The IUSD Board of Education unanimously voted on Feb. 17 to approve the installation of athletic lights on Northwood’s turf.
The current proposal includes building four 70-foot poles with lights. Northwood and Woodbridge High Schools are the only IUSD schools without field lighting, affecting game schedules and limiting field use to before dark.
“We want our students to have every opportunity they can, and having a good experience with sports is important to their well-being, physical health, mental health and academics,” IUSD board member Katie McEwen said. “We look at the whole child when we support our students, and having the ability to have a good athletic experience leads to good outcomes for our students.”
Although the proposal was initially approved on Nov. 19, 2024, Orchard Hills residents expressed concerns about the ongoing Draft Environmental Impact Report being flawed as it would lead to an increase in traffic, noise and security risks for local homeowners, pushing the final decision to February.
“The Orchard Hills residents pay a premium price because of its location away from the busy city, noise and lights and traffic noise,” Orchard Hills homeowner Roy Kim said. “Part of the allure of the Orchard Hills community is the lack of light pollution. Having high school field lights will only disrupt the residents’ sleep.”
Without field lights, sports teams must often practice and play at Meadowood and Settlers parks or before school starts. As a result, girls and boys frosh and JV teams aren’t able to play games on home turf. “Going to Meadowood for home games—I feel like the team doesn’t really feel like we’re playing an actual home game,” JV boys soccer player sophomore Mason Yi said. “It’s more like we’re going to a field that’s away and it doesn’t have the same atmosphere as it would be playing at our own school.”
The unofficial timeline states construction will begin in June, with field lights operational by October. During the construction period, IUSD’s Facilities Planning & Construction Department will work closely with the administration and Northwood’s athletic directors to adjust summer and fall sports’ schedules, according to facilities planning coordinator Jesse Baron.
To see the full athletics proposal and environmental documents, watch the Feb. 17 recording of the IUSD Board of Education’s meeting, located on iusd.org.
