A new look at Lanphier High School. 'It's going to be the pride of the north end'

The public got its first look at images last week at what the revamped Lanphier High School and Memorial Stadium will look like.

The impressions of one Lion?

"Blown away," admitted Springfield School District 186 board of education member Micah Miller. "I remember liking the first rendition in the master plan (from 2017). They're really putting a lot of thought into the form and the function, specifically the commons section that ties the new and the old buildings together.

"I'm happy to see the investment in Lanphier. It's long overdue."

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The complete overhaul also comes with a new price tag of $93.2 million, up from the original $66 million. That includes $15 million of Phase 2 work and $8 million worth of work on Memorial Stadium and the New Street Field by Springfield High School.

There's a practical matter for doing the projects in one fell swoop in that allows for minimal disruption for Lanphier students, families and community members, said Superintendent Jennifer Gill.

The commons area will have a skylight at the top and will marry the oldest section of the school, which is the front entrance with a new classroom addition behind it, Gill said.

A fully-functioning auditorium, a 2,000-seat fieldhouse, an esports room and an area for a construction trades program are also highlights of the addition, Gill said.

Memorial Stadium, which is home to Lanphier and SHS, will get a new field and a resurfaced track along with new locker rooms, concession stand and restrooms.

Gill said the goal from the beginning was to preserve "the historical nature of Lanphier (with that main entrance) but yet make it to where it is completely redone and renewed inside."

Miller said he was especially excited about the trades class getting its own physical space, which will be where the current commons area is currently.

"That class is really taking off," said Miller, who has advocated for the program.

Board member Sarah Blissett has a son who is a sophomore at Lanphier.

"We're pretty excited about it in our household," Blissett said. "I cannot wait to see the end results. It's truly going to be the pride of the north end."

Most of the construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023, though some of it will extend into 2024.

BLDD Architects, Inc. out of Decaturdesigned the changes while O'Shea Builders of Springfield is managing the construction.

Sangamon County voters approved a 1% sales tax hike to pay for the projects. It went into effect on July 1, 2019, and while it was anticipated to generate $10 million annually, it has exceeded that.

Security update

The school board is headed towards a March 21 vote on whether to install metal detectors now that the district has estimates from two companies.

The issue is sure to generate further discussion at the board's March 8 meeting.

Related: School board member says metal detectors aren't 'a panacea,' wants students to feel safe

If the board gives approval, Gill said the devices could still go up in high schools before the end of the school year. They would be put into middle schools at the beginning of the next school year.

The purchase of 18 CEIA Opengate units would cost the district $227,180 while a four-year lease of 14 single-lane and double-lane units from EVOLV Express would cost $1.1 million.

It is possible the board may go with some "blended" approach using both companies, Gill said.

Lanphier student Pierre V. Scott was fatally stabbed outside of the school on Nov. 17, but Gill maintained the district wasn't "leading first with infrastructure to try to fix a problem."

"We're really looking at root causes and understanding the emotional needs of our students," Gill added. "With that, we also know we can't move forward if we don't think about everything, and we want to make sure we're putting everything on the table. We want to know that we want some clear-cut goals and guidance as we talk about this."

Mike Grossen, the district's director of school leadership who has taken a lead on the facilities project, said he didn't want the experience for students to be "like they're going through TSA."

Both systems the district is considering, Grossen said, provide "very quick through points."

Miller said the detectors are "another layer of security."

"It's not going to suspend any of our safety protocols and we're going to continue to look to bring safer environments (to our schools)," he added. "There was a time we didn't have to wear our seatbelts and now we do and just because we have to put our seatbelts on doesn't mean our cars less safe. It's just a tool we can use."

Blissett said the systems the district is looking at are "less intrusive for the kids" than wanding, which is currently being used. Security has to physically go through any bags or backpacks that are part of random searches, a step which would be eliminated if the detectors were employed.

School board member Mike Zimmers wondered about the perception people might have about schools if the detectors are adopted.

"I don't feel like our school are unsafe, (but) there is a group of people out there really reluctant to have this go through like I am," he said.

Board member Erica Austin countered that "the optics are always there. I said before I'm in favor of it because I don't want to see another parent crying because something happened to their child."

More on masks

Gill said "more than half" of the district's students still are wearing masks, although she expected that number to go down as parents feel more comfortable with COVID-19 numbers in the community and in the schools.

Related: No more masks in schools; Illinois Supreme Court denies governor's appeal

"I'm still impressed with the number of students who are choosing to wear masks and the number of staff who are choosing to wear masks," said Gill Friday before the Illinois Supreme Court denied Gov. JB Pritzker's mask mandate appeal. "We've not had the pushback. We've not had anybody treat anybody badly because they are or are not wearing a mask.

"I've been proud of our system and how that's been going."

In addition to the state removing the school mask mandate, Monday also marks the end for mask use in indoor public places.

Gill expected people to "exercise their choice. I don't think the decision inside the classroom will change much. People who are devout face mask wearers will still be."

Gill said she was not siding with Jacksonville Superintendent Steve Ptacek who announced Friday that students have the option of wearing face coverings on school buses.

Gill said that practice falls under federal transportation mitigation guidelines and is in place until March 18. It covers school buses and Sangamon Mass Transit District buses.

Ptacek said he was advised by the district's attorney that since transportation funds go through the Illinois State Board of Education and are not directly from the federal government, the district was in the clear.

"We're planning on maintaining our mask rule on school buses and our students who ride our SMTD buses and following the rules as set forth," Gill said. "We follow all the federal guidelines in our reporting and in our accounting related to Title 1 dollars or Title 2 dollars or really ESSER funds. All are federal grants that flow through ISBE for disbursement, so I try not to draw lines."

Adding ASL to the curriculum

Blissett said she would like to see the district add American Sign Language (ASL) to its foreign language options.

Around one million people use ASL, according to Communication Service for the Deaf.

The Illinois School Code recognizes the use of ASL as part of schools' curricula.

Its adoption could be beneficial to district students on a number of fronts, including communicating with students with hearing loss and career choices, Blissett said.

Even if they aren't proficient at ASL, students could have a leg up if they encounter co-workers or customers who are hearing impaired, she added.

"District 186 offers a diverse selection of languages but pursuing a qualified teacher for ASL allows us to become even more diverse and bring awareness to the deaf community," Blissett said. "There's a wealth of opportunities and careers in ASL."

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Lanphier High School in Springfield, IL will get a complete overhaul