By Cindy Peterson
Construction of New Fruitland Park Elementary School Campus Underway
Construction is underway for the new Fruitland Park Elementary School campus, located at the corner of Olive Avenue and Urick Street.
“We are so excited to finish this beautiful new school for Fruitland Park,” Lake County School Board member Tyler Brandeburg says. “The original campus is approximately 75 years old and this new site will provide us the opportunity to build a state of the art campus with additional student capacity and resources to help our kids learn and grow. The job is currently on schedule and our construction partners are committed to getting this campus open for the start of the second semester of this school year in January.”
The campus design will reflect the school’s mascot, The Challengers, with a space theme that will permeate throughout the building.
The new campus will house all administrative offices, classrooms, cafeteria, and enrichment spaces, with VPK and kindergarten classes in one wing, primary grades in the opposite lower wing, and intermediate classes on the second level above the primary grades. A central wing will house administrative offices, enrichment classrooms, and the cafeteria.
Other campus features include an outdoor pavilion with restrooms for physical education classes, outdoor basketball courts, and a large soccer field. The media center will be situated between an outdoor learning area and a courtyard for performances and activities. Importantly, all classrooms will have restroom access from within, eliminating the need for students to leave instructional areas during class time.
The transition from 14 relocatable units to permanent classrooms will provide a safer and more secure environment for students. Additionally, inclusivity is a priority, with designated spaces for ESE instructional support classrooms and accommodations for itinerant staff working with students on specialized needs.
For more information about the new Fruitland Park Elementary School campus and other developments in Lake County Schools, please visit the Lake County Schools website at lake.k12.fl.us.
Photos provided by Tyler Brandeburg and Fruitland Park Elementary School
Originally from the small town of Berryville, Arkansas, Cindy has become a multimedia specialist in journalism, photography, videography and video editing.
She has a B.S. in Communications from the University of Central Arkansas and is a correspondent for The Daily Commercial, LakeFront TV and Beacon College’s PBS talk show, “A World of Difference,” where she received an Anthem Award and Telly Award.
When she isn’t working, Cindy spends time with her husband, Ryan, and son, David, traveling and taking photos of landscapes and wildlife.
