Bonita Vista High (BVH) Principal Roman Del Rosario, Ed.D, looked towards the audience of student athletes and coaches sitting eagerly in the fields. He spoke into the microphone with audible excitement, standing on the lumpy dirt and dying grass of the field he and the community have fought so hard to tear down and rebuild.  

“Barons, if you have older siblings or parents who’ve attended BVH, and you’ve told them about our new stadium, what did they say?”   

“Finally,” the crowd responded. 

“Finally”, Del Rosario repeated back, a prideful look in his eyes followed by a sigh of relief. A renovations project that has spent more than a decade collecting dust will finally be put into action, its beginnings signified by the golden shovels of Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD) Board of Trustees members digging up the first bits of the old turf.  

On September 14 at 10:30 a.m., student athletes, coaches and SUHSD Board of Trustees were invited to witness the groundbreaking ceremony commemorating the official start of construction on the highly anticipated track, field and stadium renovation project. The ceremony opened with performances by BVH’s Music Machine and Club Blue, accompanied by support from Cheer. 

Assistant Principal of Student Activities Christopher Alvarez insisted upon making the ceremony as much of a celebration as possible, citing that any less “isn’t how we do it at BVH”.  

“I wanted spirit out here. We had less than 24 hours to put this together which was amazingly fun and exciting to do. I asked myself, ‘How can I make this special?’ I wanted to make it as cool of a ceremony as possible,” Alvarez said. 

The stadium has been years in the making, however, recent plans include additions such as a synthetic field; a nine-lane track and 1300 to 1700 capacity bleachers for Home and Away audiences. Additional features include a press box, concession stands and restrooms. Those at the ceremony were all in agreement that BVH was in dire need of an upgrade. Yet challenges posed by the unexpected rise in costs due to the pandemic and the necessity to communicate with homeowners along the side of the property, along with other funding difficulties, prevented the project from being realized on schedule. 

“This campus has been asking the community for a stadium facility. It’s been some tough work in that process,” SUHSD Chief Facilities and Operations Officer Janea Quirk said. 

It was ultimately the observations made by Del Rosario and SUHSD Board of Trustees about the needs of the community that spawned action for the construction of the stadium. Gauging the situation of BVH students and looking at it from their perspective was a crucial part of decision-making. 

“It’s such a deflating feeling to go to a beautiful field; whether it be at Olympian [High], Eastlake [High], or Otay [Ranch High], and look at their brand new shiny facilities. You look at their facilities and then you look at your own and at some point you have to ask, ‘Don’t I deserve this?’” Del Rosario said. “I think it’s important for our students to really believe that they’re entitled to this. This is about the community wanting this field and, in my heart, believing that they deserve it.” 

Del Rosario’s sentiments were far from uncommon amongst the community, as SUHSD Board of Trustees member and BVH class of 1989 alumni Adrian Arancibia, Ph.D., was particularly dedicated to making sure this project is a success due to his history at BVH. Being a former student, he understood the pressing need for an upgrade. 

“We’re one of the few schools that do not have an actual stadium or a place to play. This is one of the most run-down fields and stadiums in the district, so that’s one of the reasons that we made the effort to improve the facilities here,” Arancibia said. 

The feeling of making a difference at a school he once attended also came along with the relief that this project had finally begun, creating an emotional atmosphere once the golden shovels were dug into the ground.