Major stadium project launches at Detroit Country Day School

BEVERLY HILLS — Detroit Country Day School’s Shaw Stadium, described by Head of School Richard Dempsey as the “front porch” and “heart of our campus,” is being reimagined with a project that is expected to wrap up in time for the start of the 2026-27 school year.

When Detroit Country Day School was moved to the current campus in 1957, Shaw Stadium looked a lot different than it does today. Throughout the years, the original wooden stands, grass field, cinder track, press box and scoreboard have been updated. In the late 1990s, Detroit Country Day School was one of the first schools to have artificial turf.

The current project will reimagine the turf, track, digital scoreboard, lighting, seating, landscaping and pedestrian entrance.

According to the school, the seating capacity will go from 800 to 1,220 seats, and 10 dedicated Americans with Disability Act-accessible seats will be added. The track will use the Beynon polyurethane system and the field will be FieldTurf “Core 2.5” monofilament surface, an advanced turf designed to have a grass-like feel. The 26-by-19-foot scoreboard will be powered by 442,368 ultra-bright LED pixels.

The project is already underway, overseen by Rockford Construction.

“This project isn’t just a field. It isn’t just bleachers and lights and a scoreboard. It really pays tribute to our past and sends a message to all in our community and beyond of what’s really important at our school, and that is the scholar athletes,” Dempsey said.

 

A focal point to the school community
At Detroit Country Day School, students are required to participate in athletics. The stadium is a highly used sports facility and gathering place.

“Our school has a pretty unique philosophy in that all the students have to participate in athletics. So, I think almost every student is in that stadium at some point in their high school career,” Athletic Director Dan MacLean said.

The stadium is located at the front of the campus, making it one of the first things people see when they enter. Dempsey said it is about making a “warm, welcoming statement.”

 

Funding for the project
The school met its goal of raising $3.2 million for this project. Dempsey emphasized that they wouldn’t be able to do this project without the financial support of donors.

“We’re blessed to have such a collection of parents and alums, and parents of alums, who have stepped forward in putting their full support, financial support behind this,” Dempsey said.

A ceremony was held at Detroit Country Day Upper School, 22305 W. 13 Mile Road in Beverly Hills, May 28. For more information on the project, visit dcds.edu/stadium.