Quick Take
Schools across Santa Cruz County are unveiling major athletic facility upgrades — from New Brighton Middle School’s new turf field to Watsonville High’s renovated bleachers and planned new turf at Scotts Valley High — aimed at improving student safety and boosting sports participation.
Schools across Santa Cruz County, from Capitola’s New Brighton Middle School to Watsonville High School, are celebrating new upgrades to their athletic facilities that educators say will encourage students to get more involved in sports and boost enrollment.
New Brighton Middle School, part of Soquel Union Elementary School District, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new turf track and field last Thursday, after six months of construction.
Watsonville High School, in Pajaro Valley Unified School District, marked the replacement of the school’s nearly 60-year-old wood bleachers with new ones on Oct. 17. The district has been working on $5 million in renovations to the school’s athletic field for several years, including a new turf track and field.
Meanwhile, Scotts Valley Unified School District has plans to build a new all-weather turf track and field at Scotts Valley High School after voters approved Measure O, an $85 million bond measure, in 2024.
Scotts Valley Unified is waiting for the Division of State Architect to review the design and will begin construction once plans are approved. The project also includes new restrooms, a concession stand, a press box, bleachers and sand volleyball courts.
Enrique Dolmo Jr., athletic director at New Brighton Middle, told Lookout that the school’s new athletic facilities include three volleyball courts, one soccer field that doubles as a flag football field, a new scoreboard and a 100-meter track and long jump.
Nearly half of the school’s 611 students participate in sports each year, according to Dolmo. They play volleyball, basketball, soccer, cross country, wrestling, flag football and golf.
For the past several years before the upgrade, Dolmo said the school’s student-athletes risked injury playing on the gopher-hole-ridden grass field. He said it was “very dangerous” for the kids. To avoid injury, the school scheduled more games at its opponents’ facilities.
“Now, we’re actually able to host tournaments here,” he said. “This is just a game-changer for New Brighton Middle School.”
Soquel Union Elementary School District invested about $5 million in its athletic facility upgrades. The dollars came from Measure C, a $42 million bond measure passed by voters in 2016, and matching funds from the state. Dolmo said the school is also scheduled to install new bleachers.
He said he’s “ecstatic” about the upgrades as students will be safer and have easier access to practice facilities.
Dolmo said students frequently had to practice at Monterey Park, Jade Street Park and Soquel High School’s track and field. Often, the middle school students had to wait until after the high school teams finished practice to start theirs. Now, he said, the students can go straight to practice after school. They’ll also be safer on the turf field, which is level and has no more gopher holes.
“People are going to be able to come here and know that they’re not going to get injured,” he said, adding he hopes that the facilities can also attract students from other schools and increase enrollment.
Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.
