Sussex Academy to build new fields, pool

Sussex Academy has big plans for its Georgetown campus.

Officials of the public charter school recently unveiled plans that include new athletic fields, a middle school classroom wing and a swimming pool.

The additions would build on Sussex Academy's academic success for grades six through eight and establish a comprehensive high school for grades nine through 12.

“It's important to offer a full high school experience,” said Joe Schell, chairman of the Sussex Academy Foundation, a planning and fundraising arm of the school.

Charter schools are public schools, but by law, buildings, construction and amenities must be paid for through fundraising and donations. School operations are funded through the amount per student from the student's home district.

Sussex Academy opened in 2000 as a 225-pupil public middle school in Georgetown. In 2013, the school expanded after swapping campuses with Delmarva Christian High School.

That deal required Sussex Academy to pay off $1.6 million in debt on its original facility and pay about $10 million in compensation to Delmarva Christian.

In return, Sussex Academy received a larger facility, allowing the charter school to expand enrollment to 325 and add a high school program. The school also spent about $1.5 million in renovations at its new facility, which included finishing an interior section of the school.

Sussex Academy has added a high school grade each year since 2013 with 72 students now in the ninth grade and 50 in 10th grade, Schell said.

Since the high school opened, Schell said, the school has lost about a third of Sussex Academy's eighth-graders to comprehensive high schools – mostly Cape Henlopen and Sussex Tech.

“Students want to be involved in everything,” Schell said.

The improvements to the school will give them more extra-curricular opportunities; Schell said he hopes this will boost retention. Ultimately, Schell said, school officials would like about 110 students in each grade from 7 to 12. By 2016, he said, school officials expect enrollment to reach 700.

The foundation recently purchased about 18 acres of open space next to the school, which will allow the school to expand and improve playing fields.

The Sussex Academy Athletic Complex will expand from two playing fields to seven – two turf fields are expected to be finished by fall 2015, he said.

Also in the plans, is a field surrounded by a track, three baseball and softball fields and eight tennis courts to be covered by a bubble for use during inclement weather.

Improvements to the main building include a middle school wing and a pool. Schell said there is no schedule yet on when the aquatics center would be completed, but plans call for a 25-yard pool with seating for spectators and a panoramic view of the campus along the back wall.

“It'll be a great venue for swim events,” he said.

Editor's note: This story has been updated from an earlier version that incorrectly named the high school.