A $1 million matching gift donation program has paved the way for the construction of a new athletic complex at Carrollwood Day School.
Located near the west entrance of the school’s Bearss Avenue campus, the new athletic complex will be a well-lit, multi-use space for the private school’s football, baseball and soccer teams.
(Photos courtesy of Carrollwood Day School)
Billionaire entrepreneur Todd Wagner, and his wife, Keri Wagner, made the donation program possible by agreeing to put forward a $1 million pledge in August, contingent on the school also raising $1 million.
The school reached the $1 million mark by mid-December, through contributions from numerous other families with ties to the school.
“It kept coming in bunches,” said Head of School Ryan Kelly. “We had a number of families step forward from smaller amounts to larger amounts, from three figures to six figures.
“It just was a community effort, and I’m just thrilled that families stepped up and supported it.”
The multi-use athletic complex is expected to be completed in time for the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year, just in time for the high school football season. And, instead of playing on a grass surface, home football games will be played on turf.
“There aren’t that many (turf fields) around here, so I think from that standpoint, we’ll be one of the few independent schools that have a turf field,” said Kelly, who has been at the school for eight years and has been head of school for three years.
The school’s athletic director, Baker Mabry, also is enthused about the turf field, which he referred to as the “shiny piece” of the new complex.
“We really pushed hard for turf,” said Mabry, who’s in his ninth year as the school’s athletic director. “Anybody that has to manage a field that has natural grass knows the headaches with that. I think everybody is pretty excited about the turf.”
Being able to have stadium lights at the complex is another feature that stands out for Mabry, who noted other private schools like Tampa Catholic have “had to wait years” before getting approval for lights.
“To be able to host night games, you know everybody loves the ‘Friday Night Lights’ with football, but just for athletics across the board…I think it’s really going to be a neat thing for our school,” Mabry added.
The complex, which will also include a press box and enough bleacher seating for 500-plus people, should make Mabry’s job easier, as he won’t have to worry about leasing off-site fields for the various athletic programs’ practices and home games.
“It should streamline everything,” he said. “Having everything on campus, for me personally, will really help streamline that process, but I also think it’s going to raise expectations for our program, which is a great thing also. It keeps our coaches motivated. It keeps our athletes motivated. Hopefully, we’ll just continue to build.”
Mabry believes the new complex will increase athletic participation and has other benefits, too.
“I think it increases school spirit, and I think it’s going to increase participation across the board with our sports,” he explained. “We’re also hoping it increases enrollment, as people see our facilities and people see that we are a school on the move, and a school that’s growing. It entices more families to attend CDS (Carrollwood Day School).”
Mabry said there’s been an added emphasis over the past years to get the school’s athletic facilities up to par with its highly regarded academic facilities.
“The No. 1 thing that we hear is the academic facilities are fantastic,” he said. “But people would ask, ‘When are the athletic facilities coming in line?’”
The athletic complex is the second phase of the school’s capital campaign program, known as Patriot Pride. The first phase of the program, a 25,000-square-foot gymnasium, is currently under construction. Once completed, it will house three volleyball courts, two full-size basketball courts and a weight room.
The facilities are a step forward for the school, Kelly said.
“For our campus, I think it’s going to be a huge enhancement for our athletics and also our PE (Physical Education) program. We’ll be able to match what we do on our athletic side with what we do on our academic side,” he said.
Carrollwood’s athletic director concurs with that assessment.
“I think it’s just one of the final pieces that makes Carrollwood Day School one of the top schools in the area,” Mabry said.
Published January 13, 2016
