It’s been reported that it took more than 60 years to build an auditorium for Cumberland County High School.
School officials are determined that the same does not happen to the school’s tennis courts that were displaced a few years ago due to the auditorium’s construction.
Kevin Dean represents the 1st District on the Board of Education. He is also the father of a senior on the CCHS Lady Jets tennis team.
“In the four years she’s played tennis at CCHS and for CCHS, she has never played tennis at CCHS,” he said during the Sept. 17 board work session.
The school’s tennis practices and matches take place at Camp Nakanawa, a private girls camp in the Mayland community.
“For the past three years, and probably of course going to be this year as well, we do have a 20-minute drive four to five times a week going to practice,” Dean said. “That’s one way. That’s another 20 minutes on the way home. We have our matches out there — we have literally had one away match that’s closer than our home courts.”
The work session opened board dialogue on replacing the tennis courts. No decision has been made, but discussion continued Thursday during the school board’s regular meeting.
“We have had kids that do not want to play tennis because of the travel to Camp Nakanawa,” said Blake Allen, CCHS athletic director, during Thursday’s meeting. “I’m not sure how much longer my tennis coach will want to continue trying to build a roster and a program without having a dedicated space for the Cumberland County Jets tennis team and Lady Jets tennis team to perform,” he added.
Dean, who said his daughter began playing on the tennis team the first year the school was without courts, agreed.
“Every junior and senior on the team that year quit the program because they did not want to have to take the 21-mile drive to Camp Nakanawa each way,” he said.
Tennis courts at Stone Memorial High School were refurbished last year after years of disrepair. Dean said the CCHS courts, before being displaced by the auditorium construction, “were in worse shape than Stone’s were.”
“With our slogan, ‘All Means All,” what’s good for one school is good for both,” he added during the work session.
Rebecca Farley, director of schools, said she would need to reach out to CCHS officials to find property for the courts. She also reminded the board that discussion last year included talk of a central complex to host both high schools. In response to a work session question from Travis Cole, 8th District board member, she said the life expectancy on the SMHS courts is five years.
“We’ve been looking at it for four years that I know of, and every time we get ready to do something, the price is doubled,” added Chris King, 6th District. “The longer we wait, the more it’s going to be.”
Board members said a central complex could also serve as a facility for archery, a growing high school sport that has matches at Pleasant Hill Elementary School.
During Thursday’s meeting, Nicky Philpot, 4th District, said the facility could also be modified to serve as an indoor rifle range facility that may emerge from the high schools’ burgeoning JROTC programs.
“That would allow more of our students a possibility to take advantage of this facility and also be a very good asset for both Stone Memorial and Cumberland County High School,” he added. “So I would just ask that we at least consider that potential as we explore the possibilities here.”
No action was taken during the board meeting, but it was agreed the tennis courts will be a topic of discussion for the October work session.
A former board member asked that any vote on the tennis courts be delayed, saying during Thursday’s community comments that building them “would be a complete slap in the face to every teacher in our system” due to the changes made to their health insurance.
“While I truly believe we need tennis courts at CCHS, I don’t think this is the time to build them,” said Jon Matthews, who previously represented the 7th District.
Matthews suggested having both schools to share the SMHS court, which he said would be a scheduling task for the countywide athletic director. Both Allen and Dean, however, said using one school’s court for both would not be possible due to all tennis matches taking place on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“Once the board makes a decision on middle schools and puts them in place, maybe then we look to end the nightmare,” Matthews added. “As for right now, let’s work with what we have for the betterment of every student.”
The work session will begin at 4:15 p.m. Oct. 22, preceding the regular October board meeting, which starts at 6.
Both meetings will be at the schools’ Central Office at 368 Fourth St., Crossville.