New Hope-Solebury celebrates new track and turf field

It was a beautiful night for the New Hope-Solebury School District as hundreds of students and community members gathered under sunny skies to celebrate the school’s brand-new track and turf field.

After two previous cancellations due to inclement weather, the school was finally able to host an official welcome for this resource, which helped to address critical facilities concerns facing the school’s athletics department.

“Our previous track was first installed in 2004 and cracks in its surface were reaching the point of posing a safety hazard for our athletes. We also were met with ongoing drainage concerns that ultimately caused many athletic competitions to be canceled. We have already noticed the difference with significant rain this spring, the turf has helped prevent several game cancellations. I’m very excited that our students will get more time to play and that they now have access to facilities comparable to those of the athletes they face in competition,” shared athletic director and trainer, Kris Foulke.

Students of all ages joined the celebration, including younger, aspiring middle and elementary school athletes. The Student Government led the high school in creating a “white-out” similar to those that inspire audiences in Happy Valley. High school Principal Patrick Sasse reflected, “It was wonderful to see how many students turned out for the event. They demonstrated tremendous school spirit and had such a positive energy. I think it shows how much this means to them that they now have a field they can be proud to compete on.”

Representatives of the varsity teams that utilize the track and turf field joined with Superintendent Dr. Lentz, Board of School Directors’ President Judeth Finn, Sasse and Foulke to cut the celebratory ribbon during halftime of the boys varsity lacrosse game against Plymouth Whitemarsh. Several special guests also marked the occasion with a pair of scissors, including state Sen. Steve Santarsiero, state Rep. Wendi Thomas and New Hope Mayor Larry Keller. All expressed amazement at the field and the importance of giving the community a platform to support the students.

“Our district has made significant progress addressing maintenance needs while also strategizing our approach to facilities improvements,” Lentz said. “Most importantly, we want our campus to be a place where students are inspired to learn and to achieve, and this new track and turf are already proving to advance this goal. There is still more to come, and we look forward to further improvements and to enhancing the student experience even more.”

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