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Mattoon school district's LIFT (Leaders Innovating for Tomorrow) houses a regional innovation center for the surrounding 28 school districts in the area. The six-story, 50,000 square foot center offers a variety of work-ready and leadership training programs.
This regional innovation and technology center is a central hub for students to prepare for college or careers straight out of high school. The facility has been designed to support programs for Communications, Childcare, Information Technology, HVAC/Green Energy, Manufacturing, Architecture & Construction, Leadership, Culinary Arts and Hospitality.
LIFT focuses on developing young adults by teaching leadership to every student, creating a culture of student empowerment, and aligning systems to drive results in academics.
Explore. Lead. LIFT.
Located at the heart of a small town that is rich in history, the 1928 building is a symbol of the community. Since 1975, the facility previously housed an innovative company that specialized in connecting others through technology and a workplace that valued collaboration and idea sharing.
Today, the iconic building and site provide the opportunity to serve future generations. With the ability to use the site virtually as it was, design focus was directed to renovating the inside. The facility is now a direct reflection of the values and efforts that lived within its walls for years prior, re-imagined to house a community of students from different backgrounds available to 28 school districts.
- Adaptive Reuse
- Leadership Training
- Work-ready Programming
- Serves 28 Regional Districts
- Hands-On Learning
- Makerspaces
“This space is beyond just a school, this is a regional center built and created to provide experiences for kids to put them on pathways that they never had opportunities to be on before.” - District Leader
After three decades without a home for the women's softball program, Millikin University's dreams became a reality through a generous donation. The new Workman Family Softball Field is a monument to Millikin's strong heritage as well as the bright future of a growing program.
Despite challenges such as rocky terrain and limited usable acreage, the district proceeded, with the new school designed to replace an aging building, which would be repurposed for early childhood education and storage.
The additions and renovations to the School District of Clayton’s athletic facilities represent the next major step towards elevating the school’s facilities to align with the the district’s reputation for academic and athletic excellence.