Du Quoin High School dedication Tuesday, Sept. 24; Paving being finished at end of a long, 12-year road

Du Quoin Community Unit District 300 Supt. Dr. Gary Kelly announced this week that the dedication ceremony for the new Du Quoin High School will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2012 beginning at 5 p.m.

The announcement was echoed at Monday night's meeting of the city council by Mayor Rex Duncan.

The new school is located at 500 East South Street in Du Quoin.

An open house and reception will take place immediately following the dedication ceremony.

Paving of the parking lot on the north and east sides of the building is being completed this week, as is work on the new brick entrance, restrooms and expanded concession stand at VanMetre Field to the west.

Students occupied the new academic building at the start of school in 2012 and began use of the new front entrance and gymnasium lobby in August of this year.

It has been a long road since the intrepid Du Quoin Board of Education and Dr. Gary Kelly first submitted an application for school funding in 2001 to construct only an addition (library and classrooms) to high school including renovation of science labs.

Upon inspection of the project and visit to the district in the summer of 2001, the Capital Development Board recommended the district apply for construction of new high school facility because of condition of windows, roof, electrical capacity, HVAC issues, etc.

The board chose to stay the course through early politics, state promises broken with respect to capital construction monies, design changes and making the new school fit on the footprint of the old school.

The end result for architect Paul Lunsford, contractor Fager McGee of Murphysboro and the town is a modern, fully functioning high school for the community which pays environmental attention to its neighborhood surroundings on the city's east side.