St Anthony High breaks ground on new 21st Century Athletic Field Complex

St. Anthony High School has taken its archetypal measurement toward completing a large task much than a decennary successful the making.

Students, module and assemblage members joined unneurotic astatine Clark Field Thursday morning, Nov. 4, for a groundbreaking ceremonial connected the campus’ upcoming 21st Century Athletic Field Complex. The caller analyzable volition regenerate the existent Clark Field.

The 9.6 acre field, 4832 Clark Ave., was talented to the St. Anthony Parish successful 1945 by The Montana Land Company, acquired by St. Anthony Parish’s longest serving pastor, Monsignor Bernard Dolan. It was his dream, according to the parish, that the onshore service arsenic a tract for the school’s diversion program.

St. Anthony’s Memorial Field debuted successful 1946 — and it didn’t instrumentality agelong for it to go location to excellence: Just 2 years later, successful 1948, the Saints shocked the precocious schoolhouse shot satellite successful Southern California by winning its archetypal CIF championship. And for the past 7 decades, it has remained the Saints’ hub for sports, celebrations and community.

“Seventy-five years aboriginal and present we are turning a caller leafage successful the past of this aged field,” said erstwhile St. Anthony President Gina Rushing Maguire, “a time we dreamed of and fought for.”

The caller field, a task estimated astatine $11.6 million, volition diagnostic a caller turf football/soccer playing field, a six-lane regularisation track, caller bleacher seating and upgraded facilities for pupil diversion programming.

Maguire, who had navigated the schoolhouse done a fiscal situation successful the aboriginal 2000s, was instrumental successful uncovering backing for the project, a feat her erstwhile colleagues and successor, President Michael Brennan, lauded.

“I get to observe this accomplishment and I’ve lone been present for 3 months,” Brennan said. “But Gina spent the past decennary laying the groundwork for this.”

Planning began successful 2011 erstwhile the schoolhouse formed a archetypal task unit to revitalize the property. In 2018, the field launched The Building Our Future Campaign to bring successful wealth to enactment the project, fundraising much than $4.3 cardinal implicit the adjacent 3 years. A $6 cardinal acquisition from Shea Family Charities and from alumni and existent schoolhouse families helped the field scope its archetypal extremity of $9 million.

With Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia and District 5 Councilwoman Stacy Mungo successful attendance connected Thursday, field leaders said the caller analyzable volition not lone service their students, but besides the surrounding community.

“This field,” Maguire said, “is an affirmation of our schools continued spot successful Long Beach.”

St. Anthony’s run volition proceed fundraising to statesman the 2nd signifier of its spot renovation, shot and softball programs connected the bluish information of the field. An estimated $4 cardinal is required to implicit this 2nd signifier and the full project.

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