Lake County Gazette

A pair of new LED digital display scoreboards have been installed at Pekin High School, marking the completion of recent facility renovations. The upgrades took place in Dawdy Hawkins Gymnasium and Memorial Stadium over the summer.

The estimated $500,000 cost for the project was split among several contributors: the school itself, its booster club, Pepsi, and Pekin Insurance. Pekin Insurance is also the title sponsor for the school's annual boys basketball holiday tournament.

“I would anticipate we’re going to be able to use them outside of sports,” said Pekin superintendent Dr. Danielle Owens. “And just in terms of for student use … I think the possibilities are endless.”

The booster club contributed $150,000 over five years as its main investment in the project. The committee behind the Pekin Insurance Holiday Tournament pledged $25,000 to be paid over five years. Installation costs were covered by Pekin High School.

Facility improvements at Pekin have taken place gradually in recent years, including updates to the gym floor and bleachers, a revamped weight room, and ongoing maintenance at Memorial Stadium. One focus was replacing a 30-year-old scoreboard at Memorial Stadium that had become unreliable.

“The scoreboard at the stadium was really starting to show its age,” Owens said. She noted issues such as random power-offs and horn malfunctions during games: “It had served its time.”

The new 16-by-28-foot videoboard debuted earlier this month when staff hosted a family movie night on the field. The board will also stream graduation ceremonies live outdoors and connect with timing systems for track meets in spring. “The picture was great,” Dr. Owens added.

Originally seeking only a football scoreboard replacement, discounts from manufacturer Nevco allowed an additional purchase—a four-sided 6.5-by-10-foot video board for Dawdy Hawkins Gymnasium. This addition offers opportunities for students involved in digital media coursework to create content such as signage, advertisements, and promotions for student clubs.

“We’re really excited to be able include that course work,” Dr. Owens said, “and those kids in building content for the boards.” According to Owens, naming rights are available on side panels of both scoreboards and on scorer’s tables; interested parties can contact her directly.

Pekin Community High School is part of Pekin Consolidated School District 303, which represents Tazewell County (FACT 1). According to state data from ISBE (source), District 303's demographic makeup is predominantly White (90.2 percent), with smaller percentages identifying as Black (0.7 percent), Hispanic (3.3 percent), or Asian (0.9 percent) (FACT 2). The district employs 112 teachers who earn an average salary of $51,104 before pension contributions; about 58 percent are women and there are no teachers with more than ten absences per year (source) (FACT 3). In fiscal year 2020,District spending per student totaled $19,506, amounting to just under $35 million overall expenditures (FACT 4).