Last Friday, November 1st, during the football game, it was announced that the Granada football stadium was going to be dedicated to former Granada principal Kevin Drake who served from 1994 to 2004, honoring him for his contributions to the school and the community.
According to Pleasanton Weekly, Mr. Drake passed away on February 21st, 2024, at 78 years old, after a battle with stage four lung cancer. He is survived by his wife, his two children, his grandchildren, and his siblings, as well as his extended family and friends. The dedication of the Granada football stadium is a tribute to a man who left not only a lasting positive impact on Granada High School, but the city of Livermore as a whole.
Granada administration decided to honor Mr. Drake earlier this year following his passing. They chose him due not only to his service at the school, but the legacy of care and compassion he left behind. Principal Conover stated, “Mr. Drake was a principal here that cared about Granada High School, probably more than anybody I’ve ever known. He cared about the staff, the students, and just the school as a whole.”
As a principal, Mr. Drake believed that teachers and students alike should be involved in the community, and often encouraged teachers to also take on roles as coaches or club advisors in order to foster a caring, and community-oriented environment. When asked to choose three words to describe Mr. Drake, Mr. Conover chose the words “caring,” “supportive,” and “thoughtful.”
Going forward, the stadium previously known as the Granada Football Stadium will officially be known as the Kevin Drake Stadium in his honor.
According to Principal Conover, the process for renaming the stadium began with the appointment of a committee. The committee met twice, and worked together to come up with and suggest possible names to the school board. Once a few names were chosen, the school board met again, and finally decided which of the approved names they were going to pick.
The process went smoothly, with no reported issues or setbacks. Mr. Conover stated that the smoothness of the process was likely due to the sheer amount of respect the community has for Mr. Drake, as no one wanted to cause any complications when it came to honoring his legacy.
Mr. Conover said that the reason that the stadium was chosen over any other facility was that it best represented Mr. Drake’s legacy at the school. The stadium serves not only as a place to demonstrate the excellence of Granada’s students and sports programs, but as a gathering place for students from all walks of life. The stadium is a place where students can come together to celebrate their school spirit and participate in the community, regardless of their background.
Mr. Conover stated that Mr. Drake’s belief in the sentiment that “kids don’t care what you know until they know how much you care” drove his commitment to forging Granada High School into a strong, diverse, and caring community.
Going forward, the Kevin Drake stadium will serve to honor Mr. Drake’s contributions to the community, and preserve his legacy at Granada High School.
Article References:
Remembering Kevin Drake, longtime Livermore educator and coach
