LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Jefferson County Public Schools celebrated the opening of a new turf field Thursday at the Academy @ Shawnee.

The Academy @ Shawnee is the first of 21 schools JCPS is planning to update as part of a $75 million project announced in 2023.

"This is a big deal," Shawnee Athletic Director Mike Jolly said during a news conference on the field Thursday. "... They're not going to have to step in holes when they're trying to play (or) the mud like Dr. Pollio talked about. This is the best of the best."

Crews are still finishing the track and field sections at Shawnee, along with new concession stands and bathrooms. JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio said this will go a long way to making students feel like they belong, giving them the resources to compete with private school teams.

The Shawnee student-athletes said Thursday they're looking forward to getting their first win on the field.

"Our kids deserve to have the same facilities and the same opportunities as every other child in the commonwealth of Kentucky," Pollio said last year. "And I'd put our facilities behind nearly every district in this state."

Jeffersontown, Marion C. Moore and Pleasure Ridge Park high schools are all scheduled to have new turf fields and stadiums by the start of 2024 football season this fall, all part of JCPS' Future State Plan, which includes millions of dollars of investments in new schools and facilities. 

As part of the plan, new school buildings will be constructed for W.E.B. DuBois and Grace James Academy in the next two years. New buildings will also be built for Iroquois, Seneca and Western High Schools within the next 10 years. Those five schools will also get new stadiums when their new buildings are finished.

Iroquois, Seneca, and Western will get updated paint on their concession stands and press boxes while they await a rebuild.

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