There’s nothing like the view from the top, says David Bolen, GRC principal for 10 years.

“The one thing that really grabs me is getting up on top of the stadium press box and looking over everything,” Bolen says. “You can look around and see the entire campus and you quickly realize how huge it actually is. It’s an overwhelming feeling.”

As the school and community continue to relish the benefits of GRC’s stunning football stadium, construction is nearing completion on the rest of the athletic facilities, soon bringing GRC’s long-awaited total campus to fruition.

“The opening of the stadium has been the most monumental event for GRC since the opening of our new school in 2013,” said Principal Bolen. “We are beyond thrilled to have the total campus we have anticipated since we moved here more than six years ago.”

Bolen stressed that the entire Winchester and Clark County community share the abundance made possible with the sleek facilities. “The benefit of our athletic complex to the community cannot be tangibly measured but rest assured the economic impact in Clark County will be tremendous well into the future,” Bolen said. “This doesn’t even include the boost of increased unity and school spirit, which stretch far beyond what can be gauged.”

Enthusiastic buzz flurries among students and members of the community who recognize daily progress on the remainder of the facilities.

Principal Bolen said the gymnasium should be completed sometime in February. 

The field house, baseball and softball fields, and tennis courts should also be completed in early 2020. The Clark County Board of Education’s approval of turf for baseball and softball may cause minor delays. “Everything will depend on temperatures,” Bolen said, “but I think we should be on track to play come spring.”

The opening of Cardinal Stadium was a boon to the entire community with the first game drawing around 4,000 people to the facility that is being compared to a small college. The GRC Band Invitational in October drew 21 bands from across Kentucky. The event featured 1,500 performers and attracted nearly 3,000 spectators. The Kentucky Music Educators Association Class 2A regional competition also was held at Cardinal Stadium.

GRC hosted girls’ and boys’ soccer district and the 10th Region boys’ soccer tournament. The football district playoffs will be played at Cardinal Stadium Friday with champion GRC playing Madison Central. GRC also was able to host its first pep rally in seven years.

“The opening of the stadium has been tremendous for our school,” Bolen said. “Soccer district and region went really well, and we are looking forward to football district. The band competitions were huge for GRC. It was a spectacular sight to drive by here and see all the buses and the packed stadium. All these events obviously trickled over to the area’s businesses. The student involvement and fan base are larger than they have been in years.”

Bolen said teams are contacting GRC regularly to schedule. “A lot of schools want to come here to play,” Bolen said. “Can you blame them?”

Bolen said GRC is scheduled to host the boys’ and girls’ district basketball tournaments and the 10th Region Boys’ Tournament. “We will be planning several big events in the new gym, similar to what we did when the field opened,” Bolen said. “It’s a great time to be a GRC Cardinal.”