East Alton Wood River Community High School has once again been recognized for the outstanding condition of its athletic fields, earning the 2025 Pioneer Athletics Fields of Excellence Award. This marks the third consecutive year that EAWR has received the national recognition.
The Fields of Excellence program recognizes schools, organizations and communities whose maintenance personnel demonstrate exceptional dedication to the care and presentation of outdoor athletic facilities. Pioneer Athletics describes a Field of Excellence as the result of a talented crew, a well-maintained playing surface and careful attention to the equipment, materials and details that prepare a field for competition. The program is also intended to recognize the often-unsung employees whose work promotes school pride and community spirit.
EAWR was one of only 94 organizations named a 2025 Fields of Excellence Award recipient. The District is listed among schools, colleges, municipalities and athletic organizations from across the country selected for this year’s honor.
This recognition belongs to the members of the EAWR Maintenance Department, whose hard work and attention to detail keep the District’s outdoor athletic facilities safe, attractive and ready for students and athletes.
Maintaining these fields requires far more than mowing the grass. It involves year-round planning, turf care, fertilization, watering, field painting, equipment maintenance, weather-related repairs and countless hours of preparation before practices, games and community events. Much of that work takes place early in the morning, during extreme summer heat, after heavy rainfall and long after the athletes and spectators have left the facility.
The football field, soccer field and surrounding athletic grounds are among the most visible areas of the EAWR campus. Their appearance reflects the pride that the maintenance crew takes in the school and in providing EAWR students with facilities they can be proud to call their own.
Winning this award once is an accomplishment. Receiving it for a third consecutive year demonstrates the consistency, professionalism and personal investment of the EAWR Maintenance Department. Their work helps create a positive experience for EAWR athletes, coaches, visiting teams, families and community members each time they enter the District’s athletic facilities.
EAWR sincerely thanks its entire maintenance crew for the pride they take in their work and for representing the District at such a high level.
Congratulations to the EAWR Maintenance Department—three-time Pioneer Fields of Excellence Award winners!
