Rain, Snow, or Shine...

We've had a great first month of school here at New London-Spicer and I've had the opportunity to walk around our campuses and interact with our students and staff. In my encounters it became quite clear that we have tremendous learners, leaders, teachers, staffers, and supporters in our school district's communities!

In my explorations around campus I came across a soccer match between the Willmar Cardinals and Brainerd Warriors. The field conditions in Willmar were not favorable so they contacted our school district to utilize our turf field. This got me thinking about how often our turf field is used in comparison to the former grass field. So, John Vraa, our activities director, pulled together a variety of information for me and this article is being dedicated to sharing our findings.

Over the past two years we have rented our facility to the following entities (number of occasions):

Ridgewater Football (3)
Muddawg Football (6)
Willmar HS Football (5)
Birthday Party (1)
Adult Soccer (3)
HS Soccer (1)
Baseball (1)
Softball (1)

In all we have charged $9,805 in fees. Although that may not seem like much income, the byproduct of utilization has been the amount of traffic we have experienced in our communities and the potential of those visitors supporting our local businesses and returning. Although we realize the Ridgewater Football program has been eliminated, we will continue to seek additional ways to increase utilization.

Although the renting of the facility and visitors to our communities is excellent, the greatest impact of this facility has been on the academic side. Our physical education classes frequently use this facility in conducting classes. When speaking to our physical education teachers it was discovered that someone is utilizing the facility most hours of the day while conducting classes. This additional space for learning is outstanding! 

Since my time here I have personally witnessed the facility being used in generally all conditions, rain or shine. Practices and competitions have been conducted in times of rain. In the past, with a grass field, utilization during rain and after rain was limited to keep the turf in good shape throughout the competitive season. With the new turf field, the facility can be used in nearly all weather conditions.

We are fortunate to live in such a supportive community that rallies behind our students! Thank you for all you do to make the New London-Spicer School District experience positive for our students. This is truly a great place!

Future Topics: KCEO, Performing Arts Center, Policy Development, and others.