BUNKER HILL - Bunker Hill Community Unit School District #8 will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the addition of their new middle school wing.
At 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, community members are invited to join the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 700 W. Orange Street in Bunker Hill. The new junior high annex was built onto Wolf Ridge Elementary and includes four classrooms, restrooms and a STEM lab.
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“We wanted to get our junior high kids together,” Superintendent Todd Dugan said. “That addition is going to basically be the middle school wing.”
Dugan explained that the new wing will allow middle school students to stay together. Previously, seventh grade students attended Wolf Ridge Elementary while eighth graders attended Bunker Hill High School. This split middle school sports and activities between the two schools. Dugan believes this led to an “identity crisis” for middle schoolers.
The new addition will keep junior high students at the same school. The 150 students in the seventh and eighth grades will utilize the new wing as well as the previous seventh-grade classrooms.
Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III grants paid for “the very vast majority” of the construction, Dugan said. He noted that it was important to the district that they used these funds to create permanent, “meaningful” change for students.
“Rather than ramp up a bunch of personnel and programs that we’d end up cutting in a few years, we decided to take it and invest in something meaningful long-term for our school district for the future,” he explained.
The district is also in the process of redoing the high school’s entrance. Dugan said enrollment has been increasing, and the community is excited to see the district’s growth.
“It’s an exciting time to be in Bunker Hill,” he added. “No matter if it’s at the high school or if it’s at Wolf Ridge, either building you’re attending, you’re going to see new upgrades and modern progress. It’s a great time to join Bunker Hill.”
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