Old church begins third life as District 120 Transition Center for young adults
An old church repurposed by Mundelein High School District 120 as a transition center to help young adults with special needs learn life skills, get vocational training and receive job support officially is up and running.
More than 150 school and community officials Wednesday attended a ceremonial grand opening for the Myers Education Center, renamed a day earlier in honor of former District 120 Superintendent Kevin Myers, who retired in June.
Work started in March to repurpose the former high school administrative office center into the District 120 Transition Center. What was known as the MHS Annex 1500 W. Hawley St., was built in 1965 as Kirk of the Lakes church.
The transition program started in 2018 and was located in the north part of the high school just east of the annex. That space needed to be cleared for the pending construction of a new field house, part of an ongoing $199.5 million high school facilities improvement plan.
That plan funded largely through a $149.5 building bond approved by voters in November 2024, includes new classrooms currently under construction, a new gym, cafeteria, career technical education space and other facilities.
Done and open for business when school started in mid-August, the Myers Education Center is the first completed portion of the overall facilities plan.
“It’s the first of many improvements coming to the District 120 community over the next few years and we’re off to a great start,” said Superintendent Corey Tafoya.
Tafoya, like Myers who had served 11 years, leads District 120 and Mundelein Elementary District 75, which have been working in tandem under a shared-service model since 2019.
The transition center has 16,900 square feet and required new fire suppression, mechanical and electrical systems to comply with current codes. It includes a kitchen and other facilities to help former students aged 18 to 22 develop independent active adult lives and provides a bridge as they transition to post-school activities.
The program first opened with 16 participants and now has 47. Thirty-one are from District 120 and the others from neighboring school districts.
On Tuesday, the District 120 school board approved renaming the transition center because of Myers’ work on the bond referendum and background as a special education teacher.
“He believed deeply in creating opportunities within our own community so that students — especially those in special education — could be educated in their neighborhood schools, in the least restrictive environment possible,” said board President Peter Rastrelli.
Myers said he hopes when people reference the Myers Education Center they think of a team consisting of the community, staff, administrators and school board joining to make this happen.
“That needs to be recognized,” he said.