Joliet Central High School to Host Student Center Grand Opening January 27

Joliet Central High School will host a grand opening for its state-of-the-art Student Center and Galleria addition on January 27 from 6 to 7 p.m. Festivities include a Winter Orchestra Concert that will be held after the grand opening at 7 p.m. The events are free and open to the public.

Joliet Township High School broke ground on the construction project in June of 2014 and is looking forward to opening the doors of the new building to students, staff and the community.

The new addition includes a cafeteria, kitchen, student bookstore, technology help desk, security entrance, presentation rooms, a multi-purpose galleria connection and the student-run Abri Credit Union.

“This is an exciting time for Joliet Central High School,” said Principal Shad Hallihan. “The grand opening will be a family friendly event where students will showcase and demonstrate the functionality of the new space.”

In addition to the student showcases, refreshments will be served, musical entertainment will be provided and attendees will receive a commemorative gift thanks to sponsorship provided by Gilbane and Wight & Co., the Student Center’s construction company and architectural firm. The sponsorship includes the funding for commemorative coaster sets that will be sold for $20 at the event. “The set of four coasters depict images of Central in the past and present,” said Community Relations Director Kristine Schlismann. “All proceeds from the coaster sales will provide scholarships to Central seniors. We are so grateful for the sponsorship from Gilbane and Wight & Co. We hope to raise over $18,000 in scholarships thanks to this generous donation.”

Guided campus tours will be offered at the Grand Opening as well. “We anticipate that a number of our alumni will come back for the grand opening,” said Hallihan. “Many of these alumni may not have been back to Central for quite some time, so we want to make sure they have the opportunity to tour the field house and other areas of the school.”

Student Center and Galleria Design
The new building was designed to accommodate both student and community use. “The cafeteria provides seating for 600 students and has a flexible configuration that can be arranged for community and school events,” said JCHS Principal Shad Hallihan. “The community venue has the potential to hold up to 400 people, and the space can be configured in an auditorium style where seating can be set up around a portable stage.”

Although multi-purpose functionality is was a key component to the building design, the need for a new cafeteria was essential for students who are currently eating at non-traditional lunch times. “With an enrollment of nearly 3,100 students, and with a 4th floor cafeteria that only seats 350 students, lunch periods currently begin as early as 10:20 a.m. and end as late as 2:15 p.m.,” said Hallihan.

To connect the Student Center to the main campus, a galleria is attached to the east side of the school, which closes Herkimer Street to southbound traffic. “The galleria is designed to function similar to the atrium that currently joins the Field House to the gym on the north side of the school,” said Hallihan. “Along with natural lighting elements, the galleria incorporates collaboration spaces equipped with technology charging stations.”

Historical Preservation—Reflecting on our past to empower the future
While the entire project was built to meet the needs of a 21st Century education, the historical integrity of the 112 year old building has been preserved. Members of the Joliet Central High School Archive Committee provided feedback to the construction planning team to ensure that the plan mirrors the school’s historical nature, while incorporating aspects that support the school district’s 1:1 technology initiative.

“The theme of our grand opening is ‘reflecting on our past to empower the future,” said Hallihan. “This has a great deal to do with the historical preservation and the incorporation of modern elements. The new addition has the best of both worlds, the old and the new. We can’t wait to show off the space to our community, students and parents.”