Raymond Central plans video scoreboards in high school gym | Community | wahoo-ashland-waverly.com

2022-07-29 19:33:42 By : Ms. Li Chen

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NEW EXPERIENCE: A rendering of the planned video board that would hang on the Raymond Central gym’s west wall. (Image courtesy of Tony Kobza).

RAYMOND – Since his hiring earlier this year, new Raymond Central Activities Director Tony Kobza has hit the ground running. Kobza has taken over as head football coach, has introduced a plan to boost revenues at school events and is now leading an effort to install new LED video scoreboards in the high school’s gym – without costing the school district a penny.  

If all goes to plan, two new scoreboards would hang from the gym walls by the time the winter sports season rolls around. The boards, sold by Omaha-based ScoreVision, would allow for a more immersive fan experience and would provide numerous educational and entertainment opportunities to students and families, Kobza said.

“This is not just an athletic scoreboard,” Kobza said. “This is something that we believe is going to benefit all students, whether it’s pep rallies, whether it’s fine arts, whether it’s clubs and activities or even community events.”

He said the boards could be used for play production, the annual FFA auction, movie nights and graduation ceremonies. IT and graphic design students would also be able to use the boards through their coursework. 

An 80-square-foot board would be installed on the gym’s east wall, near the stage, and a 144-square-foot board would be installed on the west wall, taking the place of the current scoreboard and projector screen.

“This is going to allow us to do some really cool things that we just can’t do right now,” Kobza said.

On July 13, Kobza launched a campaign to raise the $150,000 to pay for the boards, and so far, over half of the goal is covered. Families and private donors can help in the fundraising, but the process is accelerated by offering advertising placements to local businesses. The boards have the capability to display a rotation of sponsors, and Kobza said the title sponsorship has already been purchased by an undisclosed business. 

The software needed to run the boards requires an annual subscription, but Kobza said the video boards will continue to pay for themselves over time through the sponsorships. 

“Obviously, school boards can appreciate when they don’t have to spend money on these kinds of upgrades,” he said. 

Beyond the curriculum and community impacts, Kobza said a major motivator for purchasing the scoreboards is school pride. He said he’s heard of Raymond Central athletes walking into opposing schools’ gyms and saying, “Why don’t we have something like this?”

“This is an opportunity for us to really show the kids and show the community the school pride we have, and allow businesses to be more involved in the school culture and the community at large,” Kobza said. 

The initial fundraising window closes on Aug.1, after which Kobza will evaluate the progress and plan the project’s next steps with Superintendent Lynn Johnson. But he said the intent is to have the boards funded entirely by family donations and business sponsorships. He said the Raymond Central school board was quick to support the project and saw the benefits the video boards could have on students and community members.

“That’s really what we’re trying to do is make a well-rounded experience for all of our students that are going to benefit from this in one way or another,” Kobza said.

As of now, Kobza said there are no plans to raise funds for a video board at the Raymond Central football field, as the field is used much more infrequently than the gym.

Sam Crisler is a reporter for The Waverly News. Reach him via email at  samuel.crisler@wahoonewspaper.com.

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NEW EXPERIENCE: A rendering of the planned video board that would hang on the Raymond Central gym’s west wall. (Image courtesy of Tony Kobza).