$30 million project starts taking shape at Wheaton Academy

At Wheaton Academy, one of the nation's oldest private Christian high schools, homecoming means so much more than football.

Students and alumni will celebrate the school's nearly 170-year history with an eye to the future.

The northeast side of campus is buzzing with the construction of a two-story addition to the main academic building. The foundation and footings are in place, and the structure has started to take shape. The project represents more than three years of planning and a leap of faith.

Wheaton Academy set out to raise a lofty $30 million for the academic building expansion - far beyond any amount ever raised by the school. The West Chicago institution is now closing in on that goal, with $25 million raised to date in its "For Generations to Come" capital campaign.

"This is far and away our biggest campaign project that we've done to date," Head of School Steve Bult said.

The project will provide a dozen new learning spaces, seven new classrooms, a new main entrance and a more inviting reception area. It's only the first phase of a 15-year master plan for campuswide improvements.

The existing library will become a technology incubator - called the "Idea Lab" - for students exploring robotics, engineering and design. The project will also create a state-of-the-art video production studio, a new center for business and a student union, designed as both a social gathering place and a lunchroom with an attached kitchen that will allow the school to prepare food in-house.

While Wheaton Academy's fine arts center can seat 700 people, the student union will double as a venue for smaller productions with an audience of about 300 to 400. Visitors to the school will see a new focal point.

"In the middle of campus is going to be a Cross plaza," Bult said. "It will signify what's most important to us at Wheaton Academy."

Wheaton Academy traces its history to a group of abolitionists who founded the Illinois Institute to educate their children to "fight the evils of society," specifically slavery.

The school held its first classes nearly 170 years ago, on Dec. 14, 1853.

When Jonathan Blanchard, a fellow abolitionist once described as a "man of oak and iron," took the helm in 1860, the Illinois Institute was reorganized into Wheaton College and its preparatory school, Wheaton College Academy.

The academy moved west of the college campus to its current home on Prince Crossing Road in 1945.

Over the last 20 or so years, donors have funded the construction of the fine arts center in 2004, a field house built in 2009, and a science and technology center added in 2017.

School leaders developed a new master plan to address aging facilities, safety issues and space constraints with some of the most popular programs on campus.

Lead donors Joe and Mary Slawek, parents of Wheaton Academy alumni, gave $6 million - the largest gift in the school's history - to launch the building expansion project and kick off the capital campaign.

"We are grateful and indebted to Wheaton Academy and to the faculty and staff for the spiritual, academic, and athletic investment in so many high school students, including our own children and hopefully our grandchildren," the Slaweks said in a statement released by the school.

As for future phases, school leaders would like to put permanent bleachers, concessions and restrooms around the outdoor athletic space.

The school enrolls about 650 students. With the expansion project, enrollment could grow to about 800 students if "we so desire or if we have the demand," Bult said. But he doesn't foresee going beyond that.

Wheaton Academy strives to develop relationships between students and teachers through a "living curriculum." Fourth and fifth generations of students have attended the school.

Academy Hall, the oldest building on campus, was torn down to make room for the project. It was the last section of a larger building demolished in the 1970s.

"The foundation was sinking. It was really hard to keep it warm in the winter and cool in the summer," Bult said. "So for a school that talks about excellence ... we've got to do better as far as facilities."

The video production program has won Crystal Pillar awards, the equivalent of an Emmy, but has occupied a makeshift space in a conference and storage room.

"It forces our teachers to work a lot harder. And it forces us to limit how many kids can be a part of it," Bult said. "We're hitting a ceiling."

The new spaces will foster collaboration and offer more flexibility, school leaders say. A main entrance will allow for better security and hospitality.

Homecoming festivities next month will reflect on the construction progress and the school's roots in DuPage County.

It's a "timely celebration," Bult said, "as we think about God's faithfulness for 170 years and then try to set the stage for the next generation."