#ItsAGreatDayToBeAHawk
Public Notice: On January 15, 2026 the Prairie Central Board of Education passed a resolution to begin the process to allow the public to bid on cash rent for the 2026 farming of approximately 63 acres of land in two tracts of property north and northeast of the high school. There will be a pre-bid meeting January 22nd for any questions to be asked at 8:30 am in the Prairie Central District Office (605 N. 7th St., Fairbury IL). The district will accept sealed bids beginning on January 22nd at noon. Bid procedures and instructions may be picked up at the district office for those who are interested. Sealed bidding will close February 6th at noon in the district office., A public reading of bids will take place on Monday, February 9th at 8:30 am in the district office.
Allison Grosshans, Avery Ricketts, Leah Mackinson, Harper Moore, Jayden-n Leger, Brooks Barsema, Avery Huber, Ryuk Kestner, Kenna Rassi, Josey Gerber, Darin Stoller and Charlee Hinz.
We are going to need to delay our Developmental Design presentation from BLDD until our regular Board Meeting on February 19, 2026. We are on pace with the design of the new elementary school and have been extremely pleased with where we are at in the process. The other layer of the referendum was to provide air conditioning to our remaining buildings in the district. We have completed building walkthroughs with engineers and have begun the design process to accomplish this other goal of the referendum. Our goal has been and will continue to be good stewards with district finances and to make the best economical decisions on the budget that was agreed upon through the referendum process. All of the parties that are working on this project feel that we have a good pathway to ensure our budget can be met but without our final cost of the air conditioning upgrades we cannot approve the cost of the overall project which could impact the design. We would not want to show the community or the Board of Education renderings of our new facility and then later have to change them for economic reasons due to other areas of the overall project. The district would like our presentation to be definitive to the public on what this process will entail and where district finances will be utilized to complete the projects promised through the referendum. I am really excited for the PC Community to see this presentation but we want to be sure we are showing you the final product of this process.
Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to sharing all of this information at our Regular February Board Meeting.
Brian Quam
Superintendent
Prairie Central CUSD 8
Congratulations to the PCJH Athlete of the Week, Dillon Stephens!
Dillon, an 8th grader, was nominated by Coach Haab, who wrote, "Dillon, from day one, has been the foundation of our team. He has proven to be a leader on the court and in practice. He pushes himself and his teammates to become better and leads by example. His ability to take instruction and constructive criticism and make the changes without question allows him to be extremely coachable. His hard work and dedication to the game is unmatched and doesn't go unnoticed. Dillon leads our team in scoring and steals. I look forward to watching him grow and excel in high school sports." Dillon is also involved in baseball and FFA.
Congratulations to the PCJH Student of the Week, Nolan Schramm!
Nolan, a 7th grader, was nominated by Mrs. Harms, who wrote, "Nolan Schramm is a fun-loving student who would happily share insights about anything from chess, to Block Blast, to Bluey, to Dinosaurs. His love of history and dinosaurs has inspired him to become a paleontologist one day. A baritone player, Nolan is an integral member of the PCJH concert and pep bands. He also sings in the choir and serves on the yearbook committee.
Having Nolan in class is truly a blessing. He has the most caring and positive personality. There isn't a day that goes by that Nolan isn't there for his peers, ready with a hug or an encouraging word. After a recent loss, Nolan took it upon himself to present a totem project. This was not something required of him, but he volunteered. His strength of character and faith truly shone through during his presentation. We all appreciated the effort it took to share personal stories about time spent with his family and the challenges that have molded him into who he is today."
Please take the time to view the letter that I sent out to parents and staff via email on some updates on the Junior High facility. We appreciate everyone's flexibility and patience as we deal with the circumstances that are apparent now and for the unknown that we are dealing with each day. We will continue to make best of the situation that has been dealt to us with a positive approach and outlook. There are many moving parts that we working through but we are doing our best to maintain our day to day operations while keeping our focus on our students.
Thank you again for your support and understanding,
Brian Quam
Superintendent
After surveying the school with professionals, it has been determined that school will continue as scheduled; however, the gym will not be accessible for the remainder of the school year. Games and practices are still being rescheduled and reallocated to different spaces throughout the district. As soon as more information is available, we continue to communicate prior to school resuming on January 5, 2026.
As many of you are aware, Prairie Central Junior High experienced damage from heavy storms that went through the area on December 28, 2025. The majority of the damage was contained to the gymnasium. Based upon initial observations, the educational spaces at the Junior High were not damaged. There are going to be many steps to address the condition of the building in the next 48 to 72 hours that will help guide us to make the best decisions for our students and staff. We appreciate your patience as we begin to embark on this process. All practices and activities at the JH are canceled at this point until we are able to secure other gyms in the district. Our coaches will send this information to families once they are notified by our Athletic Directors.
We will be sure to communicate to our stakeholders as more information becomes readily accessible.
Brian Quam
Superintendent
Prairie Central School CUSD 8
