The Geese have landed!
Wethersfield school board members, administrators and The Kewanee Voice toured the district’s recently acquired building after the board of education’s monthly meeting Thursday evening.
The school district took possession of the property at 542 Tenney St. on Sept. 30 and already the staff has repainted some walls and placed a green “W” with a flying Canada goose, the school’s mascot, on the wall inside the front door letting visitors know the new building is now part of “Goose Island.”
The district purchased the 10,000-square-foot building, adjacent to the southwest corner of its athletic field, for $225,000 from Jim DeReu at its August meeting. Most recently it housed DeReu’s construction business and Sale Haven Liquidations.
In addition to housing district offices, the move will free up more classroom space in the existing buildings, provide a secure central location for records, and open up new spaces for storage, as well as athletic and educational opportunities.
The front portion of the concrete block building, approximately 4,000-square feet, is divided into a number of small-to-medium-sized rooms which can be used for offices, storage and workspaces. They will house the superintendent’s office, the unit office, and maintenance department, all now housed in the Blish Building, and rooms where student and financial records now scattered across five separate locations, many less than ideal for long-term storage, can be kept safely.
Superintendent Dr. Andrew Brooks said copiers, paper cutters and other office equipment used by teachers, now located in the unit office in the Blish Building, will be moved to a central location closer to classrooms and teachers.
A number of possible uses are being considered for the remaining 6,000-square feet of mostly open warehouse space.
One use might be a halftime locker room in the northeast corner of the building for the football team to use at home games.
There will also be a room for school board meetings which are now held in a classroom in the high school. The building also came equipped with a vehicle lift and industrial sized air compressor which will allow the staff to do maintenance on district vehicles and can also be used by the Driver’s Education teacher to instruct students in basic automotive maintenance.
Dr. Brooks said they hope to have the offices and storage rooms ready by the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year. Other than that, it will be a “one step-at-a-time” process to develop other uses for the space.
During the regular meeting, the board approved a quote of $6,900 from Illinois Fence & Outdoor Co., for new fencing around the property.
They also heard the annual report from instructional coach Dawn Newman who outlined her schedule which includes assisting teachers with planning, coordination and educational opportunities.
Mrs. Newman said there is a “different feel” than in past years. “We have some young teachers this year who are excited, hungry to learn and comfortable expressing things we could do differently.”
Newman is in her third year as instructional coach, a job she shares with teaching junior high language arts classes. She has taught for 27 years, the last 6 at Wethersfield.
In other news from the board meeting, Dr. Brooks reported that the IHSA has recognized and approved the Annawan-Wethersfield athletic co-ops for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years. In a related move at its September meeting, the board approved the employment of Nikki (Tye) Early, a 2018 WHS graduate, as high school girls track coach, and Jason Burkiewicz as high school boy’s baseball coach, both for the spring 2026 season.
Junior/Senior High School Principal Tyler Nichols reported that several WHS students have been contributing articles and photos to The Kewanee Voice through its student journalism program.
“Their work is gaining recognition in the community and showcases both their writing and visual storytelling skills,” Nichols said. The stories and photos are posted on The Kewanee Voice’s website and Facebook page.
The 2026 Truth in Taxation/Tax Levy Hearing was set for 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17, prior to the monthly meeting which is held at the high school. The date was changed from the regular second
Thursday of the month due to several scheduling conflicts. Both the hearing and the board meeting are open to the public.
