It’s six o’clock on a Tuesday night, and more than 25 boys on the upper school junior varsity soccer team glance up to find a familiar sight: their match, one for which they’ve waited over two hours, has been cut short due to a lack of daylight. Instead of the regulation 70 minutes, they are sentenced to enjoy just 30 before the final whistle blows.

This scenario is all too frequent at Parker.

Just a few years ago, the prospect of installing stadium lights on Ray Field was a hot subject here.  It was a serious consideration, a deep hope willed by many to become reality. The school even installed the proper infrastructure underneath the field to ensure a quick construction process for above-ground lights.

The matter is personal for me as well. I recall sitting and enjoying ice cream, discussing the results of local elections with my family while they informed me of Parker’s failed efforts to convince local government and the nearby neighbors to allow large scale lighting.

At that time, the fight for lights was brought up at meetings of the Athletic Council and informally at baseball practice. Parents spoke about it at lunch, coaches discussed it with their players, the community was abuzz with talk of expanding our athletic facilities.

Then it stopped.

Maybe it was the reelection of the politicians who had blocked the lights. Perhaps the issue took a backseat to shocking administrative changes. I think we just gave up. The Parker community, brimming with innovation and drive, made up of passionate students and supportive families, seems to have lost interest.

The lights went from a realistic goal to a pipe dream, and my ambitions shifted from being able to play in night games to someday just seeing them take place somewhere else.

Lights would bring about a renewed sense of community and athletic advancement. Not only would they allow for a greater number of spectators to attend, but night games would provide options for those who are unable to attend daytime events. They would further serve to enhance the Parker athletic experience and provide Ray Field with the opportunity to host a greater number of home games.

By resigning to defeat on lights, we forfeit a fantastic opportunity to create substantial change at the school we love and to positively impact the local culture that has done so much for each person who steps foot in this building. Lights would bring about a beautiful new athletic culture that would greater serve Parker and allow for a series of brilliant new traditions and experiences.

Everything is already in place. Parker has the resources, culture, and facilities to make this happen––all that’s lacking is our drive.

So I encourage you to start the conversation again, Parker. You don’t need to run to the administration or send an email––just bring it up with some friends. You could even do it casually. Think about the world of possibilities for which the lights would allow. The idea isn’t to find one influential member of the community and follow their lead, but to reinvigorate our collective spark and work as a whole.

This is something that can be pushed forward by chatter. Start the murmurs, share your thoughts, speak your mind. Word spreads fast at 330 W. Webster, so what are we waiting for?