Resident proposes interschool ‘field day’ showcase; advisory board backs pilot plan

Mario Panera presented an idea to the advisory board to showcase local public schools through a recurring competition that would combine athletics, academics and performing arts.

"The idea is we get a sponsor, which showcases the schools...we could do a week thing or a weekend," Panera said, laying out a model with sport events, a civic/debate bowl and theater or talent components to highlight HML, Barbara Goldman and Miami Lakes Educational Center and corresponding middle schools.

Board members and school representatives discussed logistics including rotating venues (campus gymnasiums or town parks), sponsorship tiers (title, silver, bronze), facility requests for Saturday events, volunteer staffing, and whether to hold preliminary rounds at different sites with finals on a single weekend. The group generally supported starting small in a pilot year focused on an outdoor field-day format and identified HMO campus or a town park as potential hosts for a February weekend. Members asked a volunteer to assemble a sponsor package and confirmed the need to obtain council permission and intergovernmental approval before finalizing dates.

The board emphasized keeping the first year modest — a single field day or separate field days for high-school and middle-school levels — with proceeds from concessions and sponsorships earmarked for school programs rather than ticket sales. No final date or formal vote was taken; organizers were asked to prepare a proposal for the next advisory-board meeting and to route the request through intergovernmental channels for council review.