Being Cool To The Schools

Almost from its inception, the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District eagerly partnered with educational entities to enhance Boca Raton community life.

Created in 1974 to help the City of Boca Raton retire the debt incurred from the purchase of the Schine Tract, District Commissioner Gordon Gilbert pushed to ensure part of that land would become what is now the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center.

Gumbo Limbo opened in 1984, offering the Boca Raton community an opportunity to learn about the flora and fauna that occupy the hammock east of the Intracoastal Waterway.

The educational opportunities at District-funded Gumbo Limbo didn't stop there. Within a year of its opening, the District, the City of Boca Raton and Florida Atlantic University reached an agreement to create a marine research facility at Gumbo Limbo.

“There's no place around here like this,” Gordon Gilbert told the Palm Beach Post shortly before the marine research facility opened.  “People will be able to witness state-of-the-art marine research.”

Gilbert at the time served as Gumbo Limbo executive director as well as a District Commissioner.

Around that time the Palm Beach County School Board, the District and Gumbo Limbo also achieved a funding agreement that paved the way for elementary, middle and high school students to visit Gumbo Limbo and learn about local environmental conservation.

Partnerships with local colleges and school districts aren't limited solely to education. Many provide more athletic opportunities for students and the Boca Raton community as a whole.

As Boca Raton experienced explosive growth, the need for athletic fields grew more glaring.

In the early 1990s District Commissioners struck a deal with Florida Atlantic to build football/soccer fields at the Henderson School on FAU's campus. Those fields would be shared by Boca Raton community athletic organizations, the Henderson School, and campus organizations. As part of the deal, the District built a varsity soccer field for FAU that could also receive community use.

A few years later FAU and the District expanded their partnership, with the District building soccer fields near the western most Glades Rd. entrance to campus.

Those fields have become so crucial for the Soccer Association of Boca Raton's scheduling that the District and FAU signed a 10-year contract extension in 2020.

“The Greater Boca Raton Beach and Parks District and the City of Boca Raton have always been tremendous partners to FAU athletics,” Florida Atlantic Athletic Director Brian White said at the time of the extension. “We are thrilled to continue this partnership that supports youth sports in our community right here on campus.”

Other District partnerships aid both the Boca Raton Community and its schools.

The District helped organized community sports gain more access to space by leasing fields at Don Estridge Middle School.

Area schools also use District facilities. In the early 1990s the College of Boca Raton brought the NAIA soccer tournament to Patch Reef Park. Many credit the success of those tournaments with providing the momentum for what is now Lynn University's move to NCAA Division II status.

Keiser University, a national powerhouse on the NAIA tennis scene, calls the Patch Reef Tennis Center home.

And on a recent Wednesday dozens of Spanish River High School soccer players hit the turf fields at Patch Reef for soccer tryouts.

Spanish River, like several local schools, often utilize District facilities when their on-campus fields are overextended.  

“It's wonderful that our facilities can help advance the educational and recreational experiences of the students in our community,” District Chair Erin Wright said. “I'm looking forward to continuing these programs.”