Pana Community Unit School District #8 held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, August 15, to celebrate the grand opening of its newest Elementary School. Poettker Construction served as the construction manager and BLDD worked as the architect for the new 67,000-square-foot two-story elementary school, which replaces the outdated elementary space formerly located in two separate buildings. Construction began in Fall of 2022 and was completed in time for the 2024-2025 school year.

“The new unified PK-5 elementary school is modern, functional, and flexible and a much-needed upgrade for our students and local communities,” said Jessica Miller, District Administrator of Pana CUSD 8. “Thank you to our partners Poettker Construction and BLDD for their quality and safety oversight in bringing this facility to life.”

Jon Carroll, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer with Poettker Construction, added, “We take great pride in our role as the construction manager for the new school and contributing to the creation of a modern and safe learning environment for our future leaders.”

Located at 209 W 9^th St. in Pana, Ill., the new Elementary School is broken down into two main zones. The first zone features the public and shared use areas, which include the administrative office, art, commons, food service, and ICC 500 Storm Shelter-rated gymnasium on the first level. The second floor includes a secondary administrative area, music, STEM learning areas, and a library/media center. 

The second zone is the designated educational zone, organized with the PK-2 located on the first floor, and the 3rd -5th grades on the second floor. The classrooms wrap around the sides of the central gym, with quick access to and from that area. The campus also features an outdoor learning environment with a 1/8-mile walking path and three playgrounds tailored to different age levels. For student safety, a designated bus route will be created that is separate from the general parking.