Field of Dreams: Oasis High needs help to finish first athletic goal
Oasis High School is in need of help from the community to complete its “Field of Dreams.”
Last summer, the school kicked off a project to build an athletic practice field for the students. Under the Cape Coral Charter School Authority, Oasis High receives per pupil funding but not much else.
“We don’t get the same capital dollars that the public schools get,” charter Superintendent Nelson Stephenson said. “So we don’t have the money for fields, an auditorium, for the arts, for band.”
Lacking any athletic facilities, students have to travel to the Storm Football Complex or other parks to practice. He noted that the school has a partnership with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.
“But there’s nothing like having your practices on your field at your school,” Stephenson said.
He added that students will also be safer because they will remain on school grounds.
Officials started with the field over other projects as it was viewed as the easiest to accomplish.
“This is a much easier one to fundraise for,” Stephenson said.
The Cape Coral Municipal Charter Foundation provided the school with fencing for the field, along with seeds to start growing the grass. Currently, the fence is up and things are beginning to grow.
“We have the seed down now,” he said. “We have green kind of there.”
But, the school needs more help to make the project a success.
“Unfortunately, a field needs irrigation and maintenance and things like that,” Stephenson said.
Oasis High has set up a GoFundMe account with the hopes of raising $50,000 to cover the irrigation system’s foundation, ongoing maintenance, such as lawn care, and needed extras, like fertilizer.
“We also are going to need to install lightning detectors,” he said.
“We’re trying to do it by not impacting any student education dollars,” Stephenson added.
As of Thursday, approximately $2,000 had been raised.
“We would like Aug. 1 to have the grass absolutely playable in terms of practice,” he said.
Those who wish to donate can visit: www.gofundme.com/ohsfieldofdreams .
Anyone who has expertise in irrigation, lawn maintenance or fertilizing is welcome to lend their expertise to the project. The school is also open to donations of supplies or such it might need.
“It’s about the partnerships,” Stephenson said.
For more information, contact (239) 919-0809 or nelson.stephenson@capecharterschools.org.