OLCHS To Dedicate New Performing Arts Center

OAK LAWN, IL -- A ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by student performances will mark the dedication of Oak Lawn Community High School’s new Performing Arts Center. Dist. 229 officials, students, parents, faculty and alumni will gather outside the center at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28, for the dedication ceremony. Gone are the days of converting gyms into performance spaces, Oak Lawn Community High School will now have a performance facility that its students, staff, and community rightfully deserve.

Weather permitting, attendees will gather on the sidewalk area outside the main entrance for the ceremony followed by comments from Dist. 229 Board of Education President Robert Loehr. After the ribbon cutting, guests will enter the new center for student performances, featuring the OLCHS band, choir and theater program on the new stage.

OLCHS alumni who performed in productions and concerts dating back to 1979 will also be summoned to the new stage to perform a song, including Dr. Curt Lang, John Minor and Catherine Smitko. They continue to do local theater today. Smitko has also appeared in major productions in Chicago.

"After many years of preparation and planning, and with the support of our Board of Education and the District 229 community, I am excited to see this dream become a reality,”said Dr. Michael Riordan, superintendent of Dist. 229. “Our fine arts students and staff have demonstrated their commitment to excellence for many years, and with this beautiful new Performing Arts Center, they will now be able to achieve at even greater heights. The PAC will help our school continue to grow as we strive to achieve our mission by preparing all students for future success."

>>> Grand opening of Performing Arts Center at Richards HS: Video

The state-of-the-art performing arts center is expected to give a boost to OLCHS’s acclaimed drama, speech and performing arts program, considered one of the best in Illinois. The new center will seat 630, and includes an orchestra pit, scene shop, two dressing rooms, and a Studio Theater. The 65-foot flytower allows for a fully functional rigging system and boasts 28 separate line sets. In addition to the facility itself, a state-of-the-art orchestra shell was included in the project and will transform the space into a concert hall unlike any the school has ever had.

The 18-month project included renovations to athletic facilities, including eight new tennis courts, and 3 shot put and 2 discus competition areas. Water retention improvements were also made to accommodate the project and future campus improvements. The project cost around $15.6 million with revenue generated from a $19.8 million bond sale.

Dist. 218’s Richards High School also dedicated its new fine and performing arts center last month. Richards’ new facility was built at the same time OLCHS’s new addition was under construction.

Oak Lawn Community High School students will christen their new boards on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3 in the fall musical Chicago. It will be the first time in the high school’s history that the musical, or any other student play, has not been performed in the gym.

~ Image courtesy of OLCHS