District 220 reveals $62 million renovation plan for Barrington High School

Enhancing student safety and creating more flexible learning spaces are the driving forces behind a proposed $62 million renovation of Barrington High School outlined recently by Barrington Community Unit School District 220 officials.

The plan also calls for changes to the school's parking lot, upgrades to athletic facilities, the creation of a fitness center, a redesigned cafeteria and the consolidation of student services department.

Funding for the project would come from a $147 million referendum approved by District 220 voters last year.

"A significant amount of the referendum dollars are targeted toward this campus," Superintendent Brian Harris said during a March 2 school board meeting. "It's a major opportunity to improve that high school campus."

A committee made up of Barrington High School Principal Steve McWilliams, Associate Principal Heath McFaul, Assistant Superintendent Craig Winkelman and Dennis Bane from the design firm DLR Group spent nearly a year working on the plan.

The preliminary design is focused on updating educational spaces to be more flexible while improving safety and security at the school.

To enhance security, the plan calls for reducing the number of ways to get into the building.

"We have 45 entrances in that building and it's not always clear which one (to) go into," McWilliams said.

Three primary entryways - the main one facing Lake-Cook Road, the athletic entrance and the bus drop off - would be refurbished with canopies to protect students in inclement weather and secure area just inside the doors. The main entrance would be built out to add an atrium, or commons area, for students.

Parking lots would be rearranged to provide a safer flow, while handicap spots, an area for special needs vehicles, bus traffic and the stadium lot would be reconfigured. Access to the stadium lot would be controlled during the school day and a pedestrian crosswalk would be added.

The school's tennis courts would be moved to an area near a multipurpose turf field with new lighting. Planned improvements to the existing baseball field include new stands, press box, concessions area and restrooms.

The multiuse areas would allow different sports to hold practices simultaneously.

"We need to maximize everything we have and stretch those dollars," Bane said.

Inside the building, the cafeteria would be redesigned with the inclusion of three additional multipurpose rooms to host club meetings or other activities during the school day.

Student services - which includes the special education department, counselors, the school nurse and speech therapists - would be brought together in an improved area. Those services currently are spread throughout the building.

"This design solution helps to create a more efficient one-stop shop feel," McFaul said. "All of which creates that overall experience performance we're looking for."

The plan also calls for significant improvements to the physical education and wellness areas, with multipurpose spaces and a fitness center in the current gymnastics gym.

"Where you don't have to be a football player to go lift weights in the weight room," Bane said.

McWilliams said the plan also includes a tech lab with spaces that could be easily changed and moved. Other spaces could be converted to meet the needs of a modern curriculum.

"We need to be able to pivot in these areas in a low-cost and economical way," McWilliams said.

School board members are reviewing the proposal and will discuss it at their March 16 meeting. The discussion will continue until the fall, when officials will consider bids for the work.

School board member and Barrington High School graduate Mike Shackleton praised the group for their work.

"As somebody who walked through those old halls and played in the old gym ... this is really incredible," he said.