Plum Grove Junior High School begins construction to expand into full middle school as part of recent referendum

Plum Grove Junior High School announced the start of construction on key additions to update and expand the building to provide a modern middle school program that will address the academic, behavioral and social-emotional needs of its over 800 students.

Following the approval of a $93 million referendum in November, Community Consolidated School District 15 (CCSD 15), consisting of 20 schools serving seven municipalities, sought to expand Plum Grove from a junior high educating seventh- and eighth-graders into a middle school, which will welcome sixth-graders, to better meet the needs of the area's uniquely and wonderfully diverse population.

With the successful passing of its Moving 15 Forward referendum, CCSD 15 began work to address three major areas of improvement across the district: Repairing and restoring facilities, updating learning spaces and improving student transitions from elementary through middle school and into local high school districts 211 and 214. The Plum Grove Middle School improvement project is a cornerstone of the district's move to an adolescent-focused middle school utilizing the house concept, which creates teams of teachers/staff that share smaller groups of students throughout their academic schedule.

As part of Phase 1 of a four-phase construction plan, additions at Plum Grove include two new three-story classroom wings, or "houses," which form the backbone of the middle school concept, for a total of 12 new general education classrooms. Each grade-level house also has its own learning commons with an innovative shared learning hub, including a central collaboration space, new science lab spaces and modern, flexible classrooms. In addition, the project includes site updates such as traffic and paving improvements, a new track and added play fields.

"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 Dr. Heinz, Superintendent at CCSD 15. "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."

With designs led by Wold Architects and Engineers, a local Palatine architectural and engineering firm with extensive education design expertise, the additions to Plum Grove Middle School will play a major role in the school district's efforts to create a student-centered model that provides flexible learning areas, more collaboration paces and additional student opportunities in a future-forward learning environment.

"We are honored to be a part of this project and are grateful for our ongoing partnership with Community Consolidated School District 15," said Mike Eichhorn, AIA, associate architect and principal-in-charge at Wold Architects and Engineers. "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."

Construction will continue through the summer of 2023, with completion of the project expected in time for the 2024-25 school year.