It’s a thankless job, being groundskeeper of a high school, yet without it, our student body couldn’t function with that blade-of-grass smoothness. Fortunately for us, we’ve found ourselves a groundskeeper worth all the athletic funding in the state. Over the past three years, following the hire of Eric Mitzelfeldt, the grounds of Arlington High School have been manicured to perfection, allowing our sports teams to practice, unrestricted by the annoyances of an uncured field.

Sadie Hollingsworth (’19), JV/Varsity swing player for the girls’ soccer team this fall, agreed, saying, “It’s a lot cleaner. The bottom field is a lot nicer. We used to dribble, and the ball would bounce up.” For a competitive team like our girls’ soccer organization (1s place in Wesco), every minute of every practice counts towards the path for success. Unfortunately, many students take advantage of the pristine conditions. To them, the fields are a perfect place to do doughnuts, which was exactly what occurred in July, devastating the school grounds and the year of hard work Mr. Mitzelfeldt has invested in our wonderful campus. However, now the fields are put back together, following a few months of renovation that began directly after the incident. Kirahy Meyers (’20), freshman football player, recognized the renovated field as keeping the “consistency of the green grass, without as much dirt.”

Tom Roys, athletic director extraordinaire added his own abundance of praise: “Our facilities, since Mr. Mitzelfeldt has been in charge, have taken a dramatic turn for the better. He’s constantly working. We could go play a baseball game tomorrow, and the field would be perfect. The season doesn’t even start for over three months!” When I went for an interview with Mitzelfeldt, he was preoccupied with the grooming of the softball field, unavailable for an interview. Just is a tribute to his dedication to the student body. In the words of Mr. Roys, “It makes you feel so much prouder to be a part of that.”