State-of-the-art technology part of new campus

By Linda Gee

First Baptist Academy continues to build and grow its academic and athletic campus in East Dallas. On Tuesday, January 16, more than 100 area notables, school families, donors, faculty, staff, and alumni gathered in the early evening for the ribbon cutting ceremony and celebration of the brand new 25,000-square-foot academic center located at 7898 Samuell Boulevard, Dallas. Before the scissors snipped the ribbon, attendees heard about what made this new building possible. The ceremony began with a welcome and prayer by First Baptist Academy Head of School, Jason Lovvorn. In his remarks, Lovvorn recognized the generosity of FBA’s many donors for making the new campus a reality, especially Orville Rogers, Jim and Geneva Donald, and Andy Horner. Lovvorn next introduced dignitaries in attendance, including Texas House Representative Eric Johnson (District 100), Texas Senator Don Huffines (District 16), and Dallas City Council Members Kevin Felder (District 7) and Rickey Callahan (District 5). Representative Johnson congratulated FBA on its accomplishment and read a resolution from the Texas House, then presented the school with a flag flown over the Texas State Capitol to fly on its new flagpole.

Senator Huffines spoke of FBA’s strong legacy in Dallas and presented FBA with a resolution from the Texas Senate. First Baptist Church Executive Pastor and FBA Alum Ben Lovvorn added his thanks to all involved in the project and explained how much FBA has meant to his family for generations. He led the group in a prayer to thank God for His hand in guiding the project and for continued blessings on the school. Head of School Lovvorn was then joined by the Donald Family, Orville Rogers and many donors and guests for the official ribbon cutting. Afterwards, the doors to the academic center were opened for tours.

First Baptist Academy’s new building offers students collaborative workspaces throughout with movable desks and common areas that allow spaces to be instantly configured to meet the needs of students, faculty and families.

Smart technology throughout the campus is able to broadcast updates and information, and can be connected to individual laptops to allow students to collaborate on group projects. For the 240 students attending First Baptist Academy, the new academic center means 21 state of the art classrooms with collaborative workspaces and upgraded technology. FBA has already begun work on the second phase of the project, which includes new baseball and softball fields that are scheduled to be complete in Spring 2018.

For more information about First Baptist Academy, visit fbacademy.com.