Communication and Media Arts High School students spent more than a decade traveling to other schools just to play a home game. That changed Thursday, when the Detroit school officially opened its newly built home football field with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, giving its student-athletes a place to call their own for the very first time.
The school made the announcement on its website, stating that the ceremony marked the official opening of the field, according to cma.detroitk12.org. The school framed the milestone plainly: “For the first time, CMA student-athletes will have the opportunity to compete on a field they can proudly call their own,” the announcement read. CMA’s football program launched in 2015, and in the years since, the team has hosted its games at other schools and sites rather than on its own turf, per WXYZ 7 News Detroit.
A Decade in the Making
For seniors who have spent their entire high school careers as visitors on someone else's field, the opening carries extra weight. Jahari Andrews said the new field means the world to him as a senior finally seeing it become a reality, according to the same report. Rayna-Simone Walker said the new facilities encouraged her to run track this year and to finish out the season, the station noted.
Students and district leaders gathered to celebrate the opening of the athletics complex, the outlet reported. Communication and Media Arts High School serves grades 9 through 12 and is home to 400 students, according to cma.detroitk12.org.
Growing More Than Football
Coaches and administrators see the complex as a springboard for programs beyond football. Tiffany Cox said the complex creates an opportunity to grow soccer, lacrosse, shot put, and track programming, per the station's report. The school is also working on a new gymnasium, which is expected to open next year, the same account added.
Detroit Public Schools Community District Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said the investment is intended to close a long-standing gap for Detroit students, and that athletics can motivate students to attend and remain in school, according to the same report. District leaders have tied facility investments like this one to broader goals around student retention, recruitment, and talent development, the outlet noted.
The new complex includes a turf field, lighting, a scoreboard, and bleachers for more than 1,000 fans, per the same account. A competition-sized track is also under construction as part of the project, the report added.
