Bernards played their first game on August 25th with their first permanent lights on the Olcott turf. The installation of the new lights were very controversial with the surrounding community heavily pushing back from the concern of the people living close to the school who have heavily pushed back against the lights until now.
Twenty years ago when the Old Turf was installed, there had been a lot of debate for lights. Twenty years later, a brand new turf with permanently installed lights. These lights were a huge step forward in the progression of Bernards’s athletic programs. On 8/27/25 the new lights were finally put in and ready to be used.
The lights that were there before were difficult to manage. They were not permanent as you had to roll them out onto the field for each game. The lack of permanent lighting prevented other sports from being able to play games at night. While playing under the older and temporary lighting system, the ball would get lost in the light and you weren’t able to see it, which was dangerous for sports such as field hockey. With the addition of the new lights, it allows for a better game experience with athletes being able to see the ball better and perform at a higher level.
On September 17th, the new lights were used for field hockey for the first time this year.. Field hockey has never been able to play under the lights due to the poor quality of the previous temporary lights. As field hockey had to push their game back due to poor weather, they were able to use the new lights to play that day when the rain cleared up. Before these new lights, girls soccer, field hockey, and JV field hockey were unable to have night games because of the difficulty to see the ball in old lights. As Mr. Hoppe says, “Now everyone can have a senior night Under The Lights.”
The vote to install new lights did not come without controversy. The neighbors were worried about the noise and the lights which would glare into their houses. However, after the first football game under the lights this past August, Mr Hoppe explained that “[he] only heard good things from the alumni and everyone is very happy about it.” Besides the impact on players, the lights offer a positive impact for other people in the community. For photographers, it is easier for them to get higher quality pictures of the players during the game. The quality of the action shots is far more impressive due to the addition of better lighting. For the announcers, the addition of lights makes it easier to see the action of the game, contributing to higher quality broadcasts. Mr. Hoppe continues: “ The lights make it feel like a real facility” as we now will have more opportunities in athletics because of them.
The lights have the biggest impact on the players, who had a few words to say regarding the installation. Justin Simpson ‘26, a member of the BHS football team, says “I think it helped us out because personally I found it hard to see before but now it’s almost playing in broad daylight.”
Wide receiver Chase Hawthorne ‘27 continues: “The new lights are amazing. No glare, and it makes it so much easier to see the ball.”
These new lights have changed the game for the better and make games brighter and more lively as we watch our bernards mountaineers compete.
