Foundation Academy breaks ground on new track, other athletic facilities

Foundation Academy has broken ground on a plethora of construction projects and upgrades to its Tilden campus’ athletics facilities.

“We are currently building a track facility with the specifications needed to host any FHSAA meet,” said Robert East, Foundation’s athletics director and director of operations. “We are also adding expanded seating to (Lions) Field in order to service (track-and-field), football, soccer and lacrosse. We will also have a brand new press box with a film deck on top to service these sports. Finally, we are adding a concession stand and restroom building to the west side of campus to serve baseball, beach volleyball and the other field space on that side of campus.”

First established in 1958, as part of Winter Garden's First Baptist Church, Foundation Academy has seen significant growth in recent years, both in its facilities and in its student population. In September, the school opened a state-of-the-art classroom facility for its high school students, which included a conference room, computer lab — decked out with new iMac computers — a coding-specific classroom and a broadcast studio. The new building made room for an additional 325 students.

“I have been privileged to be at Foundation Academy for 10 years and I have seen the fruits of our efforts,” East said. “We have seen the addition of an expanded weight room, infrastructure such as roads, lighting and parking, the construction of a cafeteria and a new classroom building, and now the beginning of our athletic complex enhancements. All of this serves only the purpose of partnering with families to provide a Christ-centered education. We are able to reach more families with expanded facilities and the quality of the experience is only growing.”

This latest facility upgrade, this time focused on athletics, is another sign that the private Christian school is dedicated to meeting the growing demands of its students and providing a top-notch and well-rounded academic and athletic experience.

“This investment is vital to the continued development of the student athlete experience at Foundation Academy,” East said. “Last year, we hosted a cross country meet at home for the first time in six years and this gave our team and their families the chance to compete without travel. We will be expanding our cross country opportunities on our campus next year and adding (track-and-field) to this. Track is a sport that allows for individual athletic growth, which supports all other sports. And the expanded seating and concessions creates opportunities for revenue to support the overall program.”

The addition of a new eight-lane running track, the 1,000-seat expansion at Lions Field and new facilities on the campus’ west side are just a few examples of the recent athletics-specific additions to the school. East, who’s worked at Foundation for a decade, knows the impact these new athletic and general facility projects have on the school’s overall mission of providing the highest quality of education in a Christ-centered environment.

“Foundation Academy offers families the opportunity to have a partner in the development of students spiritually, physically, mentally and socially,” East said. “The campus enhancements we are constructing will obviously support the physical growth of student athletes. It is our desire that these facilities be used in a manner that also supports the spiritual, social and mental development of student athletes!”

Construction on the various new athletics facility projects are slated to be completed by the beginning of the 2025-26 school year, this August.