Robert Lysek admitted that his face is “probably on some dartboards in the area.”
Lysek, CEO of Executive Education Academy Charter, often draws the ire of those who don't believe in charter schools and are outraged by their funding methods and success in attracting students.
But those hoping to see the executive go may have to wait a long time.
The school, located on Allentown's East Side, has had an impact on local sports, especially men's basketball, and Thursday morning unveiled a new $7 million fieldhouse in front of the school on Union Boulevard. Its influence on the local community has grown immeasurably. The facility is 28,000 square feet, large enough that he can host four basketball games at the same time.
The fieldhouse is made possible through a partnership with Lehigh Valley Health Network and led by Jason Appelt, managing director and head of the National Charter School Group at Raymond James & Associates. It was constructed as part of an $8.8 million bond issue.
The school's boys and girls basketball teams will continue to play home games in the 16,000-square-foot, 1,600-seat gymnasium across the parking lot, but the new facility will be used for physical education classes and other school and community events. I'm planning on doing it. The selective competitive basketball league began hosting games last fall at Executive and announced a new summer development program starting June 10th.
Allentown Mayor Matthew Turk also attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony, along with other city officials and three members of the Allentown School District Board, including Board Chair Andrelene Brown-Nowell.
“It’s all about the community,” Lysek said. “We decided to work with LVHN to do this for the community, not just the executives. The city has a lot of different activities here, and all kinds of youth groups are active here. LVHN Our most important partner and joint venture. We have an agreement with them and our relationship with them is good and will continue to be good.
“They now have a sports performance facility and offices here. They have a volleyball club, a basketball club here, they also run a clinic, and LVHN has been a true partner in making this happen.”
Regarding the animosity other area schools feel towards the Executives (most schools refuse to play them in any sport), Lysek said he hopes for a better relationship.
“I wish I never got on that dartboard,” Lysek said. “We're here to help. We're here to do it right, be transparent, and help the Allentown community succeed. We're here to help kids. How do you argue with that? We've been here 10 years, we've been members of the PIAA for six years. We're here to stay.”
Lisek said a strong athletic program is important to any school's identity, and quality facilities will help strengthen the athletic program.
“It's great for your culture,” Lysek says. “We have a strong culture, we're a big cultural people. That's part of our model. Five years ago, our culture was strong. But once you inject athletics, the culture went into turbo. Charged. The culture has grown in a positive direction for students and staff, opening up many opportunities for both. We are very proud of our boys basketball team, which has won six district championships. . We are proud of our coaches [Ray] Barbosa and Mr. [Rich] baker [the school’s athletic director]. We have a great athletic team. ”
Baker, a former Stroudsburg High School basketball star and coach, said having the large fieldhouse at his disposal as athletic director will allow him to do more.
“We are able to offer more resources and programs to children from kindergarten through age 12,” Baker said. “It's very exciting for me to have a space like this. We have PE classes here and the club uses this facility and if practice overflows we might need an indoor space to practice. It gives us the opportunity to increase interest in other sports. We have kids who come all the way to Philadelphia for different events, so maybe we can have some of those events here. It could be. It's not just for our kids, it's for other kids in the community. It's all positive.”
Senior David Delarosa, an Allentown resident who continues his education at the University of Pennsylvania, spoke at the ceremony and said the fieldhouse should be an asset not only to the executive, but to the city and the Lehigh Valley.
“I’m grateful for the impact this school has had on this community, and I’m really excited to see what happens in the years to come with this community building,” he said. “When it comes to impact on the school, our seniors are proof that good things are happening. Members of our senior class have been awarded over $3 million in scholarships. This is impressive considering the class was very small and we couldn't have done it on our own. Executives serve thousands of families, families that are often overlooked because of their hometown or zip code. We are grateful for the resources we have. Executives have said we will miss and provide resources no matter what.”
Lisek vowed to continue seeking more square footage for the school and its athletic programs, and the mezzanine floor overlooking the new fieldhouse will feature an artist's drawing of a new football stadium that could be built within three to five years. There was a rendering.
The football team currently does not have a home field, instead using locations such as Muhlenberg College for home games. We practice on a small piece of land on the west side of the school.
“That's next,” Lysek said. “We're working on building a football stadium right now. We're doing traffic studies, working with PennDOT and the city to secure land on the west side of the building, and working with PPL to build a public facility. We are moving the tower. We hope to make this happen through different ties and sponsorships. We are aiming for a 4,000 seat stadium. The renderings are there. It will happen, but time will tell. My goal now is to play there within three to five years.”