This Illinois School District Just Expanded Its STEM Campus To Support Students Pursuing Careers In Aviation, Horticulture, And More

STEM learning pathways have become more accessible to Rich Township District 227’s high schoolers in Illinois.

According to information on Rich Township High School District 227’s website, its vision is to create “opportunities for our students to thrive.” Chicago Tribune reports that students entering their first year at the school, which has campuses in Olympia Fields and Richton Park, IL, can consider different career pathways until they have to decide on an academy for their sophomore year.

Expansion Of STEM Campus

To broaden opportunities for students, the school has expanded its STEM campus to support learners interested in aviation, which ensures students have access to flight simulation pods and industry technology, as well as horticulture, where students can grow vegetables and herbs. The campus is also supporting students in construction and automotive technology.

“We have students who are very interested in these types of programs, and we thought if we could bring it to them, we could make them more ready when they leave us for the work they’d like to do,” Antoinette Rayburn, a leader at the STEM campus’ health and human services academy, told Chicago Tribune.

Jennifer Hymon, a junior, has been able to create essential oils in the STEM school’s botany and horticulture lab.

“We plan on selling these in the future,” Hymon said, according to the outlet. “The more you let them marinate, the better they smell.”

Hymon adds that she has also been able to raise animals on campus as well as receive guidance from career and technical professionals in education, while also visiting working farms. Her experience at the school has affirmed her pursuits in agriculture and farming, and she feels equipped for college.

Grand Opening

A grand opening was held on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, for the 32,000-square-foot expansion, which cost $16 million. Board President Andrea Bonds told Chicago Tribune that getting to the finish line with the project was “a fight every day for our students, but it’s all worth it.”