By: William Looker-Fenn 

Over the years, the football stadium at McCaskey has shown its age. The track was old, and the field had divots. It was clear that the football stadium needed to change. As a result, the decision would approve a plan to build a new football stadium for J.P. McCaskey High School. Despite being a large and expensive investment, the changes were vital. McCaskey Athletic Director Teasia Peña offered some insight into the new stadium during an interview. 

 To start, Ms. Peña would give some insight into the process of deciding to build the new stadium in the first place. She would talk about how the old stadium had lackluster fields and facilities. Her claim would lead to her next point, where she would argue that McCaskey could not simply sit by and let these athletes deal with subpar facilities. To her, the solution is to build a brand-new stadium for the McCaskey community. Despite the heavy investments of over $10,000,000 that building the new stadium will cost, she believes that the price is worth every penny. After all, as she said, “you really can’t put a price tag on what’s going to benefit our students.” 

 Ms. Peña would also go into detail about the new features of the stadium and their effects on student life. One important thing she noted was that the new stadium will have modern turf like other schools do. The addition of turf generalizes practice and makes adjusting to away fields easier for the players. Additionally, Ms. Peña mentioned that the track will now have a total of eight lanes. She would say that McCaskey made this change because championship tracks have eight lanes, while the McCaskey track does not. Similarly to the addition of turf, this will make it significantly easier for athletes to practice and adjust for away games. 

 The new head coach for McCaskey football, Dr. Mealy, also had some words to say about the new stadium during an interview. One of the most crucial details he noted was the importance of the new in-facility classrooms. He talked about how the athlete sessions in the classrooms will help keep the players sharp academically. These points support the academic goals he has set for his players, which include various classroom requirements designed to enhance focus and self-discipline. 

 While the construction of a new stadium shows a clear forward-focused direction for the future of McCaskey sports, Dr. Mealy believes that the old stadium carries a weighted history. He views the old stadium as a historically significant landmark here in Pennsylvania. He argued for preserving parts of the stadium and its history so everyone can look into the past of J.P. McCaskey High School. He wants this done by having the stadium named as a landmark by the Pennsylvania Heritage and Museum Commission. Ms. Peña believes that the old stadium deserves preservation as well. She revealed that select historical artifacts of the stadium will be kept. The artifacts selected for preservation include bricks and other desirable artifacts of the old stadium. 

 The idea of building a new stadium for McCaskey is an interesting prospect. Obviously, the investment costs are heavy, but so are the possible benefits. The new features, including the in-facility classrooms, new turf, and new eight-lane track, are sure to help student-athletes reach the next level, both physically and mentally. Despite the legacy of the old stadium, all the new features boasted by the new stadium will prove its worth. Overall, despite the admittedly heavy investment needed to build the new stadium, the change was much needed and should prove to be a net benefit for the McCaskey community for years to come.