Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Illinois Elementary School Breaks Ground on $6.7M Expansion

  • By Matt Jones
  • 03/08/23

Local news reports that Sherrard Elementary School in Sherrard, Ill., recently broke ground on a $6.7-million expansion project. The campus’ new building measures in at 14,750 square feet and will contain two new classrooms, conference rooms, and a new gymnasium. The expansion is the district’s first major construction project in more than 20 years, according to WQAD.

“I think it’ll help not only with scholastic events here, but it will also help with the community,” said district superintendent Carl Johnson. “We have a great partnership with the community in the village, and this will be another space … for a variety of groups that want to come in and use it.”

The project is being funded through federal money and lower bond rats, local news reports. “We took advantage of the money and the financing that we had, so the overall tax rate in the district remained unchanged because of the refinancing of the old bonds,” said Johnson.

Development on the project started in 2020, when school principal Casey Wyant first started in his current role. “It seemed like a pipe dream in the distant future—but here we are, scooping the first shovels of dirt, imagining the renderings of the building just behind us, and dreaming,” said Wyant.

Johnson also commented that the size of the new gymnasium—88 feet by 84 feet—will allow for district-wide meetings of elementary school students, instead of having to convene at the nearby high school.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Year-Round Schools Require Year-Round Indoor Air Quality Planning

    While many schools are out for the summer, year-round schools follow a more “balanced” schedule with shorter, more frequent breaks spaced throughout the school year. Even though this offers educational benefits, these facilities have less downtime for building maintenance. This can become an issue when facilities managers overlook the importance of routine HVAC maintenance and air duct cleaning services.

  • Texas Recruitment

    Texas Recruitment

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The University of Texas at Austin's Texas Recruitment has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of Renovation.

  • Purdue Fort Wayne Opens New Student Housing Complex

    Purdue University Fort Wayne (PFW) in Fort Wayne, Ind., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new, 600-bed student housing complex on campus, according to a news release.

  • Philadelphia Middle School Facility Earns LEED Gold Certification

    The Alternative Middle Years (AMY) at James Martin Middle School in Philadelphia, Penn., recently received a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, according to a news release. The School District of Pennsylvania partnered with KSS Architects on the project.