By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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LOVES PARK — When Principal Ryan Reinecke started at Rock Cut Elementary School five years ago, he saw a small renovation create a big stir among students.
The district had made improvements to the school’s bathrooms, and students took notice.
“That was just a huge buzz around school,” Reinecke said.
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Now, an even bigger project is on the horizon.
The Harlem School District is prepared to break ground this spring on a $2 million new gymnasium for Rock Cut, 7944 Forest Hills Road, which now has a gym that doubles as its cafeteria. The project is being paid for with funds from the American Rescue Plan, the federal coronavirus stimulus package that included money for schools.
“They were so excited about those bathrooms I can’t even imagine when they start seeing walls come up for a whole new gym,” Reinecke said.
Last week, Superintendent Terrell Yarbrough sent an email to parents about the new gym, and immediately students were peppering Reinecke with questions.
“Even with just one communication going out to parents the kids were already excited about it,” he said. “It will give them a real tangible piece of pride in our school.”
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The addition includes the gym, a small conference room, storage and an office for physical education teachers. Renderings from DLA Architects show natural light pouring into the facility through large windows.
The district said construction could be complete by as late December 2023, pending several construction variables.
The gym is one of two major construction projects in the district launching this spring. Harlem also expects to break ground on a $16 million addition to Harlem High School for career and technical education.
Seven of the district’s nine elementary and early education schools have cafeterias and gymnasiums that are combined. Parker Early Learning Center and Machesney Elementary are the exceptions.
Rock Cut has the highest elementary enrollment in the district with about 420 students this year.
“It will help free up space. It will give us more flexibility when it comes to lunch time, and it will give the kids that time to socialize with other kids from other classes, which is important to their development,” Reinecke said.
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The school transitioned to holding lunch in the classrooms during the pandemic, but it hasn’t switched back. That’s in part because new requirements that increase physical education from two times per week to three, meaning total weekly gym classes at Rock Cut went from 36 to 54 and kept the gym/cafeteria busy.
The new gym will now create more time for the school’s basketball teams for practice and for other after-school programs.
“I’m sure there’s many opportunities that I haven’t even thought of (once) we have the additional space,” Reinecke said. “We’re always looking for ideas for after-school activities to keep the kids active and engaged in school.”
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas.