BLOOMINGDALE, Ill.—A recent expansion at Winnebago Elementary School in Bloomingdale has allowed Marquardt School District 15 to triple its early childhood enrollment capacity. The additional classroom space has also enabled the district to transition from half-day to full-day kindergarten—a first for the community.

“The new, child-friendly spaces at Winnebago increase student engagement and interaction, as well as improve the social-emotional development of our youngest learners,” said

MSD15 Superintendent Dr. Jerry O’Shea in a statement.

Legat Architects designed this $8.6 million project and Marquardt School District 15 served as construction manager. Features include the following:

• New gymnasium three times larger than the old one
• New commons/multipurpose space where students eat
• A cross-curricular STREAM (science, technology, reading, engineering, art, math) lab
• Early childhood playground addition
• Parking lot upgrades

The school’s new corridor is a large glass wall that displays an enclosed early learning playground where MSD15’s youngest learners can run, climb, ride, bounce and jump.

The corridor leads to a workroom and a conference room, then to the early learning classrooms, where floor-to-ceiling windows fill the spaces with daylight.

Between classrooms, integrated therapy rooms allow specialists to observe classes or work one-on-one or in small groups of students with specific needs. Each pair of classrooms shares a collaborative workspace in which teachers meet and plan lessons. Every classroom also has a restroom to promote independence and save instruction time.

“The space will allow for the rigorous and engaging lessons for our preschool and kindergarten students for years to come,” explained Winnebago Principal Shari Lazor. “The teachers love the expansion. They have ample room and it’s so much brighter than before.”

At a ribbon-cutting event last fall where more than 250 community members gathered within the new gymnasium—which is triple the size of the previous one and allows more physical education opportunities and community assemblies—MSD15 School Board President Jean Randazzo thanked the community for its commitment to the children.

“This construction is the culmination of years of advocacy, planning and hard work from not only current, but also past boards of education, district administration, Winnebago school and staff, Legat Architects, and the district’s own recently-retired buildings and grounds director Bill Brown.”

Added Legat President/CEO Patrick Brosnan, “MSD15 has emerged as a regional leader and champion for full-day kindergarten and early childhood education for students. The district is setting an example for other districts that are studying options to implement similar programs.”

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Lilly Endowment Inc. recently awarded the Indiana University Foundation a $10.9 million grant to support renovation of the university’s internationally renowned Lilly Library, IU President Michael A. McRobbie has announced.

Consistently regarded as one of the nation’s top libraries for books and manuscripts of the greatest importance, the Lilly Library was established in 1960 to house the extensive private library of the late Josiah K. Lilly Jr., one of Lilly Endowment’s founders. The collection he donated includes more than 20,000 rare books and 17,000 manuscripts.

The Lilly Library now contains more than 450,000 rare books, 8.5 million manuscripts and 150,000 sheets of music. Part of the IU Libraries, the venerable limestone building is in the heart of IU Bloomington’s Fine Arts Plaza, the campus’s center for the arts and humanities.

Students often come to the Lilly Library as part of their coursework to review some of the one-of-a-kind materials preserved in the facility.

“Indiana University’s Lilly Library is a state, national and international treasure, and a testament to the vision and generosity of J.K. Lilly Jr.,” said McRobbie. “It has always been universally acclaimed for its unique, world-class collections. Its vibrant and stunning materials continue to astonish all those who use them.

“With this extraordinary support from Lilly Endowment Inc., the Lilly Library will greatly improve its ability to provide wide access to the library’s rare books, manuscripts and objects to broader audiences — from children to lifelong learners and scholars — enhancing all of our communities.”

The Lilly Endowment grant will support major upgrades to the 52,516-square-foot facility’s mechanical systems and lighting, technological equipment, fire protection and security systems, ADA access and building navigation, and space configuration. These improvements will enable maximum preservation and an enhanced and more modern presentation of the library’s literary and cultural treasures, which require special handling and can only be accessed in secure on-site areas. They will also allow students, scholars, researchers, educators and other visitors to more effectively access and experience the library’s one-of-a-kind materials, which are frequently and increasingly incorporated by IU faculty into their teaching, research and creative activities.

“Lilly Endowment is most pleased to support this comprehensive renovation,” said N. Clay Robbins, Lilly Endowment’s chairman, president and CEO. “The Lilly Library meant a great deal to J.K Lilly Jr., who was one of our three founders. These improvements will significantly further his interest in having his magnificent collection, which he so passionately assembled, appreciated and used by future generations.”

According to Lilly Library director Joel Silver, courses taught on site have increased by more than 225 percent since 1992. In 1960, the Lilly Library’s total collection numbered approximately 100,000 rare books and 1 million manuscripts. Today, the book collection has increased 350 percent, and the manuscript collection has grown 750 percent.

The Lilly Library will continue to meet researcher requests for access to its collections and other services in the Herman B Wells Library during construction, which is expected to begin late this year. The library facility is expected to be closed for about 18 months.

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