TOULON, Ill. (WMBD) — The Stark County High and Senior High School is getting a $16.5 million facelift, and come this fall, students and staff will walk in into a completely new school.
“We are currently standing in the original Toulon high school, which was built in 1923,” said Stark County Superintendent of School District 100, Brett Elliott.
The $16.5 million in renovations are inching towards the final stages of reconstruction and addition.
Elliot said the conversation about the big upgrade started two years ago.
“We took that baton and went through the bonds process, and here we are just about 75% of the way completed,” said Elliot.
In the new design, a corridor will connect the two campuses for an easy transition for students.
“We currently utilize our teachers 6-12th grade, so it’s a smooth transition for them as well. We will feature two state-of-the-art science labs, a lab prep room, a new weight facility, locker rooms, and state-of-the-art classrooms,” said Elliot.
He said one of the exciting milestones of the project was putting up the last panel.
“So once the last panel was up, then they could complete the roof and start laying the cement for each floor. We were able to bring the entire student body outside, and they were able to sign the last panel before it went up,” he said.
Also, on the tour was Travis Weaver, who’s running for state representative in Illinois 93rd district.
“So much of what goes on in a learning environment is physiological. To have all of these new additions and say, ‘Hey, we care for you, we want to come around you, we want to make sure you have a good learning environment’ … the energy you see in a school with that kind of passion into it really comes out in the kids, and you can see it in their faces,” said Weaver.
School officials said the school should be completed on August 16 when students and staff return for the 2022-2023 school year.