Swisher Field athletic complex eligible for a new name, Aberdeen school board learns

Swisher Field could be getting a new name.

Superintendent Becky Guffin made the announcement at the Aberdeen School Board meeting on Monday evening. Although it's not yet certain that Swisher Field will be renamed, the school board is set to hear public input about whether people favor a name change, as well as any suggestions.

Swisher Field is the football and soccer field and track facility on the Central High School campus.

Last week, the school board discussed potential upgrades to Swisher Field. If that plan moves forward, Guffin said that would be the time to consider a new name.

The naming of Swisher Field has been associated with Northern State University athletics, said Guffin. Earlier this year, Northern State opened the new Dacotah Bank Stadium, meaning the university no longer uses Swisher Field for football games.

Clark Swisher was a longtime coach and athletic director at Northern State. He coached football, men's basketball, golf, tennis and track. He worked at the university for 40 years before retiring in 1986.

The community is invited to submit name ideas. According to school board policies, written nominations can be dropped off at the superintendent's office at 1224 S. Third St. The field cannot be named after someone who is currently employed with the district as the name needs to stand the test of time, according to the policies.

Central will add girls softball team

The school district will have a varsity girls softball team starting in spring 2023.

Athletic Director Dawn Seiler said that a survey was sent to girls in grades seven through 11 once softball was sanctioned as a high school sport by the South Dakota High School Activities Association. More than 200 girls expressed interest in the sport, said Seiler.

For a budget, Seiler said it is expected that starting a team will cost around $25,000. That covers expenses such as travel and purchasing new uniforms.

For a field, Seiler said the school is in talks to practice at the Moccasin Creek complex, where the Northern softball team used to play, and compete at Northern's new softball field. However, Seiler said that the conversation with Northern is still in the initial stages and nothing has yet been set in stone.

C.C. Lee Elementary update

Chris Osborn, principal of C.C. Lee Elementary School, provided the school board with an update as to what has been going on this year at the school.

After some fundraising, the school will improve its playground this coming summer. Two new pieces of equipment will be added. The current equipment has been up for about 20 years, said Osborn, so it will be replaced with nicer pieces.

During the fall, Osborn said 47 students in the first and second grades qualified for reading interventions. By December, that number dropped to 41 and also included the kindergarten class, showing how hard the students, as well as parents and staff are working, he said.

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: swisher field is up for a rename