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Thomas Jefferson High School celebrates new field
The Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones, and the NFL Foundation stepped up with a $1 million donation after Thomas Jefferson High School's football field was badly damaged by an EF-3 tornado. Now nearly four years later, the new field is ready for its first season.
DALLAS - The Dallas Cowboys and the Dallas Independent School District celebrated the opening of a new football field at Thomas Jefferson High School.
An EF-3 tornado badly damaged the high school and the nearby elementary and middle schools in 2019.
Students were re-assigned to other schools for nearly three years while the district worked to rebuild.
The new Thomas Jefferson High School building reopened in January. It gave the students who were freshmen when the tornado hit a few months to enjoy the state-of-the-art building before graduating.
Dallas ISD welcomes back students to schools damaged in 2019 tornado
The reopening is happening just in time for the then-displaced freshman at Thomas Jefferson High School. They are now seniors. This January opening will give them five months to enjoy this new state-of-the-art building before graduating.
Because the tornado also tore up the school’s football field, Jerry Jones and the NFL’s Foundation committed $1 million to help rebuild and replace the team’s lost equipment.
The donation also allowed the district to spend more of its own money on things like science labs, art spaces, and an auditorium.
"Athletic facilities and athletics in general are really a big part of the lifeblood of any high school, especially a school like ours that was damaged in the tornado," said Principal Benjamin Jones. "It means a lot to have a great facility that the athletes can come back and practice on. It really draws students back and says not only did we rebuild, we rebuilt better. And we have the facilities to support the growth in our athletic programs."
"This is a perfect example of sports being a means, not just an end. So this isn't just about football. This is so much greater than that. This is about what can happen when partners come together big and small," said Dallas ISD Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Elizalde. "It's about having confidence so that our children can continue to pursue their dreams and give back to Dallas themselves as they become leaders in our community."
Tuesday morning’s dedication ceremony was a way for the school to say thank you. It also marked the start of a new initiative between the Cowboys and Dallas ISD.
Over the next three years, the team will donate flag football kits and resources to help with physical education at each of the district’s elementary schools.
The new field is also being used by a neighborhood flag football team and a nonprofit youth club soccer team.