School and city officials celebrated the new front entrance of Evanston Township High School with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday afternoon.
The entrance culminates a series of improvements to the school’s facilities in recent years, including a lit field for football games, upgraded baseball diamonds and a plaza behind ETHS, said Eric Witherspoon, superintendent of District 202.
The new front entrance is not for only aesthetic purposes, Witherspoon said. The school, 1600 Dodge Ave., also needed more space and better lighting for students waiting for rides home at night.
“It’s a great opportunity to celebrate one more step forward for ETHS,” Witherspoon said. “We want this school to shine in every way, including the front entrance.”
Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl, a former member of the District 202 school board, spoke at the ceremony, saying she was “proud” of the project.
“ETHS is the glue that holds our community together,” Tisdahl said. “ETHS is extremely important to … every single member of the community.”
The ceremony took place after the school’s homecoming pep rally. Witherspoon, Tisdahl and D202 board president Gretchen Livingston cut the ribbon.
Witherspoon said students are enthusiastic about the new facilities. ETHS senior Brittany Estes said she liked the new entrance and that it looked “comfortable.”
“It looks like a college campus,” she said. “I just came over and sat down. I’d never sat in the front of the school before. Now it looks really nice.”
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