Time-lapse compiled from security footage by Michael Boyd, Cedar science teacher and alumnus (Class of 2010)
After a two year planning and fundraising journey, we are delighted to announce the completion of the renewed artificial turf pitch at Cedar International School.
Although much of the Cedar campus was thankfully spared during hurricane Irma, the pitch bore the brunt of the damage, as the wind got under the turf and left it folded over on itself and in a bad way. Despite massive efforts by many volunteers to patch it up as much as possible, it became uneven and unsafe. It was in desperate need of replacement.
We are extremely grateful for the generosity and support from the community. With well over 100 donors including student initiatives, PTA initiatives and events, individuals, community businesses, corporate support, grants from community foundations, and in kind donations we were able to raise the required funds to turn the project into reality ready for the 2021-22 school year. Every donation was vital to enabling the project to go ahead and we are truly grateful for every dollar raised. A board reflecting all donations will remain hung alongside the pitch to commemorate each act of generosity. Special mention must be given to Tovel Consulting, who through direct giving by their team members (who also serve as volunteer coaches) and their extended network of clients and contacts generated more than $100,000 of donations for the cause.
The pitch is a central part of Cedar’s curriculum and programmes, from PE classes, to after school clubs like gymnastics, football and cricket and is one of our most important resources for promoting healthy, active, balanced lifestyles for our students. But it is much more than a school pitch. It enables Cedar to serve the wider community, being the venue for the Manatees free Saturday morning football coaching which is open to kids from any school, as well as community soccer groups such as the Wolues and Soccer Sisters. The BVIFA have hosted their Futsal league and Women’s league on the pitch. It has even been used for training the BVI national team from time to time over the years. We call it the Community Pitch due to the role it plays as a venue to promote health and wellbeing, community cohesion, youth empowerment and education, as well as providing a safe spot and an environment for healthy and productive activities.
In addition to the funding towards the pitch itself, we are very grateful to the Unite BVI Foundation for stepping in to help us complete the project on schedule, and further enhancements outside the original fundraising target were made possible enabling landscaping around the pitch area, enhanced security to aide accountability for use of the pitch, dividing nets to extend the life of the turf and enable safer use by multiple groups at the same time.
“As a non-profit school working on fine operating margins, we do not hold large financial reserves so when projects like this are undertaken, we rely on the generosity of the community to help us achieve our aims,” noted Cedar Director Scott Crawford. “we are deeply grateful for all the support we have received. The new pitch is a fantastic enhancement to our campus and will serve our students and the wider community well for many years to come.”
Crawford further expressed his appreciation for ADC Construction who were contracted to complete the project, stating that they did a fantastic job within a very tight timeframe. According to Crawford, it was thanks to their thorough, high quality work in preparing the subsurface, including all retention of the underlayer and an extensive drainage system, that the turf was able to be laid immediately upon arrival of the turf specialists, who were sent to oversee the turf installation, with no additional improvements required – a rarity according to the specialists, who install turf fields all over the world.
Did you know?
- Over 80 tons of infill were placed on and raked into the turf, including sand and rubber to ensure a cushioned, high quality playing surface and reduce injuries.
- Cedar science students conducted experiments with samples sent to Cedar by the turf company to measure relative temperatures and ability to maintain integrity in wet conditions of various infills. Student results verified the company’s recommendation and were instrumental in choosing the special infill ‘CoolPlay’ which keeps the field significantly cooler than other samples.
- New LED lighting has been installed above the pitch and basketball area, with 50 foot poles replacing the old 30 foot poles making the area far more useable after hours.