Macomb School District 185 will host a private groundbreaking ceremony for Macomb Middle School on Wednesday, March 31 at 11:00 AM.
Designed to serve grades six through eight, this 78,000 square foot facility is being built south of Macomb Junior Senior High School. Students are divided into grade-appropriate learning areas featuring over 23 classrooms, addressing long-time overcrowding. Each area contains dedicated science laboratories, teacher meeting rooms, and restrooms. Shared specialized spaces – such as an 800-seat gymnasium; chorus, band, and art classrooms; and a media center – are also included in the design.
Native prairie grasses inspired the school, which will welcome students with larger-than-life murals on the building’s west end and gymnasium. Inside, wooden undertones accentuate bright, bold graphics and sweeping floor patterns throughout the school, carrying over into curvilinear ceiling clouds above the cafeteria.
Development of the school was announced in 2018. Regional firms Middleton Associates Inc. (Middleton) and Klingner & Associates, P.C. (Klingner) provided all architectural and engineering design. Construction will be completed by Hein Construction Company of Peoria.
The groundbreaking will feature comments by Macomb Mayor, Mike Inman; District Superintendent, Dr. Patrick Twomey; Middle School Principal, Dana Isackson; Macomb School Board President, Jill Myers; and representatives from Klingner and Middleton. Teachers and students from each grade level will take part in the ceremony, as well as the Middle School band and cheerleaders.
A livestream of the groundbreaking will be available on the Macomb School District 185 Facebook page.