Growing District Breaks Ground for Junior High Addition/Expansion

Aptakisic-Tripp School District 102 (D102), Wight & Company, and IHC Construction joined students, parents, teachers, administrators and local officials in Buffalo Grove, Ill. on October 9 to celebrate the groundbreaking of an expanded junior high school building for D102. The renovation will add much needed classroom space for the growing district. An addition of approximately 14,000 square feet will expand fine arts facilities, adding new rooms for band, orchestra, art and multi-purpose use. In addition, the cafeteria will be enlarged and a maker space will be created. The existing parking lot will be reconfigured to improve overall traffic flow as part of the construction project.

Lake County New School

D102 officials chose Wight & Company, a firm that is well known for its designs of PK-12 schools throughout the Chicago suburbs, as design architect and architect of record and asked the firm to rethink the existing building. Wight & Company is a longtime partner of D102, having worked with the district previously on renovations to the library at Aptakisic Junior High School.

"The team from Wight & Company has been tremendous to work with. They've truly partnered with us to create student-centered spaces, always putting students at the forefront of the design process. They've shown an incredible willingness to listen and take into consideration multiple perspectives. We are so grateful for their patience, dedication and talent - and can't wait for the project to come to fruition!" says D102 Superintendent Lori Wilcox.

"The newly designed classroom spaces at Aptakisic Junior High School will create an open, flexible and positive learning environment for today, tomorrow and the future," comments Amy Fuller, project manager for Wight & Company. Design elements of the expanded junior high will include:

  • Bringing natural daylight, which is known to enhance student performance and well-being, into the heart of the school
  • Adding an outdoor courtyard
  • Expanding gathering spaces to foster interaction and collaboration

The renovation and expansion of the 1950s-era junior high school building is part of a larger multi-year plan to adapt four individual school buildings to better accommodate the needs of a district with a growing student population, as well as to better serve the evolving educational needs of 21st century learners. Overall district enrollment grew from 2,000 to 2,300 between 2011 and 2017. More growth is anticipated due to new residential construction underway in the communities served by D102.

Featured

  • i-PRO, NovoTrax Partner for New School Emergency Response Solution

    i-PRO Americas, Inc., which manufactures edge computing cameras, recently announced a partnership with NovoTrax, provider of end-to-end life safety and mass notification solutions, to address gaps in emergency response workflows at K–12 schools, according to a news release.

  • Kimball International Launches New Furniture for K–12 Classrooms

    Commercial furnishings company Kimball International recently announced the launch of four new products designed for a variety of professional environments, including K–12 schools, according to a news release.

  • Singlewire Software Report Reveals Gaps in K–12 School Entrance Security

    Single Software recently released its first-ever School Entrance Security Report based on more than 500 responses from U.S. school staff members. According to a news release, the findings highlight a gap between K–12 leaders’ wishes for school safety and how safe the schools actually are, as well as the challenges facing students and staff in that goal.

  • KI Launches K–12 Classroom Furniture Giveaway

    Contract furniture company KI recently announced the launch of its fourth-annual Classroom Furniture Giveaway, which awards $50,000 each to four K–12 educators across the U.S., according to a news release. The goal is to address decreasing student engagement and increasing teacher burnout numbers by updating learning spaces to accommodate modern needs.

Digital Edition