Love-all: Bishop Stang unveils new tennis courts
Jason Hutchens cuts the ribbon during the opening of Bishop Stang High School's new tennis courts alongside his wife Gisele Hutchens and their two children. Photos by Abby Van Selous
Reaching for the tennis ball.
Bishop Edgar da Cunha blesses the court.
A Bishop Stang athlete keeps her eye on the tennis ball.
Awaiting a serve from her opponent.
The girls tennis team were the first ones to play on the new courts.
Bishop Stang High School President James Benson speaks during the ceremony.
Jason Hutchens cuts the ribbon during the opening of Bishop Stang High School's new tennis courts alongside his wife Gisele Hutchens and their two children. Photos by Abby Van Selous
Reaching for the tennis ball.
Bishop Edgar da Cunha blesses the court.
A Bishop Stang athlete keeps her eye on the tennis ball.
Awaiting a serve from her opponent.
The girls tennis team were the first ones to play on the new courts.
Bishop Stang High School President James Benson speaks during the ceremony.
For around 10 years tennis players at Bishop Stang High School have had to travel to Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford to play.
Now, with a donation from the Hutchens Family, the team can stay a little closer to home.
On Thursday, April 9, Bishop Stang held a ribbon cutting ceremony and a blessing of five new courts located behind the school.
The new courts weren’t built entirely from scratch as there were existing courts on the lot. Made of old asphalt and cracked, the old courts weren’t safe for the students to play on them, according to Jason Hutchens.
Jason and his wife Gisele Hutchens realized there was a need for new tennis courts when their son played on the tennis team and had to make the commute to and from Buttonwood Park.
“That’s when we got familiar with the whole struggle going back and forth,” Gisele said.
Jason noted that his family “just loves tennis.”
“My wife and I and the kids thought it would be a great donation for the school, and for the campus, for the kids, just to be playing on their own campus versus the public park,” he said.
The project began at the end of June or early July with the demolition of the old courts, followed by several months of site work, such as pouring concrete and installing the nets.
Construction finished at the end of October, and while the ribbon cutting ceremony was held on April 9, the first match was played the day before.
“The girls had their first game here yesterday, and just the buzz, the excitement for the students, the parents, the teachers, it’s a blessing to watch,” Jason said.
Gisele added, “It’s wonderful to see that it’s going to be useful for years to come.”
Bishop Stang President James Benson spoke at the ceremony, noting that in 1959 hundreds of people were recognized for their generous contributions that led to the construction of the high school.
“Sixty-seven years later, we gathered to greatly acknowledge the extraordinary generosity of the Hutchens family,” he said.
The Hutchens’ donation of around $1.1 million is the largest individual gift for any single project in the school’s history, Benson noted.
“On behalf of all the members of the Spartan Village community, especially our current students and all our proud tennis teams, we thank you for all that you have done for us,” he said.
