Huntley High open house will showcase new addition
Huntley High School will host an open house Saturday, April 30, showcasing its new west wing addition.
It will mark the near-completion of a roughly $35 million expansion and renovation project, which started in spring of 2014. It includes a redesigned main entrance, new school bus and student parking lots, a new science wing and field house, a new Learning Resource Center and cafeteria/commons area.
The science wing, with six new labs and four new classrooms, is the final piece to be completed. It will not be in use until this fall.
"The West addition not only provides us needed new classroom spaces, but also has allowed us to add versatility to our science labs, making them better learning spaces for all who will use them," Principal Scott Rowe said. "In addition, it connects the two longest corridors of our school, creating a loop which will considerably reduce congestion in the hallway."
District officials will make brief remarks before a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. in the high school's new 55,800-square-foot field house, which includes a six-lane, 200-meter running track. It debuted the first day of classes last fall.
Visitors can take self-guided tours through new and remodeled areas of the school. There will be a variety of activities throughout the new building until noon, including a scavenger hunt for children and youth, who will receive a free "Future Red Raider" T-shirt (while supplies last) for visiting all marked locations.
Light refreshments will be served in the newly remodeled cafeteria/commons area - designed more like a college food court and expanded to accommodate an anticipated 2,200 to 2,500 students daily. The cafeteria, which now encompasses the former school library, features a deli bar, a food bar serving hot and cold food and permanent cashier stations using a touch screen point-of-sale system.
There will be kid-friendly science demonstrations in newly built science labs and athletic activities and teams working out in the field house and outdoors weather permitting.
Student ambassadors and staff members will be available throughout the building to answer questions.
All community members are invited to attend. Though not required, to RSVP visit district158.org.