Huntley 158 Announces New Location for the District’s LIGHT Program

Huntley Community School District 158 is excited to announce a new location for its LIGHT transition program starting in January. To celebrate the new location, staff, students, families and community members are invited to attend an open house and ribbon-cutting event on Monday, January 27, 2025, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., at 10321 Vine Street in Huntley. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 5:15 p.m. After the ceremony, attendees will be able to tour the facility and learn about the new space. 

Vine Street is located off Route 47 and is approximately one mile north of downtown Huntley. 

A new location for LIGHT has been years in the making and was one of the outgrowths of the LIGHT steering committee, spearheaded last year by the district’s Assistant Superintendent for Special Services Dede Gill and LIGHT Principal Keith Panke. Comprised of parents, staff and administrators, the committee was created to glean feedback from key stakeholders and discuss the current and future model of the LIGHT program. Key findings and recommendations by the committee included the desire for: 

• A person-centered transition program model;
• Personalized learning to ensure individual student transition needs are met; 
• Ample space for related services, vocational services, and potential growth of the program;
• An alternative to the school setting that more closely resembles the workplace;
• A dedicated space for a retail storefront; and
• Transportation with vehicles accessible to students with disabilities. 

“We are incredibly excited to be able to offer our students new learning and work experiences in our community that provide authentic connections and opportunities to thrive,” notes Gill. According to Gill, a person-centered transition model has an emphasis on inclusion and includes a rigorous course of study, integrated related services, diversified job sites, predictors of post-secondary success, community partnerships and student-led opportunities for growth and independence. 

Since its inception, LIGHT has served students in various locations both within and outside the community. Previous locations include Huntley High School, Conley Elementary School, Deicke Park, and McHenry County College. For the past several years, LIGHT has been housed at Marlowe Middle School and has used McHenry County College (MCC) and Deicke Park for community day trips to target education/training and life skill development within the community. While the day trips to Deicke Park and MCC will continue, the Vine Street location will replace Marlowe as the program’s official school site and will serve as the program’s employment training center starting in January. At the Vine Street location, students will engage in job and career exploration, entrepreneurship, employment attainment, and vocational skill development. 

“We appreciate the collaboration and commitment on this project by our administration, board, staff, families and community,” said Superintendent Jessica Lombard. “Having a new centralized location for LIGHT will help facilitate a deeper connection for our students with the community and lead to new partnerships for training and employment with local businesses.” 

About the LIGHT Program

The LIGHT (Life Instruction Guiding Huntley Transition) program launched in 2013 and has a current enrollment of 62 students. The program is designed to support students with special needs (ages 18-22) with the transition from high school into adulthood, providing services in three areas: employment, education/training, and independent living.