Illinois Junior High Plans Expansion into Full Middle School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 08/01/23

A junior high school in Illinois recently announced that construction has begun to expand its facility into a full-service, modern middle school, according to a news release. Plum Grove Junior High School in Palatine, Ill., currently serves about 800 students in seventh and eighth grade. Local voters approved a $93-million referendum last November that will allow the Community Consolidated School District 15 (CCSD 15) to begin work on an expansion to house the district’s sixth graders. Completion is scheduled in time for the beginning of the 2024–25 academic year.

Additions to the school are set to include two new academic wings of three classrooms each. Each wing will contain a learning commons area, a central collaboration space, science labs, and active-learning classrooms. Other updates to the campus will include new paving, a track, and outdoor play areas, the news release reports.

“We’re extremely excited to begin implementing our Moving 15 Forward plan in order to address District 15’s highest priority educational and school facility needs,” said CCSD 15 Superintendent Dr. Laurie Heinz. “By upgrading and transitioning Plum Grove into a modern middle school, we will be able to better address the unique needs of our adolescent learners and ensure readiness for high school by enhancing their educational experience and extending the time in which they spend with other adolescent learners.”

The district is partnering on the project with Wold Architects and Engineers. The renovated Plum Grove Middle School will make use of the house concept to create teams of teachers who share students during the school day.

“We are honored to be a part of this project and are grateful for our ongoing partnership with Community Consolidated School District 15,” said Wold Architects and Engineers associate architect and principal-in-charge, Mike Eichhorn, AIA. “As a local firm, we pride ourselves on supporting the communities in which we live and work and look forward to the positive impact Plum Grove Middle School will have on students for generations to come.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Uvalde Schools Receive AI Security Technology through Grant Program

    AI-powered gun detection and emergency response technology solutions provider Omnilert recently launched the Save Haven Grant program, according to a news release. The first recipient of the grant, aimed specifically at schools that have faced gun violence, will be the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (Uvalde CISD) in Uvalde, Texas.

  • Georgia High School Debuts 500-Seat Esports Arena

    Cass High School in Bartow County, Ga., recently announced the opening of a new, 7,000-square-foot Esports Arena, according to a news release. The Bartow County School System partnered with Extron AV Technology on the project.

  • New eBook Shares Guidelines on Building CTE Centers

    Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum and resources provider iCEV recently announced the publication of a new eBook sharing guidance and insights on building new CTE facilities, according to a news release.

  • Dallas ISD Debuts New Peabody Elementary School

    The Dallas Independent School District in Dallas, Texas, recently announced the completion of the new facility for George Peabody Elementary School, according to a news release. The district partnered with Pfluger Architects and REEDER Construction on the 70,807-square-foot replacement campus, which has the capacity for 550 students.

Digital Edition