Winston-Salem principals broke ground late Wednesday afternoon on a new multi-purpose stadium for RJ Reynolds High School and Wiley Middle School. Douglas Crater Field is scheduled to open in the spring of 2023 and this fall , will host the first ever real home game for RJR football. “It hurt our kids,” athletic director Brad Fisher said. “Every game they have to get on a bus and go somewhere else and with a school system like WSFCS having school choice, we feel like we might have lost some neighborhood kids coming here and choosing to go to another school where they can just get out of their gym and practice their sport.” Since the early 90s, Reynolds and Parkland High have shared Deaton Thompson Stadium, which is about a 15-minute drive from the campus. The new stadium is a short walk from campus, behind the school’s auxiliary gymnasium, not far from Hanes Park. The non-profit organization “Home Field Advantage”, composed largely of parents and supporters of RJR, began raising private funds for this project about ten years ago. To date, the group has committed $4.4 million to the project, with the school system providing an additional $2.1 million. are today,” says Kathryn Spanos, a parent who led the effort. “It’s incredible.” About 2,500 children attend Reynolds and Wiley, combined.
Winston-Salem principals opened a new multi-purpose stadium late Wednesday afternoon for RJ Reynolds High School and Wiley Middle School.
Douglas Crater Field is set to open in the spring of 2023 and this fall will host the first ever real home game for RJR football.
“It’s been detrimental to our kids,” athletic director Brad Fisher said. “Every game they have to get on a bus and go somewhere else and with a school system like WSFCS having school choice, we feel like we might have lost some neighborhood kids coming here and choosing to go to another school where they can just get out of their gym and play their sport.”
Since the early 1990s, Reynolds and Parkland High have shared Deaton Thompson Stadium, located about a 15-minute drive from campus. The new stadium is a short walk from campus, behind the school’s auxiliary gymnasium, not far from Hanes Park.
The non-profit organization “Home Field Advantage”, composed largely of parents and supporters of RJR, began raising private funds for this project about ten years ago. To date, the group has committed $4.4 million to the project, with the school system providing an additional $2.1 million.
“A lot of people supported it. We launched a 501(c)(3) and with the support of a lot of people, we are at it today,” said Kathryn Spanos, a parent who led the effort. . “It’s incredible.”
About 2,500 children attend Reynolds and Wiley, combined.
