St. Charles to celebrate historic school building’s 100th anniversary

One of the most famous landmarks in St. Charles is gearing up to celebrate its 100th anniversary.

Since welcoming students a century ago as St. Charles Community High School, the historic building, now home to Thompson Middle School, has transformed the lives of countless generations of students.

To honor the significant achievement, St. Charles Unit School District 303 is hosting a community celebration from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. May 13.

The outdoor celebration is in back of the school’s campus, 705 W. Main St., and will feature music, food vendors and family-friendly activities. A drone photo above the football field will be taken of all who attend.

“We’re so lucky to have a school with such a rich history and strong ties to the St. Charles community,” Thompson Principal Matt Clark said in a district release. “We’re very excited to be hosting a big celebration for all of our families and for the entire D303 community. We hope everyone will join us.”

The first students poured into the building’s famous halls in March 1926, when Calvin Coolidge was president.

As the community’s population boomed during the Roaring Twenties, the school was built to accommodate additional students after the Haines School on the east side of town reached capacity.

While a high school, the building was home to “The Saints.”

The school was renamed in 1959 after George Thompson, who served as the school district’s superintendent for four decades, starting in 1919.

In 1977, the high school moved to the current St. Charles East High School location at 1020 Dunham Road.

The historic building has since become Thompson Middle School, which currently educates about 1,280 sixth through eighth graders. The students were first known by the moniker “The Titans” before becoming “The Thunder” in 2016.

Eric Krupa, collections manager at the St. Charles History Museum, said while several changes and renovations have occurred over the past century, the building’s storied legacy has endured.

“This is an incredible milestone for the community as we celebrate a silent fixture that has bore witness to generations of St. Charles residents,” Krupa said in the release. “We must also give credit to remember the tireless efforts of teachers and staff who have maintained this sentinel of learning. It is through their care that the city grew up.”

A significant $39 million renovation of the building was undertaken by the district in 2017. The building nearly doubled in size, expanding with an additional 31 classrooms, eleven new science labs, a new gym and an extended cafeteria, all of which opened in 2019.

Showing school spirit

To make the event special, the district teamed up with Anthony Harrison, a D303 Distinguished Alum and owner of the Hairy Ant, to create a Thompson 100-year anniversary T-shirt. A portion of the proceeds from shirt sales will go toward the celebration event.

The T-shirt order form is available on the Thompson Middle School website. The district is hoping everyone will have their commemorative shirts on in time for the drone photograph.

Updates and event details for the celebration will be available on the Thompson Middle School website.