MARQUARDT SCHOOL DISTRICT 15 DEDICATES PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Glendale Heights, IL (September 20, 2017) - Tuesday evening, Marquardt School District 15 hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new Performing Arts Center at Marquardt Middle School.
A crowd of over 150 included students, parents, staff, board members, local dignitaries, and architecture/engineering/construction team members. Construction started in September of last year.
Speakers included Marquardt School District 15 Superintendent Dr. Jerry O'Shea, Board President Jean Randazzo, Marquardt Middle School Principal Meredith Haugens, and Patrick Brosnan, president/CEO of Legat Architects.
Dr. O'Shea said, "This performing arts center and its STEAM integrated labs will provide educational opportunities for the community's children, not just for today but for generations to come."
The 33,000-square-foot facility, designed by Legat Architects and built by IHC Construction Companies, features a 500-seat auditorium with LED lights and advanced audio-visual systems. It is a resource for not only middle school students, but also for the elementary school students and the entire district community.
Disciplines unite in all-new STEAM (i.e., science, technology, engineering, arts, math) labs. In these open spaces, students work on self-directed projects that help them build the collaboration and problem-solving skills that will give them a competitive edge.
The Performing Arts Center includes rooms for art, choir, orchestra, and for the first time, drama. The district has even redesigned its curriculum so that all students will experience the fine arts in the facility.
The Performing Arts Center also connects the sixth and seventh/eighth grade buildings to create a unified campus-sixth graders no longer have to walk outside in mid-winter to get to the commons for lunch.