An artist's rendering of the rooftop green space.

An artist's rendering of the rooftop green space.

$15 million expansion for Stagg approved

Spread the love
regional stagg expansion1

An artist’s rendering of expansion plans for Stagg High School in Palos Hills.

From staff reports 

The Consolidated High School District 230 Board of Education last week approved a $15 million expansion at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Palos Hills.

The expansion will include much-needed classroom space, several science labs, offices and teacher workspace, as well as a rooftop environmental learning space. The project is expected to take two years to complete.

Through a combination of issuing bonds, converting working cash, and leveraging ESSER grant funding, the 2-year project will be funded without having to go to referendum. Board of Education President Tony Serratore said, “The ability to fund this project without overburdening the taxpayers and remaining fiscally responsible is crucial. This expansion will provide benefits not only for students and staff but the Stagg community at large.”

The district conducted a building square footage evaluation on Stagg High School compared to the district’s other schools as well as surrounding school districts. This evaluation showed that Stagg is in need of additional classrooms and teacher workspaces, and needs to address traffic issues in certain areas of the school. The architects worked on several ideas to help with these issues and found that expanding the buildings in two of Stagg’s courtyards would help solve all three of the areas of concern.

Supt. Dr. Robert Nolting said, “The Stagg expansion project is more than just about adding space to a high school; it’s also about adding space strategically and creatively, viewing the project through the lens of a 22nd century learner. It’s about being imaginative and resourceful with our space.”

Construction will take place in two phases. Phase one will begin this summer and conclude in the spring of 2024 with the scope of work contained to the south courtyard. This will include a row of classrooms on the first floor. The second floor will include a science lab, rooftop environmental space and teacher work space.

Phase two will begin on the heels of phase one in the summer of 2024 and conclude in the spring of 2025 with the scope of work contained to the North courtyard. This work will include several classrooms on the first floor, along with teacher workspace, offices and two meeting rooms, which can be converted into one large conference room. Upstairs on a new second floor, science labs, classrooms, an office and a science prep area will be added.

Splitting the expansion into two phases will allow for the least amount of disruption and enable the architect and contractor to procure building materials.

Stagg Principal Eric Olsen said, “On behalf of the entire Stagg community, thank you. This expansion is so important to families, students and staff. The expansion will greatly increase our instructional and programming capacity and flexibility, which will impact teaching and learning for decades to come.”

Teachers Association Vice President Sheli Thoss said, “We are very fortunate and thrilled to share this news with the staff. This is an investment not only for students but for staff as well.”

Stagg Chargers can anticipate the following:

  • 11 Classrooms
  • 4 Science Classrooms/Labs
  • 52 Teacher Workstations
  • 7 Offices
  • 1 20-person Meeting Room
  • Rooftop Green Space

regional stagg expansion2

 

4 Comments

  1. Helen Jonas on March 17, 2023 at 8:45 pm

    This is good as long as our taxes aren’t increased, traffic for the apartments & condos across from Stagg is corrected AND THE FLOODING ON THE CONDO’s ALLEY IS CORRECTED! This all started when Stagg built the soccer field & our road has to be repaired annually due to the flooding damage!



  2. Anastasia Jonas on March 17, 2023 at 11:15 pm

    Teachers have classrooms with a desk, why do you need 52 teacher workstations? This seems a bit excessive! Who are the 7/offices for?



    • Deborah Matyasec on March 22, 2023 at 2:06 pm

      Classrooms and labs are shared. Teachers need a space to work outside of the classroom. Department offices are important places where teachers work and exchange ideas with their colleagues. They need furniture to do that.



  3. bob busch on March 18, 2023 at 8:22 am

    Ok now I am going to bitch.Fine Stagg is getting a wonderful roof.But there is not one field house in the entire district. Can the basketball team use it for practice?Will a wide receiver go long without falling off? I was Sandburgs worst athlete but I do remember dodging ice patches on the track, and digging shot puts out of the mud because we had no other place to go..That money could go a long way towards building a field house.



Local News

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

Fire II tops Chicago City, advances to to second round of Hunt Open Cup

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Fire II picked up a late invitation to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and beat Chicago City, 6-0, on March 20 in front of an announced crowd of 810 at SeatGeek Stadium. Defender Giovanni Granda and midfielder Vitaliy Hlyut each made their professional debut and scored…

Julia Bianchi heads back on defense shortly after delivering a first-half goal for the Chicago Red Stars on March 23 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Red Stars top Seattle, open season with two wins for first time in franchise history

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Last year’s last-place finish notwithstanding, the Chicago Red Stars have had a pretty rich history of success. The franchise has seven NWSL playoff appearances and has finished runner-up twice (2019, 2021), and prior to 2022 had finished no lower than fourth in the league ‘s regular season standings for…

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

College Football | Marian (Indiana) and St. Francis highlight Saint Xavier 2024 home slate

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Saint Xavier has released its 2024 football schedule, which has the Cougars opening the season in Michigan. SXU will travel to the Detroit suburb of Southfield to play Lawrence Tech on Sept. 7 in a Mid-States Football Association crossover. The Cougars’ home opener kicks off at noon on Sept.…

Morton's Nariah Clay was named to the NCJAA Division II all-tournament team as the Panthers finished fifth in the nation. Photo courtesy of Morton College Department of Athletics

Morton College women’s hoops takes fifth in nation

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent For the second year in a row, the Morton College women’s basketball team finished fifth in the country. The Panthers closed out the 2023-24 campaign in Joplin, Missouri, with a 75-67 victory over Iowa Western on March 23 in the consolation championship game at the NJCAA Division II National…

Marist's Jack Meader (left) and Nathen Toth face each other during a block attempt against Downers Grove North in the semifinals of the Marist Invitational on March 23. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Boys Volleyball | Marist tops Lockport for Gold at RedHawks Invite

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Randy Whalen Correspondent Marist enjoys getting its season going by hosting a tournament that is now in its 20th year. They had a good time again this season, going unbeaten over five matches in two days to win the Marist RedHawks Invitational for the sixth consecutive time. The RedHawks ended the tournament…

Rich Miller

Public wants free lunch, pollster finds

Spread the love

Spread the love. By Rich Miller . As we’ve discussed before, the competition for scarce state dollars is particularly fierce this year in Springfield as various groups elbow each other for money while large surpluses and revenue increases start to dry up. A poll taken by respected national Democratic pollster Normington Petts in late February…

CRRNH_CosmoPhotoMDWArmory_032724

City wants to buy armory at MDW

Spread the love

Spread the love. Has been vacant since 2017 .  By Tim Hadac For decades, it served military purposes, as well as Chicago’s gateway for Presidents stopping off in the city. But the Army National Guard Midway Armory, 5400 W. 63rd St., has been mostly vacant since 2017, when the Illinois Army National Guard ceased operations…

summit police logo

2 charged in Summit junkyard burglary

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Bob Bong Two men have been charged in connection with a break-in last month at the Pick-n-Pull used auto parts store and junkyard in Summit. George Ainalakis, 39, of Carol Stream, was arrested February 26 at the business, while Chad Wickert, 40, of Brookfield, was arrested March 13 by Hodgkins police. Police…

Mary Ellen Fox --Photo by Cosmo Hadac

A successful career serving thousands

Spread the love

Spread the love. By Tim Hadac Editor Clear-Ridge Reporter & NewsHound (708)-496-0265 . Most folks work for years at their jobs, expecting and receiving little fanfare, then retire quietly. Garfield Ridge resident Mary Ellen Fox planned to retire from her 30-year job in the City Clerk’s Office quietly; and she did, earlier this year. But…

Priscilla Steinmetz, of Orland Park's Bridge Teen Center, has fun March 7 at Congressman Sean Casten's desk in Washington. (Bridge Teen Center photo)

Casten secures $11M for district; invites Bridge Teen founder to State of Union

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Congressman Sean Casten is bringing some big bucks home. Casten (D-6th) announced that he helped secure more than $11 million in federal funding for local community projects. Included in that bounty is: $1.28 million to Evergreen Park for water main replacement. $500,000 to La Grange for storm and sanitary sewer…

Neighbors

Capitol Briefs: Advocates push for guaranteed income, child care assistance

Capitol Briefs: Advocates push for guaranteed income, child care assistance

By HANNAH MEISEL & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear the case of actor Jussie Smollett, who was convicted for staging a hate crime against him in 2019 in a case that drew criticism for Cook County’s top prosecutor. Smollett made what turned out to be…

Illinois teacher shortage persists, survey finds

Illinois teacher shortage persists, survey finds

By PETER HANCOCK  Capitol News Illinois  phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com  SPRINGFIELD – Illinois continues to suffer from a shortage of teachers and other education professionals, although recent efforts by the state to ease the strain have made an impact.  That’s according to the latest annual survey of school officials from the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools,…

Bills in state Senate would further regulate battery storage and disposal

Bills in state Senate would further regulate battery storage and disposal

COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD — Two bills that would regulate battery disposal and storage are awaiting action from the full Illinois Senate after unanimous committee approval.   Senate Bill 3481, sponsored by Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, would require facilities that store electric vehicle batteries to register with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency…

Prisoner Review Board chair, member resign in wake of boy’s fatal stabbing by released inmate

Prisoner Review Board chair, member resign in wake of boy’s fatal stabbing by released inmate

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com The longtime chair and a relatively new member of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board have resigned, Gov. JB Pritzker’s office announced Monday. The governor’s office announced the pair’s resignations within hours of each other nearly two weeks after Crosetti Brand was released from Stateville Correctional Center. Brand is…

Highest-ranking woman in state police history reflects on experience as force looks to diversify

Highest-ranking woman in state police history reflects on experience as force looks to diversify

By ALEX ABBEDUTO   Capitol News Illinois  abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com  The night before Rebecca Hooks started at the Illinois State Police Academy in 2002, she spoke on the phone with her father and her brother – both of whom worked in law enforcement.  Her father encouraged her, telling her she was strong and could get through the…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…

Capitol Briefs: Insurance reforms advance as Pritzker announces California trip

Capitol Briefs: Insurance reforms advance as Pritzker announces California trip

By PETER HANCOCK, JENNIFER FULLER & ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposal for sweeping reforms in the state’s health insurance industry passed out of a committee Thursday and will soon make its way to the full House for consideration. Pritzker first outlined the proposal in his State of the…