A mock-up of historic School Stadium shows what the field and concourse could look like as the result of a successful fundraising campaign. These renderings are not official.

For almost 70 years, historic School Stadium has served the Hagerstown and surrounding community. When Municipal Stadium was demolished in 2022, School Stadium became one of the oldest athletic facilities still in use in Washington County.

As a result of a rising volume of usage – ranging from high school athletic contests to graduations to youth athletic tournaments and more – the stadium has shown an increase in wear and tear and is showing its age.

This summer, the Washington County Public Schools Facilities team is working to seed, level and refurbish the playing field at School Stadium, but this is only a short-term solution.

“The field is rapidly deteriorating over the years,” South Hagerstown athletic director and facilities coordinator Dwayne Freeman said in a story published by LocalNews1. “This is mostly a safety issue. “There have been a lot of complaints from other schools and the officials. Most of them come from schools who have artificial turf.”

According to archive records, School Stadium hosted 19 football games between North and South Hagerstown during its first season in the fall of 1957. Historical records also indicate the stadium was constructed with the intention of hosting only football in the fall and track and field in the spring.

During the fall of 2024, School Stadium hosted 26 sporting events – some featuring JV and varsity doubleheaders – with three games forced to postpone or change location due to field conditions after inclement weather. The stadium also hosted the WCPS Showcase of Marching Bands in October. This spring, School Stadium hosted 10 lacrosse events (including a tournament), the CMC Large School track and field championship meet and four other meets between unified track and outdoor track. Three events were postponed or canceled due to weather and one lacrosse playoff game was played at Smithsburg’s Coach Carroll Reid Field due to the field restoration project.

SHHS Athletic Booster Club, in support of the SHHS Athletic Department, are excited to announce the start of a capital fundraising project to provide long overdue renovations and upgrades to School Stadium to better serve the community. Although plans are not finalized yet, the project will aim to make the stadium more ADA accessible, increase the safety of athletes and spectators and increase the overall player and fan experience.

Phase one of the project includes surveying the stadium and fundraising. An initial campaign using Schoolfundr to begin moving closer to the goal has launched. A starting goal of $10,000 has been set to get the project underway. You can find the campaign page here.

Schoolfundr is a donation-based fundraising website similar to GoFundMe but designed specifically for school-based organizations. Donations made to a Schoolfundr campaign go directly to the benefiting organization within the school. A service fee of $1.50 is charged by credit card companies on donations.

An upgrade to the facility would benefit not just student-athletes at the school, but also provide another practice and performing space for the Rebel Marching Band, a better and safer surface for marching bands of other schools performing in the WCPS Showcase of Marching Bands to use and the potential for youth teams in the community to use the facility.

Other community events such as fundraisers could also benefit from a renovated School Stadium.

School Stadium currently hosts tackle football, flag football, soccer, lacrosse, track and field and cross country during the school year. The stadium has also recently hosted graduation ceremonies for both South Hagerstown and Boyd J. Michael III, Technical High School, pep rallies, the WCPS Junior Olympics, county and conference championship track meets, youth AAU track meets, youth football games and tournaments, lacrosse tournaments, and has been the host site of the WCPS Showcase of Marching Bands since 1977.

From 1957-2006, School Stadium hosted athletic teams for both North and South Hagerstown. The stadium was also home to the Hagerstown Bears minor league football team from 1969-1973.

In 1994, the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) chose School Stadium to host football state championship games for Class 1A and Class 2A.

The most recent documented renovations to School Stadium were in 1991 (stadium light upgrade) and 1996 (press box and concession stand construction). The track was repaved around 2009.