Under a sunny sky on Friday, Dunlap schools officially broke ground on the new Wilder-Waite Grade School, marking a long-awaited milestone for the growing district.
Students, district leadership, school board members, architects and community guests gathered at the future site of the building at 10021 N. Pacific St. for a ceremony that blended celebration with reflection on the school's legacy.
The new Wilder-Waite Grade School is expected to open in time for the 2027-28 school year, replacing the current building at the same address.
Superintendent Scott Dearman opened Friday's event by welcoming attendees and thanking staff members who organized the day.
"Welcome to the official groundbreaking for the new Wilder-Waite Elementary School that has been a long time coming," Dearman said. "So very excited for this opportunity, and Mother Nature has cooperated wonderfully."
The superintendent recognized Mandy Ellis, Jennifer Wilkie, Stacy Berg, Katie Cazalet and Miranda Bowald for their efforts before turning the microphone over to the next speaker.
School board president Tom Feldman followed, acknowledging his fellow board members — Nick Yemm, Youssef Boudjarane, Andrew Tyra, Theresa Holshouser and Tim Wagenbach— as well as Peoria County Board member Steve Ricker, a past Dunlap school board member.
Feldman shared a lighthearted story from his early days on the board, when he visited each principal to ask what the district could do better.
"Mrs. Berg said, 'Well, Tom, we could really use a new school,'" Feldman recalled. "And so when she said that, I got up and left her office immediately because I knew I wasn't going to be able to do that. But we're here."
He called the day a culmination of years of planning, countless meetings and "a huge commitment by Dunlap."
Principal Stacy Berg delivered the final remarks, at times choking up as she reflected on the school’s nearly 80-year history and what the moment meant to her and the Wilder-Waite family.
Berg told the crowd that Wilder-Waite began with a generous gift of land from Polly Wilder-Waite so that children "could have a place to learn, grow and belong." Since then, she said, thousands of students have walked the halls, built friendships and left their mark.
"Wilder-Waite is not just a building, it's a home. It's a legacy and a community that lives in each and every one of us," Berg said.
Looking ahead, she told families the spirit of the school would travel with them into the new building.
"It's not the walls that define us, it's our people. So today, we take the first step toward that future together," Berg said.
Following the speeches, students, staff, board members, architects and construction partners gathered with ceremonial gold shovels to turn the first soil.
Dearman closed the ceremony by inviting attendees to follow a live construction feed online and directing adult guests around the corner for cookies and punch — while students, he noted, would get school lunch.
