete fieldhouse, bleachers, and lights, it is functional, but a lot of work has gone into it to get to this point.

The Light Up The Night campaign first started in 2013. It was designed to raise the $2,921,100 needed to make the stadium better including the purchase of lights.

There were multiple reasons for this decision to raise money for the stadium. There was no permanent restroom facility, no stadium lighting (which means that we couldn’t have night games on the field), safety issues with the previous grasslands, outdated score board, and an inadequate sound system.

The new stadiums improvements consist of safer seating for home and visiting teams, new up-to-date three room press box with rooftop viewing, stadium lights, permanent restroom facility, superior score board and sound system, synthetic turf, and a  permanent concession stand.

The money for the field house came from the remainder of a bond that was used to renovate the elementary schools according to Hughes.

All of this was able to happen because of the many people and organizations that helped raise money and put together the whole light up the night campaign.