School pride has been coming back, Superintendent Jill Ackerman said, because of the many efforts to renew their pride, such as creating the Spartan Shack for football games and holding pep rallies.
However, reactions on
The Lima News’ Facebook page were not quite as enthusiastic. Most commenters felt the stadium should continue to be Lima Stadium. The renaming comes at a good time, as board member Michael Ley pointed out, because the stadium is brand new. He said that the school loses identity with the name as it is currently.
Also, the renaming will not cost the school any extra money because new signage needed to be ordered for the renovated stadium anyway. A new name also makes obvious that the stadium is the Lima City Schools venue.
Lima Central Catholic is the only school that uses the stadium on a regular basis, according to Ackerman, and the school does not pay to use the stadium. In addition,
LCC has not contributed any money for renovations, said Beth Jokinen, communications coordinator.
Ron Williams, LCC’s athletic director, said LCC and
Lima Senior have a great relationship. He is happy that renaming the stadium will allow them to continue rebranding in a positive way. The stadium will open for the public Aug. 24, two days after renovations are scheduled to finish. Guests are welcome from 2 to 4 p.m. for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a tour of the facilities. Refreshments and Spartan spirit merchandise will be available for purchase during the event.
