Hufford Junior High School Staff Leave Mark on the New School

Joliet District 86 New Hufford and Gompers Junior High Schools Scheduled to Open in August

By Joliet Public Schools District 86, Community Contributor

May 29, 2026 4:22 pm CDT

This post was contributed by a community member.

(From left to right) Hufford Junior High Special Education Teachers Michelle Lynn, Shannon Nemec, Sarah Byrne, Jessica Medo sign their names.

More than 120 Hufford Junior High School staff members had a chance to leave their mark on the concrete subfloor of the new 13,113 square-foot gymnasium currently under construction.

The new 171,000-square-foot Hufford Junior High School is being built off Ingalls Avenue west of Larkin Avenue. The new school will be approximately 33% larger than the current junior high school. The new Hufford Junior High School will open in August.

“This was the first time our staff had a chance to see inside the new school,” said Hufford Junior High School Principal Kyle Sartain, “We cannot wait to get moved into the building.”

Hufford Junior High Physical Education Teachers (from left to right) Timothy Engle, Kristen Frederick, Samantha Caruso, Ty Furmankiewicz, Alicia Buenzli gave the new gymnasium a “thumbs up.”

Hufford seventh-grade Social Studies teacher Kaylee Woolman, seventh-grade English Language Arts teacher Allie Sokachitch, seventh-grade Science teacher Monica Guzman, and seventh-grade Multi-Language Learners teacher Amanda Sues sign their names

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