LM Jan 2023_hi

Mattoon’s LIFT Facility Creating New Opportunities for Students

By Jason Nevel IASA Director of Social Media and Publications

Surrounded by a cluster of aging brick buildings and traditional streetscapes, the newly renovated, six-story LIFT Innovation Center in Mattoon CUSD #2 stands out like a wind turbine in a cornfield. Nestled in the heart of Mattoon’s historic downtown, the 50,000-square foot building—formerly the headquarters of the internet and telecommunications provider, Consolidated Communications—houses a cutting edge new opportunity for 11th and 12th graders from up to 25 school districts in Eastern Illinois. The modern facility was designed as a way to connect students to career pathways and programs that will help them navigate the post high school graduation world. Students

can earn job skills, industry credentials, certifications, soft skills demanded by employers as well as leadership training, through the Leader in Me program, that prepares them for the future. State-of-the-Art Facility For a rural Illinois community with 16,870 people, the innovation and technology center renovated by Mattoon CUSD #2 is unquestionably unique. The state-of-the-art facility has advanced robotics equipment, high-powered manufacturing machines, a culinary institute, a communications studio, a CISCO lab and other 21st century luxuries not typically afforded to students in a rural area. According to Mattoon CUSD #2 Superintendent Tim Condron, LIFT is the manifestation of a dream dating back several

4

LM January 2023