It’s been decades since the Macomb School District opened a new school. That will change next week with the debut of Macomb Middle School.
“As wonderful as this new structure is, we are not here just to celebrate the building. We’re really here to celebrate building opportunities for our children, our community, and our future,” said Board of Education President Jill Myers during Thursday’s grand opening ceremony.
She said that by building a new middle school, the district has created more space at each of its other schools to enhance the educational experience.
“No more crowding or making do at Lincoln, Edison, or the high school. Students and teachers now – because of this building – have the space and opportunities to expand their minds and experiences,” Myers said.
The grand opening drew a large crowd that cheered when the ribbon was cut. They then waited patiently in a long line to go inside and get a look at the new middle school.
The community’s financial support
Part of the funding to pay for the building comes from the countywide school facilities tax.
Superintendent Patrick Twomey said the campaign to get the tax on the ballot began in the Spring of 2016. He said many people doubted whether voters would support such a tax, but those who backed the idea kept sharing their message with anyone who would listen.
Their efforts paid off – the proposal passed on November 8, 2016.
“We are truly blessed here in Macomb to have such a supportive community – a community that rallies around initiatives like this to help make them a reality,” Twomey said during the ceremony.
“We will do our best to meet and exceed your expectations and to achieve all the dreams and goals set before us.”
Hein Construction Company submitted the low bid of $17.8 million to build the school. The school board approved the bid in December 2020.
More about Macomb Middle School
The building has separate wings for sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students, plus a large cafeteria and a gymnasium.
Twomey told Tri States Public Radio the new building will allow the district to truly implement the middle school concept.
He said middle school students have grown to the point where they should no longer be treated like elementary school students, but they’re not quite ready to be treated as high schoolers either.
“They need a lot of lessons in life about behavior, decision-making, friends, and a lot of things that aren’t in the core curriculum but are very important to creating a well-rounded person,” Twomey said.
“This facility for the first time in Macomb will allow these teachers and this administration team to take that philosophy and really embed it into what we do on a day-to-day basis.”
The new middle school also has a number of security and safety features.
The front doors will be the only way inside once the school day begins. The doors are solid, and the glass around the front office is bank-grade bullet proof glass.
Each wing of the building can be closed off with the push of a button.
Bollards in front of the building are designed to prevent someone from driving a vehicle into it.
“I’ve heard a couple of comments about, ‘Well, they’re not prisons,” Twomey said about security measures at the middle school and the district’s other buildings.
“My response to that is: No, they’re not prisons. Prisons are meant to keep bad people in. We don’t have any bad people in our buildings. I look at these as castles designed to keep bad people out.”
In addition, the sixth-grade wing is hardened to withstand major storms.
Images of prairie grass adorn the building’s exterior, acknowledging the region’s prairie setting. And the canopy at the front entrance is designed to simulate an open hangar, a nod to The Bombers nickname used by the district.
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