Past and future have collided with the reopening of Ravinia Elementary School in Highland Park, with the more than century-old building getting a multi-million dollar renovation that boasts cutting-edge technologies.
Officials with North Shore School District 112 and Highland Park came out Wednesday morning to celebrate with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour of the building.
From the outside, the building will likely look familiar to area parents and grandparents, other than the additional wing expansion, but inside, it’s an entirely new space. The $40 million gut rehab, paid for through a 2022 referendum, goes further than an interior rebuild, with the school featuring a unique geothermal HVAC system that is the first of its kind in the continent.
District leadership framed the renovations as putting the school on the forefront of the modern understanding of an ideal educational space.
That includes lighting that will change to match with circadian rhythms throughout the day. Many of the school’s spaces are open concept, such as the library, which flows seamlessly into other spaces, such as the art room. Even the colors were chosen to be the most conducive to learning, officials said.
It’s a far cry from the school’s start. D112 Board President Art Kessler spoke to a gathered crowd of community parents and children about the first Ravinia school, built in 1897. It was a one-room school house, with outhouses out back and a hand pump for water.
Ravinia was later rebuilt in 1913, long before the days of accessibility requirements. Kessler called it a “confusing maze” of stairs, sometimes requiring going up and down to reach your destination.
“This modern, state-of-the-art facility unveiled today is designed for the 21st century and beyond,” Kessler said.
Superintendent Michael Lubelfeld praised the district’s staff and the school’s broader community. Ravinia is the fourth of what will be seven ribbon cuttings in the district, Lubelfeld said, as they continue to “rebuild your community schools.”
“Why did you move here? For the schools. Why do you raise your kids here? For the schools. Why do you want to grow old here and live here? Because of the schools,” Lubelfeld said. “We take that seriously.”
The district is in the “best shape it’s ever been,” he said, although he jokingly added that “every superintendent” says that. Ravinia represented more than just a building, he and other speakers repeated.
“Ravinia represents the heart and soul of North Shore School District 112, Highland Park, Highwood and Fort Sheridan,” Lubelfeld said.
Cultural heritage
Inside, televisions played timelapse videos of construction, showing the extensive work required to first gut then rebuild the school. One of the architects, Vince Procaccio, talked about the additional challenges that come with working within an existing structure.
Lubelfeld said the district chose to rehabilitate rather than demolish and rebuild Ravinia because of community sentiments.
“The people of Highland Park have tremendous pride and respect in their cultural heritage as Highland Parkers, and the community wanted this building, in some form or fashion, to continue,” Lubelfeld said. “It’s for the community.”
The reverence to the school and community’s history will be expanded on with a “history wall,” Lubelfeld said, which will be going up in a few months.
