Atlee High School (AHS) in Hanover County Public Schools (HCPS) has the top patriotic field design in the United States, a national competition has determined.
Atlee’s patriotic turf grass design for the 2021-22 homecoming football game won this year’s Stars and Stripes contest from the Sports Field Management Association. The competition included designs from both the K-12, collegiate, and professional levels.
“Any time our students can get recognized at a local or higher level for the work they do is a big deal for our program,” said Marc Moran, the agriculture and horticulture instructor at AHS. “It makes it even more special that this award was judged not just by our community, but by people all over the country.”
Moran said that his program tries to put together a patriotic display every year and challenges his students to develop something new for the design each year, which led to this year’s winning design.
“I am very proud of the students and all the hard work they put into our fields and the things they do behind the scenes to make sure our student athletes have a playing surface that is environmentally responsible with the high level of safety, playability and aesthetically pleasing,” said Moran, who has taught at Atlee since 1999.
AHS Principal Dr. John Wheeler said the school is “incredibly excited to see Marc Moran recognized for his continued pursuit of excellence both in the classroom and on the fields of Raider Nation.”
“Mr. Moran takes the school division’s motto of ‘A Tradition of Excellence’ very seriously, and he continues to enhance and build upon this very strong tradition,” Wheeler said. “We are extremely fortunate to have someone with his level of experience, expertise, and professionalism leading the way for our students.”
The Sports Field Management Association is the nonprofit, professional association for men and women who manage sports fields worldwide. Its members oversee facilities at schools, colleges and universities, parks and recreational facilities, and professional sports stadiums.