ROWVA breaks ground on new school

LINDA BELL/GATEHOUSE NEWS SERVICE
ROWVA Central students prepare to help ROWVA School Board members and administration in the groundbreaking for a new school on their campus in Oneida on Monday. From left are Troy Roland, board member Jim Cahill, ROWVA Central Principal Nancy Hroziencik (ROWVA East Principal Kerry Danner behind her), board member Rob Kalb, Alyssa Boynton in front of board member Terry England, Gabe Smith in front of board member Jim Haynes, (Riley Bean behind Gabe Smith), Chloe Kalb in front of board member Scott Lake, board member Bill Murdock, Dane Libby, board president Kevin Erickson, Miles Brush and ROWVA Superintendent Lloyd Little.

Excitement was high Monday as Oneida Central students and ROWVA School Board members shared groundbreaking duties for a new school on the Oneida campus.

"It's been a long, drawn-out process," said District 208 Superintendent Lloyd Little. "The concrete work is going to start this week. In the next couple months you'll start to see machines out here and a fence will go up. If everything goes as planned, next year when school starts, you'll be in a new school."

The students, and possibly some faculty, greeted Little's announcement with a loud cheer, with younger students sporting the children's plastic hard hats provided for them by architects of the new school, Farnsworth Group of Peoria.

Representatives of Farnsworth and the new school's construction manager, Estes Construction, and others also were on hand for the groundbreaking.

Students whose names were drawn from a hat to help with the ceremony were Troy Roland, kindergarten; Alyssa Boynton, first grade; Gabe Smith, second grade; Riley Bean, third grade; Chloe Kalb, fourth grade; Dane Libby, fifth grade; and Miles Brush, sixth grade.

A large sign with a drawing of the new school's design is located at the west end of the school property where the school will be built.

The area is south of ROWVA Central Elementary.

The new building will face Holmes Street, or south.