Aurora District 131 Breaks Ground on Resilience Education Center

The oldest public school district in Illinois has broken ground on its newest education center.

Approved by the Aurora City Council, East Aurora Unit District 131 is building a new education hub at the site of its former administrative center at 417 Fifth St. on Aurora's East Side.

The new, two-story, 30,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Resilience Education Center is designed to amplify the resilience of East Aurora students by providing new opportunities for growth, development and advancement, especially after a strenuous two and a half years of the pandemic.

"As we really work to get students socially and emotionally well, we had to think differently, because our young people are resilience," said District 131 Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Norrell during the groundbreaking ceremony. "That is the reason this concept came to mind in our planning."

The education center will be primarily for secondary students to use during after-school hours.

The unique space will include a tiered, open area for presentations and concerts, a full-service kitchen studio for teaching culinary arts, a sports lounge for video gaming and esports, separate studios for art, dance, television production and music recording and more.

Joining the superintendent for the groundbreaking ceremony were East Aurora High School graduates Aurora Mayor Richard C. Irvin, Aurora Police Chief Keith Cross and East Aurora School Board President Annette Johnson.

The Resilience Education Center is scheduled to open next summer in time for the 2023-2024 school year.

Source/City of Aurora