After 17 months of construction at Niles North High School in Skokie and a $24.5 million investment from Niles North High School District 219 residents, a three-story building addition finally opened to students when school started last month.
One of the driving factors for the 42,835-square-foot building addition was the need for more security at the school entrance, said Niles North Principal Jim Edwards. However, the school used the redesign to add classrooms and bolster its capacity to nurture mental wellness for students, which Edwards emphasized is a main focus for the school.
Architects designed the addition to place counselors, social workers and psychologists near each other on the second floor of the addition, to allow them to collaborate, and created sizable rooms for restorative practices near the offices of the deans who oversee them.
The addition also has a light-filled student commons on the third floor with nine learning studios along the side of it. Those learning spaces are in addition to the net gain of seven classrooms the addition provided, according to April Stallworth, District 219’s Executive Director of Communications & Partnerships.
The addition also made possible a new mothers’ room, new meeting spaces, a technology-free wellness room and a renovated Professional Development Center.
Students enter the building through a new, secure entrance in the addition where personnel watch them swipe in with their school IDs. Those who forget their IDs are able to swipe in through a code on their phones, Edwards explained. After passing through the entrance, students enter a first-floor commons area with contemporary seating and greenery that features a colorful, almost two-story mural titled “Together We Rise.”
The addition’s first floor holds a new main office and deans’ offices adjacent to the rooms meant for conducting restorative practices for resolving conflicts or for students who might be facing disciplinary issues.
Restorative practices, said Edwards, are based on “teaching students the importance of empathy, communication, and creating a sense of belonging and inclusiveness.”
He said the rooms will hold spaces to build and repair relationships, resolve conflicts among students and promote community and accountability.
Stressing the school’s emphasis on mental wellness, he said, “Our focus on student mental fitness is crucial for our students to be engaged learners who feel supported when difficulties arise, especially in a post-pandemic world. Feeling supported is also critical to instilling that sense of connection and belonging that we strive for with our students.
From the restorative practices area, a stairway leads to a second floor area in the addition where offices for counselors, social workers, psychologists, and a college counselor are grouped together.
Assistant Principal of Student Services Laura Bolech said the new layout allows for clearer communication among the staff members geared to aiding students’ social and emotional needs, including their academic needs.
“We used to be a hallway,” said Bolech. “We’re a department now.”
The proximity, she said, will be helpful to the school’s Pupil Service Team, consisting of deans, counselors, psychologists and social workers who meet weekly to watch for any indicators that a student might be struggling, such as absences and grades slipping. Once they note an issue, they can offer support.
The third floor of the new building, called the Skyloft, hosts a huge, high-ceilinged commons area with natural light and conversational groupings of sofas, chairs and tables, which seniors can frequent during their lunch periods and study hall. The nine learning studios are off to the sides of the commons.
Edwards said the large, loft-like space that features small group areas was meant to provide a college campus-like experience, and brought “more of a sense belonging to the school and each other.”
Senior Curtis Lok, who was sitting with a small group of students near a window that allowed a view of the parking lot and greenery to the north, said “The open space allows you to collaborate and focus on your work.”
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He also noted the couches were comfy and the hall had good air conditioning.
Next to Lok, senior Mei-Lin Siciniski said “we have more space to work, so that we will be engaged.”
Sitting at the other end of the commons and working on their studies, seniors Anna Sharsher and Melissa Morales, both of Skokie, said they were enjoying the building addition.
“When I walked in and saw the first floor (at the beginning of school this year), I thought, ‘this is so pretty,'” said Morales.
Sharsher observed that the addition looks different than the rest of the school.
“It’s so open and has lots of natural light, which is different from the rest of the school, which can be dark,” she said. “It’s a comfortable place to work, and it’s easy to get work done up here.”
