The Office of Staten Island Borough President
12/11/2025 | Press release | Archived content
'Field Of Dreams' Unveiled At Totten Intermediate School
Borough President Vito Fossella visited Totten (I.S. 34) Intermediate School to cut the ribbon on a new full-sized, 100-yard turf football field with dedicated areas form softball, baseball and soccer, as well as a multi-purpose space for school events, which was funded by our office.
The school's Borough Student Advisory Council presented a plan to Borough President Fossella in March with their wish to renovate their schoolyard, which had not undergone any major renovations in decades.
A month later, Borough President Fossella joined Principal John Boyle and his students in turning over the soil with a ceremonial shovel, promising that "this dustbowl that has been here for 90 years will be transformed into a field of dreams -- it will be epic."
Now, that promise has been realized.
"It might be a little cold out here, but this field is smoking hot," said Borough President Fossella prior to the ribbon cutting. "You all had a dream, you came to us, we agreed to try to fulfill that dream and today, here we are -- 90 years in the making. Remember this: Anything is possible when you put your mind to it, when you believe in something, when you work hard, when you work together for the right reasons. That's what today is all about. You're going to have some fun on this field and you're going to have great memories on this field. We are so proud and humbled to do this for you and your families."
As a token of appreciation, Principal Boyle presented Borough President Fossella with the Defender Of The Nest Award, a gold statue of an Eagle, as the students chanted, "Vito, Vito, Vito." And, to highlight that the field will be for more than just sporting events, the day featured performances by the marching band, the cheerleaders and the dance team.
"Since 1935, right back when this building first opened as Tottenville High School, this patch of land has been part of the sports community and of the Staten Island community forever," said Principal Boyle. "For decades, this grass field was beautifully kept, lovingly maintained and played on seven days a week, but as time came so did wear -- with drought came dust and over the last few years, our field, our home, began to dry up. We still loved it, we still used it, but it slowly transformed into a dustbowl and for a long time, the idea of fixing it or building something bigger or something lasting felt like just a dream. But dreams have a funny way of taking shape when you surround yourself with the right people. Today, we're surrounded by those people."
The school's Borough Student Advisory Council presented a plan to Borough President Fossella in March with their wish to renovate their schoolyard, which had not undergone any major renovations in decades.
A month later, Borough President Fossella joined Principal John Boyle and his students in turning over the soil with a ceremonial shovel, promising that "this dustbowl that has been here for 90 years will be transformed into a field of dreams -- it will be epic."
Now, that promise has been realized.
"It might be a little cold out here, but this field is smoking hot," said Borough President Fossella prior to the ribbon cutting. "You all had a dream, you came to us, we agreed to try to fulfill that dream and today, here we are -- 90 years in the making. Remember this: Anything is possible when you put your mind to it, when you believe in something, when you work hard, when you work together for the right reasons. That's what today is all about. You're going to have some fun on this field and you're going to have great memories on this field. We are so proud and humbled to do this for you and your families."
As a token of appreciation, Principal Boyle presented Borough President Fossella with the Defender Of The Nest Award, a gold statue of an Eagle, as the students chanted, "Vito, Vito, Vito." And, to highlight that the field will be for more than just sporting events, the day featured performances by the marching band, the cheerleaders and the dance team.
"Since 1935, right back when this building first opened as Tottenville High School, this patch of land has been part of the sports community and of the Staten Island community forever," said Principal Boyle. "For decades, this grass field was beautifully kept, lovingly maintained and played on seven days a week, but as time came so did wear -- with drought came dust and over the last few years, our field, our home, began to dry up. We still loved it, we still used it, but it slowly transformed into a dustbowl and for a long time, the idea of fixing it or building something bigger or something lasting felt like just a dream. But dreams have a funny way of taking shape when you surround yourself with the right people. Today, we're surrounded by those people."
The Office of Staten Island Borough President published this content on December 11, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on December 18, 2025 at 15:54 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]