The high school athletic season may be coming to a close, but fans of the Oxbridge Academy of the Palm Beaches will still have plenty to cheer about. Following its successful inaugural varsity year, the new, independent high school in West Palm Beach has launched a multimillion-dollar makeover to enhance and improve its athletic facilities.
The multi-phased project kicked off this spring with the opening of a new regulation-size practice field featuring Bermuda grass and competition lighting to allow student-athletes to continue training year-round.
Construction is now underway on a state-of-the-art athletic complex, featuring a 1,500-seat stadium, concession area and designated parking lot. The complex will also include a regulation-size field for soccer, lacrosse, tackle and flag football. The complex will be connected to the main campus via a covered, lighted walkway and is scheduled to open this fall.
The final phase of the athletic complex will include a new baseball field, auxiliary gymnasium and four additional lighted tennis courts.
Oxbridge Academy opened in September 2011 on the former site of the Jewish Community Center. Campus renovations included upgrading the weight room equipment, re-claying the softball field, resurfacing the tennis courts and jogging track, enhancing the swimming pool, and installing retractable bleachers and baskets in the gymnasium. In order to accommodate the new athletics complex, Oxbridge Academy purchased an additional 14 acres of adjacent property. The existing lake behind the school also underwent a reconfiguration to provide additional space.
The athletic program at Oxbridge Academy complements the school’s overall mission and vision to provide a life-defining educational experience. The school views athletic competition as a microcosm of life in which the challenges and obstacles faced by student-athletes on the playing field help prepare them to succeed in challenges and obstacles they will encounter in life. The school currently offers 26 athletic teams and clubs ranging from basketball to fencing to sailing. Approximately 85 percent of the student body participates in an athletic program, and there’s a “no-cut” policy for all junior varsity teams, so every student has the opportunity to play, regardless of experience or skill level.
For more information, call (561) 972-9600 or visit www.oapb.org.
ABOVE: A drawing of the new athletic facility.
