Students returning to Lake Forest High School this fall will find renovated classrooms, new roofing, and upgraded HVAC systems after a summer of intensive construction on the 1935 campus.

A helicopter lifted rooftop HVAC equipment into place on Sunday, July 13, according to the district's Instagram account. The same day, District 115 released Episode 16 of its "Under the Hard Hat" video series, giving families a behind-the-scenes look at the work underway.

The summer push is part of Phase 1 of the $105.7 million referendum project voters approved in April 2023. Phase 1 includes drainage improvements, roofing, HVAC updates, cafeteria renovations, science labs on the second floor, English classrooms on the third floor, a small theater, auditorium lighting, and LED lighting throughout the building, according to the district's construction update page.

As of last fall, an average of 110 tradespeople from Pepper Construction were working on site daily, according to the Forest Scout.

"The historic windows that we're renovating, the chimneys, the fresh paint on the crown moldings, and all the craftsmanship from 1935 that we have not done a great job maintaining over the years is getting taken care of," Director of Facilities Daniel Mortensen told the Forest Scout last fall.

Associate Principal Dr. Patrick Sassen said last fall that the project had experienced no major delays and praised the partnership with Pepper Construction.

Phase 2 is planned to begin in July 2027 and will focus on classroom technology, flexibility, and collaboration improvements.

The student-hosted video series and a progress-tracking dashboard are available at d115referendum.lakeforestschools.org.