Football has long been an iconic fixture in the landscape of American high schools. But at Groton-Dunstable Regional High School, athletes and parents have never been intimate with the nation's most popular spectator sport.
No cheerleaders roam the sidelines of athletic fields with pompoms, and Friday nights are never celebrated with end-zone festivities typically enjoyed at high schools every fall.
That may be about to change. Last night, the School Committee was expected to formally vote on whether to create a donation-driven, non-tax-funded football program for the district. The meeting took place after the Globe's deadline.
School officials had hoped to create a budget line item for a football program last spring, but the failure of a $1.2 million tax increase forced them to table the concept indefinitely.
In coordination with the athletic director, Dan Twomey, a group of parents, intent on seeing football included in the district's menu of sports, has been rallying to give the program life through fund-raising at the grass-roots level, as the district faces another difficult budget cycle, said School Committee chairwoman Cynthia Barrett.
Under the plan, a newly formed organization called the Groton-Dunstable Football Club would support the sport through fund-raising for the next three years, after which the School Committee would reevaluate whether to include it in the district's budget as a regular expense. The program, which would include junior varsity and varsity football, as well as cheerleading, would also derive funding through gate receipts at games and athletic fees.
Prior to last night's meeting, Barrett said she supports the fund-raising plan, though she emphasized that her opinion did not necessarily represent that of the rest of the committee.
"Personally, I know the district can't afford a new athletic program," Barrett said. "I have confidence that this Groton-Dunstable Football Club is sincere in their intentions to raise this money. I think this is going to give kids more opportunities outside our operational budget, which we can't provide them with."
Since 1996, the district has sent students who want to play football to Ayer Public Schools. About 30 athletes from Groton-Dunstable Regional currently participate in the football program in that district.
Barrett said the cooperative agreement with the Ayer district ended last fall, and, for a new agreement, Ayer has stipulated that all current Dunstable and Groton football players stay on until they graduate. The offer is valid until March 1, but Groton-Dunstable Superintendent of Schools Alan Genovese and Twomey have declined the agreement because they believe it would interfere with their plans for a football program.
David Howes, a local parent and president of the local youth football league, has not been satisfied with the arrangement with Ayer since he moved to Groton six years ago.
"I just kind of scratched my head and said, 'With a school this size, we've got to have a football program," said Howes, a quarterback for Maynard Public High School in the early 1980s. "I think it is time for us to stand up on our own."
Since moving to the area, Howes has built up the local football league for youngsters ages 8 to 14, a program that currently has about 150 participants. He also has worked closely with Twomey to come up with a plan for a football program at the high school.
Howes said he suspects many residents in the district may not realize the spirit and sense of community football can breath into a small town like Groton or Dunstable. Football games in nearby towns, such as Chelmsford, regularly have hundreds of attendees, he said.
"I think there's a lot of people who haven't grown up with football, so they don't understand that," Howes said. "It's good finance, and it also helps build community pride and spirit."
