St. Viator's new Burks Place snack bar honors longtime building and grounds director

Mornings are off to a great start at Saint Viator High School. With the opening of Burks Place, students and faculty alike can grab a cup of Joe, as well as a smoothie, or breakfast or lunch bite, to name a few of its grab and go items.

Or, they can sit and enjoy the warm and welcoming ambience, with its coffee bar type setting, drawing students before, during and after school.

Burks Place was named in honor of the school's longtime building and grounds director, Steve Burks, who passed away in 2022.

Under construction since December and funded by generous donors, Burks Place was designed as a new wellness area, coffee bar and gathering space in what formerly was the concession stand area of the school.

Once affectionately known as the fishbowl to students, this renovated space already has become a hub for Saint Viator students, faculty and staff.

Burks Place opens every day at 7 a.m. and remains open until 4 p.m., when it is just as popular after school.

"We wanted to offer healthier options for kids to grab before they head to practice," said Athletic Director Jason Kuffel, a 1999 alumnus of the school. "We're thrilled to be able to have this bright, new space. I know kids are going to love it."

Fr. Daniel Lydon, CSV, president, also attended Saint Viator, graduating in 1973. He and his administrators started brainstorming for ways to honor Burks' many years of work at the school.

"With any project we undertook, Steve always asked, 'Will it benefit the kids,'" Fr. Lydon said. "Students were always at the center of everything he did."

In fact, over his four decades of service, Burks oversaw many capital improvements to the school, including transitioning the building to a coeducational institution in 1987, as well as the building addition and improvements in 2005 and 2014.

He also employed students every summer in completing building-wide upgrades and was a visible presence throughout the building. In other words, students knew him - and respected him.

When he died, the entire student body braved the January cold to stand out in the parking lot to watch the hearse carrying his body do a final drive-by before heading to nearby Memory Gardens in Arlington Heights.

"The teachers invited them to come down, it was not required," said Fr. Lydon, who rode in the procession. "But when I saw those students lined on both sides of the parking lot, completely silent and many with their hands on their hearts, it was really powerful."

Now, Burks Place is the powerful legacy of this student-centered building engineer. With its location in the middle of the building, near the intersection of the gymnasium and an academic hallway, it is a beacon of light, companionship and energy.

Much like Steve Burks himself.