The Mundelein District 120 community celebrated the first completed project of its Facilities Improvement Plan on Sept. 10 with a ceremonial ribbon cutting ceremony in the newly named “Myers Education Center.”
The building, which recently became the new home of the D120 Transition Center, honors former District 120 Superintendent Kevin Myers who retired in June after serving Mundelein schools for 11 years. Located just west of Mundelein High School, the building was originally the Kirk of the Lakes Church before District 120 purchased it and used it as the MHS Annex.
The D120 School Board approved the building’s renaming on Sept. 9, one night before the Transition Center’s Grand Opening.
Honoring Myers in this way is a good fit, current District 120 Superintendent Corey Tafoya said, because of his work on the successful building bonds referendum that funded the project and because of Myers’ background as a special education teacher.
“His work symbolizes this project in a very tangible way,” Tafoya said.
District 120 School Board President Peter Rastrelli said Myers’ impact goes far beyond bricks and mortar.
“He believed deeply in creating opportunities within our own community so that students - especially those in special education - could be educated in their neighborhood schools, in the least restrictive environment possible,” Rastrelli said.
Myers humbly accepted the naming recognition when speaking to the more than 150 community members who attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony. He emphasized that the name of the facility should extend well beyond his own name.
“What I hope happens, over time, is when people reference the Myers Education Center, they think of the team,” Myers said. “The team, which consists of this community, the staff, administrators and school board, all coming together to make this happen. That needs to be recognized.”
The Transition Center helps participants, aged 18-22, to develop independent, active adult lives through community engagement and person-centered planning. It provides a vital bridge for participants working to increase their independence through functional and vocational experiences.
The Center had been housed in the north side of Mundelein High School since 2018. It was moved in August to provide space for additions and improvements that are part of the District’s $199.5 million Facilities Improvement Plan. The first part of the three-year-long project was remodeling the former MHS Annex.
The design of the renovation was guided by Transition Center staff members. The 16,100-square-foot space includes new fire suppression, mechanical, and electrical systems to comply with current school building codes.
The Transition Center first opened with 16 participants. It now has 47 participants; 31 from District 120 and more than a dozen others who are tuitioning in from neighboring school districts.
The entire facilities improvement project is being funded largely through a $149.5 million building bond referendum supported by voters in November 2024. Besides renovating the Myers Education Center, the project will include new MHS classrooms (already under construction), a new gymnasium, new cafeteria, new Career Technical Education space, and more. Work began on the project in March 2025 and is expected to take at least three years to complete.
At the ribbon-cutting event, Tafoya thanked the community for its support and trust.
“We do not take that trust lightly,” he said. “As a district, we are committed to progress and stewardship. Sharing progress, celebrating milestones like this and welcoming our community back into these facilities to see the results of your support.”