How impressive is it that Newman Stadium features one of the best jumbotrons in all of high school athletics?  Well, that depends on who you ask.

“The scoreboard allows us to up the experience at games and better provide a night of entertainment,” Athletic Director Bob Bozzuto said.

Bozzuto was quick to add that scoreboard does more than provide razzle-dazzle.

“The board enables us to inform the community about all of our sports programs and all of our championships,” he said.  “We did that for years in the past, but people wouldn’t know it because they couldn’t see it.  Now they can.” 

The scoreboard, which cost approximately $500,000, serves to enhance audience experience, communicate important community messages, and increase advertising revenues for the Athletic Department.  Yet, not everyone agrees on its importance.

Senior Jack Hickerson believes that the school spends too much money on the football team and the the school should not have spent as much money on the scoreboard. “The scoreboard is not even that great,” he said.  “It’s just too much to really call sensible.”

Senior Kyle Casten thinks that the scoreboard is nice but perhaps overdone. “We spenta ton of money on it and it doesn’t really matter,” he said. “It’s nice, but there’s really not much to it, and the money spent on it could’ve gone elsewhere.”

Not all students agree, however.  “Our scoreboard is better than just about every other district’s scoreboard and it adds flair to the games,” Alex Cook said. “I like it.”

The scoreboard cost approximately $500,000 according to Bozzuto, who explained that item wasn’t added to enhance the experience of watching a game.  The scoreboard allows North Allegheny to advertise and to serve as a vital tool for district communications.

“If we have an emergency, we can put it on the board,” Bozzuto added.

The Athletic Director says that he plans on adding more scoreboards in the future on other fields throughout the district.