Monterey High lights project
I am the parent of 16-year-old twin boys who are currently juniors at Monterey High School. My children are passionate soccer players and are very excited to be playing varsity at the school. However, it seems like there are a group of Monterey residents that are making this dream and passion very difficult to achieve due to their own selfish and short-sighted views. I am still completely puzzled, frustrated and disappointed that having a brand new stadium at Monterey High we cannot use the field after hours because this small group of residents would rather deny our children the opportunity to participate in these activities rather than be slightly inconvenienced for only a few hours of only a few days out of the week because of what they deem exceeds lighting and “noise pollution.” So instead we have a situation where we have to endanger our children’s lives by having them have to take a bus at night and sometimes in the rain or even drive themselves sometimes to places like Gilroy or Santa Cruz. I would like to have someone explain to me why Carmel High School just approved lighting for their stadium but not Monterey High? Is it because our community is less privileged than the Carmel residents and we don’t deserve the opportunity to provide the best for our children?
— Jorge Vizcaino, Monterey
Thank you for your recent article highlighting the lack of field lighting at Monterey High School and the ongoing lawsuit.
This is an unfortunate situation but it’s greatly impacting many of the soccer players’ athletic and personal development. They’re being deprived of a great opportunity to fully participate in sports. It’s also preventing the school’s soccer program from being competitive.
Hopefully, there will be a resolution or at least a compromise soon for the sake of these youths.
–– Nestor Nicolas, Marina
It was sad to read the story of Monterey High School soccer teams needing to end practices early and cancel games because of a lawsuit lodged by neighbors against lights on the field. It’s clear that the facilities’ upgrades at Dan Albert Stadium are needed and it is infuriating to see thousands of kids held hostage by a privileged few. Students should not have to play in the dark. I hope the school district keeps fighting the lawsuit on behalf of the kids and coaches. Monterey High students deserve safe and playable facilities just like kids attending schools in other communities.
— Gianna Holmstead, Seaside
Thank you to the Herald for the continued coverage of the lights controversy at Monterey High School. As the recent article so clearly lays out, the need for lights is about so much more than Friday Night Lights for home football games. I hope neighbors read the pleas from soccer players and coaches and understand the real impact their lawsuit is having on these kids and the entire school community. Students shouldn’t have to forgo their matches, end practices early and miss their last-period class because a few neighbors don’t want to compromise. Certainly, a small inconvenience is not too much to sacrifice to keep our kids healthy and happy. Come on people! Think about something other than your own self-interest for just a half second and you will see that compromising is in the best interest of the entire community. Drop the lawsuit and let the kids play safely under the lights.
— Heather Sever, Monterey
There are some compromises one makes when purchasing or renting a home near a long-established high school. There will be traffic. There will be noise. But it’s not 24 hours a day.
There is a term for people who never want to accept change and progress: “Not in My Backyard” (NIMBY). These NIMBYs are destroying communities and perpetuating racism. We should call this out for what it is. According to usnews.com, at Monterey High School, the total minority enrollment is 71% and 45% of students are economically disadvantaged.
There is a small group of very vocal residents who are denying students access to very basic academic and athletic opportunities that are provided to other communities.
I hope Monterey High will be lighting that field for our future voters.
— Amira Quoran
