Lake County Gazette

The scoreboards at Pekin Community High School's Memorial Stadium and Dawson Hawkins Gym have been replaced with new LED digital display models. The updated technology will provide information and entertainment during games, as well as additional uses such as movie screenings, live-streaming graduation ceremonies, real-time results for track and field meets, and displaying student-created content from the Dragon Media program.

Neil Stimpert, president of the Pekin Insurance Holiday Tournament committee, commented on the upgrade: "What wonderful additions to the high school's basketball and football venues. Now that there's a video scoreboard that makes Hawkins Gym seem even more like a college arena, we can offer even more exposure for our sponsors. Sponsorships are the No. 1 source of revenue for our non-for-profit organization, outpacing ticket sales." He added that tournament brackets and results will now be shown on the scoreboard instead of temporary boards on gym walls, though one may be kept for nostalgia.

Jamie Cates, president of the PCHS Athletic Booster Club, acknowledged concerns about removing the historic scoreboards but said it was time to move forward: "but it's really time for us to move along."

Coaches at PCHS also voiced support for the changes. Girls basketball coach Brett McGinnis said: "As if our sports facilities weren't nice enough already? The new scoreboard in Hawkins Gym is going to make it that much more special of a place to play. I'm excited to see what Dragon Media comes up with for graphics and entertainment during our games." Boys basketball coach Jeremy Crouch described the new scoreboard as "incredible" and stated that "our sports facilities are now truly second to none among high schools in the area." Football coach Doug Nutter called the Memorial Stadium addition significant: "I can't wait to see it on game days. It also will be nice to have results posted live during a track meet."

The previous Memorial Stadium scoreboard had been in use since 1995. Superintendent Danielle Owens noted that its neon Dragon emblem has been preserved and will be displayed elsewhere on campus with updated lighting: "The Memorial Stadium scoreboard did its job for 30 years, but it was showing its age. It was shutting off and the buzzer was going off during games," Owens said.

The former Hawkins Gym scoreboard dated back to 2001; after no bids were received when it was offered for sale earlier this year, it is now stored at the school. The new four-sided hanging model features a 6½-by-10-foot video display board.

Owens described this installation as completing recent gym renovations: "The new Hawkins Gym scoreboard is the capstone, the last piece in the renovation of the gym," referencing prior upgrades including bleachers and fitness areas.

Funding for both scoreboards totaled approximately $500,000. Costs are shared by Pekin Community High School (part of Pekin Consolidated School District 303), its booster club, Pekin Insurance Holiday Tournament committee, and Pepsi; installation costs are covered by the school itself. The booster club pledged $150,000 over five years toward this project while the tournament committee committed $25,000 over five years; recent donations included $60,000 from boosters and $10,000 from the committee.

Sponsorship opportunities are available through booster club members who are selling advertising space on both scoreboards; naming rights for both Hawkins Gym’s scoreboard and scorer’s table are also being offered.

Pekin Consolidated School District 303 serves Tazewell County with Pekin Community High School under its jurisdiction (source). According to state data (source), district demographics include a majority White student body with smaller percentages of Black, Hispanic, and Asian students. The district employs 112 teachers earning an average salary of $51,104 per year before pension contributions (source). In fiscal year 2020, spending per student was $19,506 out of a total budget of nearly $34.7 million (source).

For those interested in discussing naming rights or sponsorships related to these upgrades at Pekin Community High School’s athletic facilities, Superintendent Danielle Owens is available for contact.