By Sara Beth Williams–
Hundreds of Mesa Verde High School students, alumni and staff gathered together on Aug. 30 along with several City Council members and school district board members for the ground breaking ceremony on Mesa Verde’s new stadium project.
The signature project includes construction of a new stadium and track, tennis courts, and other external improvements, and was funded through voter approved Measure N. Demolition of the current facilities began in June.
On Tuesday, a line of Mesa Verde cheerleaders, decked in green, orange and white, welcomed the crowd of students and staff as they walked together down the hill into the center of the field where construction was to begin.
The morning ceremony featured speeches from Principal Jennifer Petersen, Athletic Director Travis Miller and others, all while construction machinery rumbled in the background.
“The feeling of excitement on a campus on game days is why I love working and being part of a high school community,” Petersen said, also adding that with the addition of a new stadium, the campus would be able to hold their own graduation ceremonies, instead of holding them off campus.
“I’m super excited,” Miller said in an interview following the ceremony. “The impact on students and the community will be tremendous.”
The event concluded with a line of staff, students, city council and San Juan Unified School District board members all wearing hard hats, digging into the dirt to break ground on where the new stadium will stand next year.
The project is expected to be completed by summer of 2023.
