Duke School Under the Oak Magazine, Summer 2014

HOME-COURT
ADVANTAGE
Duke School has evolved quite a bit since its
creation in 1947, most recently and visibly with
the relocation of the Lower School to create
one cohesive campus. Now, a new athletic
enhancement project is underway—the creation
of new tennis courts.
It has long been planned to add tennis courts to
Duke School’s campus as, until now, the boys’
and girls’ tennis teams are the only school athletic
teams that do
not practice and
compete onsite.
Currently, the
tennis teams
use the courts at
Morreene Road
Park, just a few
minutes away.
Athletic Director
and Middle School Physical Education Teacher
Jean Sartain said the Morreene Road courts are
“as good as it can be if you don’t have your own
courts,” but there are many benefits to having the
courts on campus.
The first benefit is that by having courts onsite
Duke School can be responsible for their upkeep
and keep them in tiptop condition, instead of
having to deal with public courts that may be low
on the county’s maintenance priority list. Jean
says she believes some students are discouraged
from enjoying tennis because the city courts are
showing wear and tear, and they are very excited
to have really good courts on which to play.
One great advantage to
having home courts is that
more people will come to watch
the tennis teams compete.
Tennis matches will be more efficient when held
on campus. Students will no longer have to waste
practice time being bussed to the public courts.
While only a few minutes away, those wasted
minutes add up over a season. Also, there are only
five courts at Morreene Road, and there will be six
at Duke School. This means that one more set of
opponents can be competing at the same time,
and everyone can have their turn sooner.
One great advantage to having home courts is that
more people will come to watch the tennis teams
compete. Right now, the spectators are mainly
parents. By having matches directly on campus,
more students will
be able to stay
to cheer on their
classmates while
they compete.
Head of School
Dave Michelman
says it will be a
great benefit for
Duke School’s
tennis teams to feel more a part of the school’s
athletic community.
In addition, either by having more exposure to the
school matches or just from being tempted by the
shiny new courts, Jean says that it is likely more
students will want to join the teams. This spring,
nine boys are on the tennis team, and fourteen
girls competed for Duke School this past fall.
Plus, having onsite courts means that they will be
available to the Duke School community and add
to the school’s summer camp programs.
Having tennis courts on campus also means that
tennis can now be taught as part of the physical
education curriculum. “Tennis is a lifelong sport,
so it would be a great addition to the PE program,”
says Dave.
For all these reasons, “we are so pleased that the
tennis courts have come about,” says Jean. “Not
many schools that only go through grade eight
have their own tennis courts. We are very, very
lucky.”
Dave says because of the school’s solid financial
status, it was able to allocate a portion of its
bond funds (which are designated for capital
improvements) to the Athletic Enhancement
Project. This source of funding in conjunction
with the restricted gifts received from several
private donors helped fund the project in totality
and avoided a major campaign. The Athletic
Enhancement Project is a valuable addition
to Duke School and will provide considerable
enhancements for students, parents and alumni.
“Thanks to the support of generous donors, Duke
School students will be able to begin playing on
their own tennis courts next academic year,” says
Kenneth W. Chandler, Duke School’s director of
development. “Plans for enhancing our soccer
fields are still under review, and we are continuing
to evaluate the best ways to enhance the current
field and plan for appropriate irrigation. These gifts
have helped to strengthen our athletic program
and enrich the student-athlete experience. ”
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