A rooftop classroom, science labs and dozens of workstations for teachers to do daily planning are part of a $15 million expansion of Stagg High School in Palos Hills, according to High School District 230.
Work is scheduled to get underway later this year and wrap up in spring 2025, with construction adding 11 classrooms, four science labs, 52 teacher work stations and offices along with a rooftop environmental learning space, according to the district.
The project, which will involve building two-story additions on the north and south sides of Stagg, 8015 W. 111th St., was approved at a special school board meeting March 8.
District officials said the project will be funded by a combination of selling bonds, using available working cash and tapping grant money.
“The ability to fund this project without overburdening the taxpayers and remaining fiscally responsible is crucial,” Tony Serratore, school board president, said in a news release. “This expansion will provide benefits not only for students and staff but the Stagg community at large.”
Enrollment has increased slightly at the school “and they were really being pressed for space,” Jennifer Waterman, a district spokeswoman, said Tuesday.
A space study at all three district high schools, including Andrew in Tinley Park and Sandburg in Orland Park, showed Stagg is slightly smaller, Waterman said.
“The Stagg expansion project is more than just about adding space to a high school; it’s also about adding space strategically and creatively, viewing the project through the lens of a 22nd century learner. It’s about being imaginative and resourceful with our space,” Superintendent Robert Nolting said in the news release.
Plans call for work on the shells of the new courtyards to get underway once the school year wraps up, so that the bulk of the heavier construction, such as moving of dirt and putting up steel skeletons, is taking place while school not in session, Waterman said.
A rooftop environmental learning space, on the top of the south courtyard, will “essentially be an outdoor classroom,” with features such as a garden, solar panels and honey bee hives, she said. It will be open to all Stagg teachers, and physical education classes might hold outdoor yoga sessions in the garden, Waterman said.
“I think there are a lot of opportunities there,” she said.
Work on the south courtyard will start once school wraps up, and conclude next spring, according to the district. Work will include classrooms on the first floor, with a science lab on the second floor, teacher work spaces and the rooftop environmental space.
More Top Picks Afnan 9 Pm For Men
The second phase will get underway in summer 2024, on the new north courtyard, and be completed by spring 2025, according to the district.