- Diman Regional Voc-Tech
- Serving Fall River, Somerset, Swansea, and Westport
Diman Foundation and Diman partner to fund sports field improvement
At a brief ceremony on Diman’s football/soccer field, Diman Bengal Education Foundation officials presented a $12,000 check to assist with renovation of Diman’s main sports field. The field is expected to be ready for use before the end of the football season, according to the company that is doing the work: Sports Turf Specialties.
Since becoming a non-profit in 2013, the Foundation has contributed funds toward seven school projects. Foundation board members who attended the presentation included Paul Medeiros, Edward Hill, Jerry Gunner, Rene Lachapelle, Richard Urban, Roger Dugal, Steve Souza and Carl Sawejko.
Representing the school were Superintendent/Director Thomas Aubin, Assistant Superintendent/Principal Elvio Ferreira, Athletic Director Keith Allan and Head Football Coach Steve Winarski. In addition, Student athletes from the football, boys’ soccer and girls’ soccer teams also attended the event.
Foundation President Medeiros felt this was an important project for his group, since many students at Diman will be affected by the improvement of this athletic field. Because this facility serves three football teams (V, JV, freshmen), two boys soccer teams (V, JV) and two girls’ soccer teams (V, JV), this project will service many students over the next few years. During the first meeting of the Foundation in 2013, Medeiros was the main advocate for keeping facility/grounds improvements in the mission statement. Supporting innovative school projects is the other part of the Foundation’s mission.
Unfortunately, the one hurdle for this field renovation is that all three athletic programs will sacrifice most if not all homes games this fall season. However, like Football Coach Winarski, his seniors have embraced the idea and have created a goal of winning the most away games in a football season at the school.
Diman Superintend Thomas Aubin has been impressed by the flexibility exhibited by everyone involved. The school committee did extensive research before they approved the funding for this project, the foundation’s contribution and the positive attitude displayed by the student-athletes affected by this project. “We couldn’t be more fortunate to have selected a professional like Sports Turf Specialties to complete this project,” said Aubin. “The quality preparation on the field so far is ensuring the school will have a quality field for student use for many years.”