May 14, 2004

Back to the table of Contents Page

Classifieds

Palo Alto Online

Let there be lights

by Alexandria Rocha

Jessica Fields, 17, compared Palo Alto High's school spirit to a boat sinking into the horizon. In other words, it's fast disappearing.

Fields' peer, 18-year-old Andy Palmer, agreed. So does Amy Rogg, also 18, the school's student body president.

It seems to be a common opinion among Paly students.

In an effort to combat the low morale, the Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Trustees approved a motion at Tuesday night's meeting that would help infuse school spirit with a little old fashioned Americana by installing lights at Hod Ray Field to allow the varsity football team to play night games.

A $216,300 private donation -- from two businesses and three parents -- will fund the installation of four 80-foot lighting structures at Paly's Hod Ray Field.

The school plans to hold at least five evening home games during the upcoming school year's football season, which begins Sept. 17 and ends before Thanksgiving.

As a trial run, Paly hosted one night football game in November 2003 using rented stadium lights.

"When we had the game with lights, tons of people showed up. The whole community was there, parents, siblings," Rogg, a senior, said. "You wouldn't expect people to come out, it was raining and cold. But, people did."

The Paly Viking's junior varsity games will now start at 5:15 p.m., with varsity games following at 7:30 p.m. Both will be held on Fridays.

The teams' games used to be held in the afternoon, which didn't do much for attendance.

"I know many parents that wish they could go to the games and bring their little kids. But they couldn't because the games were held in the afternoon," said Palmer, one of two student members who joined the board in Tuesday night's unanimous vote to accept the donation. The other student board member was Eric Nguyen.

The approval comes about three weeks after the board first heard the proposal. At that meeting, held April 20, some neighbors to the field -- which provides playing and practice area for football and track -- complained that night football games would cause too much noise and litter in their neighborhood.

The board held off on a vote, promising to revisit the plans after the neighbors' concerns were investigated.

Bob Golton, district deputy superintendent, brought the board a revised plan for the lights Tuesday night, which includes a list of regulations after the structures are installed.

Only one resident, Hartmut Sadrozinski, who lives on Churchill Ave., spoke against the lights and the revised proposal.

"We are concerned that our basic worries about excessive noise late at night in a residential neighborhood are being ignored," Sadrozinski said. "This issue is not addressed at all in the proposal, and we don't understand why."

The board is trying to ease Sadrozinski's concerns, as well as the rest of the neighborhood, by scheduling a community meeting to be held after the season's third night game. Another meeting will also be held after the season is over.

Eight additional trash cans will be placed around the field to accommodate increased trash.

The board and most of the audience at Tuesday night's meeting, however, see the lights as a wholesome and positive way to bring the community together.

And as board member Mandy Lowell said, it's not just the football players and fans getting extra attention -- the school's cheerleaders and students in the band will also be highlighted at the night games.

"There is great benefit to the whole community," Lowell said. "I'm incredibly enthusiastic about this."

E-mail a friend a link to this story.