A new auditorium/classroom and a large classroom to accommodate a health-education career path program are near completion at Kewanee High School.
The auditorium, which seats 130 people, is a better setting for some student performances and activities than the 800-seat Petersen Auditorium, Supt. Rebecca Baney said.
Baney said it’s the ideal size for Group Interpretation and other speech, drama and music activities.
It’s also a fully-equipped lecture hall. There’s a portable podium with a computer screen that’s linked to two large flatscreen TVs that hang from the ceiling.
Student organizations like FFA, Key Club and Student Council will be able to hold meetings in the auditorium.
The new classroom will be the space for a new Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) career path the school is developing.
Tara Hewitt, who has been the school nurse at KHS and who teaches the CNA classes at Black Hawk College, has transferred to the role of teacher for the CNA program.
The new classroom has four hand-washing sinks, a requirement for a CNA training facility. At this point the furnishings and equipment required for the program — including two hospital beds — are yet to be added.
Construction of the addition, which is between the main school building and the agriculture facility that was added a few years ago, began last year.
The majority of the construction is finished, Baney said, and school officials hope to receive official occupancy permits soon.
PCM+ Design is the architect for the project, and Precision Builders is the general contractor.
“These spaces expand opportunities for interdisciplinary use across science, fine arts, leadership programs and career pathways,” Baney said. She added that the investment in the expansion “reflects the Board of Education’s commitment to modernizing instructional spaces and maximizing multi-use facilities.”
It also “reinforces the district’s mission to Inspire the Mind. Honor the Heart,” she said.
Baney said plans are to hold a dedication ceremony for both the auditorium-classroom addition and the new tennis courts being built on Third Street across from the school later this spring. The surface for the courts can’t be applied until the weather warms up.
