DAILY LEADER / KATIE WILLIAMSON / Students get in some basketball play in the new multi-purpose facility at Brookhaven Academy Thursday. Only minor aspects of the project are left to complete, such as painting the stage and outfitting the stadium seating lecture room.

The brand new bright white multi-purpose facility sitting in the rear of Brookhaven Academy was just a dream several years ago. The school board discussed the issue as something that would be nice in the future. A seed was planted.

Last year’s school board decided to grow the dream into a reality. In one year an empty lot has been transformed in to a pristine expansion for the school.

“In my 21 years at Brookhaven Academy I have seen many additions and improvements to our campus,” said Julie Wright, head of school at Brookhaven Academy. “I am proud of the educational experience that each student receives at BA, and the new multi-use facility has been part of the school’s vision for many years.”

The two-story building gives the school more room for extra curricular activates and various academic pursuits. It is home to art, music and dance facilities, new computers, state of the art classrooms with smart boards, a theater production stage, a new gymnasium and a large cafeteria which doubles as space for banquets and events. The addition also created a secondary stage in the old gymnasium that will be used for graduation ceremonies.

DAILY LEADER / KATIE WILLIAMSON / The new multi-purpose facility at Brookhaven Academy is up and operational Thursday after only a year of construction with only a few minor portions of the project still to be completed.

“Having a facility that houses our fine arts classes, computer labs, multi-media room, and a stage for live performances helps us fulfill our mission of educating the whole child,” said Wright. “It also allows space to expand our curriculum choices.”

Bryan Emory, director of development at BA said that the facility is 90 percent complete and just requires a few more finishing touches, such as painting the new stage black and finishing one of the stadium seating classrooms. He also commended the efforts of the school board for their work in building the addition.

BA is A private, non-state-funded school, so they rely on tuition and fundraisers to pay for large projects such as the multi-purpose facility. This building was paid for with private donations and loans.

Now, BA is working on a separate capital campaign to raise money to finish outfitting the building with equipment. The school is looking to raise $1 million.