About a year and a half ago, I addressed a room filled with community members about the Tappan Zee High School “Turf Field Replacement.” We discussed our goals as these goals pertained to our collective wants and needs. We debated and planned, discussed costs, and argued about design alternatives. Several years prior to that, our esteemed athletic director (emeritus), Dr. Liam Frawley, reminded us of the importance of preserving and protecting our public assets – especially our athletic facilities where the healthy development of our children is fostered. I know that this project has been many years in the making (this community dialogue started prior to my term as superintendent and I am entering my fifth year here in South Orangetown). Tonight, Friday September 6, 2019 is the “grand opening” of our new turf field and I think it is only fitting to thank the many people who made this project possible.
Any proper debt of gratitude on this topic must begin with an acknowledgement of the work of Dr. Liam Frawley. The origins of this project began with his vision for the children of this community and the importance of athletics in their lives. Liam continues to remind us that character development is the cornerstone of a great educational system and that interscholastic sports is how many of our students put good character traits into action. There have been a host of administrators, staff, teachers and coaches who have connected with Liam Frawley’s message of character over the years and have carried his legacy forward – myself included. Our current athletic director, Mr. Bill Pilla, continues to stress the importance of developing the whole-child through physical education and interscholastic athletics and I am grateful to him as well. The staff who I consider to be the most deserving of our thanks, however, are certainly our maintenance and facilities crews who have physically transformed these spaces into places where children are safe, happy, and productive. I am very fortunate to be your superintendent and colleague.
The South Orangetown Board of Education has listened closely to this community over the years and has been responsive to the public’s needs and desires. I appreciate the service of all of our board of education members, past and present, who have practiced a philosophy that stresses the idea that strong public schools make for a strong community. During my five years as the superintendent of SOCSD, I have seen parents and other stakeholders attend our board of education meetings to express their dreams of making our school district a place where all students can thrive. The special relationship between our families and this popularly elected board of education is a trademark form of governance unlike any other institution and is the best hope for the future of our Nation. For this, I am especially grateful to work, live, and raise my family in South Orangetown.
Lastly, do you remember when we couldn’t wait to have this new turf field and the prospect of having a new athletic facility seemed a long way off? It is important that we are mindful of our goals, but it is even more important to be grateful “in the moment” since we will only be in this moment once. There will be other times when we are all together and we will certainly have other things to celebrate, but the single act of expressing gratitude to all of those who made this night possible is uniquely precious. I appreciate all of you who could be here tonight at Tappan Zee High School to celebrate this special event.