Students and staff at Taft High School in Woodland Hills are celebrating the completion of their brand-new football stadium.
The school’s band, cheerleaders, and football and dance teams attended Monday’s ribbon-cutting for the $34 million stadium, part of a larger, $230M makeover of the school. One cheerleader told KNX News’ Karen Adams she feels safer on the new facility’s turf than on the real grass of the old field.
“There were definitely a lot of injuries in my freshman year here, so I’m just really lucky to have this facility,” she said.
The new stadium is part of the L.A. Unified School District’s $8 billion investment in modernizing its buildings. Principal Daniel Steiner said the new stadium, which broke ground two years ago, has brighter lights and an all-weather track that’s softer on the feet than regular dirt.
“I'm so thrilled, being a high school athlete and a volunteer coach starting in the district,” he said. “This was something that I know can be the center of that community and create a lot of sense of school pride.”
Editor's note: A previous version of the story listed the cost of the football stadium project as $230 million. LAUSD has since reached out with updated figures — Taft High School's larger school makeover project will cost $230 million, while the football stadium cost $34 million.
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Next month, Taft High will host its graduation ceremony at the new stadium.
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