As the sun set on London Middle School on Thursday, Sept. 21, officials within Community Consolidated School District 21 and several families gathered in the school’s library and media center to officially celebrate the room with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The LMC is one of four across the district – including Field, Frost and Kilmer Elementary Schools – that received a complete renovation during the summer, part of the district’s ongoing project to update all LMCs after successfully passing its referendum.
“We stand here to celebrate this beautiful, new space,” said Dr. Michael Connolly, superintendent of schools. “We hope it will spark interest and promote lifelong learning for our students.”
Debbi McAtee, president of the board of education, called the enhancement to the space “extraordinary,” noting that the new lighting, along with the flexible furniture and upgraded technology will hopefully be welcomed among the students and staff.
“This space itself has been an outstanding addition to our learning environment,” added Anastasia Netzel, London’s principal. “On a daily basis, I am in awe of the number of staff groups, student groups and classes that come to utilize this space. The flexibility that each individual section offers has allowed us to think creatively around what meetings, learning, planning and student collaboration can and should look like.”
The ceremony also included brief testimonials from London students Julianne S. and Leslie P., both of whom expressed awe of the new space.
“The organization is better than it was before,” said Julianne. “The signs for the genres are bigger and more clear, which is helpful when you’re looking for specific books.”
“There is a wider variety of book genres, which gives me an opportunity to read new books and study better,” added Leslie.
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