Dave Buckles, President, Foundation Academy

Invest: spoke with Dave Buckles, president of Foundation Academy, about its role as an inclusive, private, Christian school, and its numerous and diverse programs which appeal to a variety of student interests, including entrepreneurship. “Working towards making good grades is a goal of course; however, ultimately we aim to produce quality individuals who not only contribute to our society but exceed the needs of an everchanging world,” he said.

How has the Foundation Academy continued to grow over the last year? 

Foundation Academy is currently comprised of three distinctive campuses in the West Orange County area. It is strategically located in a rapidly growing area. This is one of the fastest growing metro areas in the country.  In addition, we believe our growth is due to a confluence of factors. Three of the top factors are we know who we are, our focus on innovation in the learning and development of students and a wholistic approach to building a foundation through the education of the mind, body, and spirit. 

How has demand for your academic programs shifted? 

We are expanding multiple programs that are projecting to be large areas of opportunities for today’s students: the medical field, content creation, and production and distribution. Particularly in Central Florida, there is a significant medical industry that is thriving, and we are located at the back gates of Disney, Universal and SeaWorld. These industries and companies have had a huge impact in our region, on our students, and our families. We are providing a track for those who want to seek their life’s work in these fields. Currently, we are in the process of a $17 million building expansion that will include a coding lab, graphic arts studio, and content creation production space. We are creating specialized educational environments that engage our students’ creativity, ingenuity and teamwork. In addition, we have Lunch Bag Talks with industry leaders, who speak with our students about their professions and trades as well as how to prepare for their prospective fields. Collectively, this has built a real sense of excitement about our school, and the privilege it is to learn and to teach.

How does Foundation Academy’s approach to learning differ from other schools in the area? 

Most schools have the same goal, which is to help a student graduate and move forward. What sets Foundation Academy apart is our collaborative approach to education. Our Student Services department meets with students early in the process to get to know each student. Our goal is to truly understand each student’s passion, interests, and talents to help them in their interests and gifts. Our hope is this will place our students on the path towards a profession or trade that will be good for them. In addition, we are intentionally fostering environments that promote enterprise, entrepreneurship, and a sense of discovery. We seek to build not only a foundation for life, but quality people who can exceed the demands of any profession or trade they choose. 

What challenges have you faced in your time as president, and how have you overcome them? 

The challenges have been the rapid nature of our growth, balancing our culture being an open enrollment school, and acquiring and retaining committed, talented educators. I started in 2014 with 575 students on two campuses. Today, we have 1,225 students and three campuses. That pace of growth brings operational and economical challenges that we have had to adjust to. While we are a private Christian school, we have open enrollment. You can be of any faith or even an atheist and be welcomed here. We appreciate and are deliberate about our faith and how that directly impacts the culture. Being an open enrollment school, our hope is our culture will impact those who may be uncertain about their beliefs. We are continually hiring to accommodate growth of enrollment as well as expanded educational choices. We are intentional in choosing candidates that understand the importance of our core values, our beliefs, and how that compliments our learning environment. We don’t view our challenges as obstacles, but as opportunities to learn and grow.

What partnerships do you have with community leaders?

We partner with many schools in Central Florida. I head a volunteer organization called Schools United, where private schools get together for peer-to-peer networking. We talk about how we can overcome challenges and struggles. We work with Orange Technical College to provide additional resources for our students. Our partnership with Healthy West Orange allows us to share space for our physical meetings and our partnership with Advent Health provides athletic trainers for our sports programs. However, perhaps our most important partnership is with our church, Winter Garden’s First Baptist, and our families. It is explicitly this partnership that helps build a foundation for life. 

How is education evolving because of recent global and technological changes? 

AI seems to be the current buzzword and trend affecting education. It also is inevitable that it will play a role in the education of not only students but in all facets of life. We do believe there is a place for AI; however, effective and meaningful learning is relational, and, in my opinion, there is no more effective learning than person to person. We do embrace technology in other ways, such as equipment.  In our new building, we are going from projectors to touchscreen TVs. It allows our teachers to communicate with students in innovative, interactive ways, but the human interaction in the learning process remains paramount. We value relationships with our students and families. Social media, phones, and other technologies are causing kids to miss the inherent beauty of working together, leading to things such as isolation and depression. While in school we have a no cell phone policy. We want to promote fellowship, friendship, and teamwork in the process of learning. 

How do you envision the future of Foundation Academy? 

My vision is to have smaller campuses for a K-6 grade setting. We are working with various churches and other spaces to leverage existing facilities for these micro-schools. Our focus is about getting Christian education with biblical integration to as many students as we can as early as we can. In the state of Florida, it is a challenge for churches to start a school because of the school choice program. Many organizations are trying to start or expand their schools, but at times lack the true understanding of deliberate strategies, proper resources, and capital necessary to achieve the vison they have. Having solid partnerships, being fiscally responsible, and remembering who it is you serve, to me, is the key to embracing a bright future for private