What to know about Belleville school district’s 15,000-square-foot CAVE expansion

Belleville School District 201 unveiled the 15,000-square-foot expansion to its Center for Academic and Vocational Excellence, better known as The CAVE, Wednesday.

Community members got an up-close look at the new CAVE Annex, which is a separate building that sits southeast of the main building, at an open house. There, they marveled at the retired Falcon jet, tested flight simulators and explored a digitally automated human cadaver.

District 201 built the Annex to expand its offerings in aviation, health care and start a new program in automation, manufacturing and robotics. The additional space will also help meet the growing demand for the district’s vocational training opportunities, District 201 Superintendent Brian Mentzer said.

Here’s what to know about the approximately $3.7 million project:

What is The CAVE?

The CAVE provides in-demand vocational training through partnerships with businesses. The majority of this training is dual-credit with Southwestern Illinois College, Mentzer said. This means students can earn both high school credits and college credits at the same time.

Currently, The CAVE offers programs in aviation, automotive, carpentry and construction, health care, culinary arts, early childhood education, machining and metal working and welding, its website states. The expansion will allow The CAVE to expand some of its programming, plus add its new automation, manufacturing and robotics programs.

“We want our students to be provided access to programming and occupational opportunities that they wouldn’t have otherwise,” Mentzer said. “That’s why it’s a point of pride — you can see it coming to fruition.”

The CAVE also houses the district’s alternative education center, which serves at-risk high school students, and its esports studio.

The CAVE opened in August 2022.

What’s in The CAVE Annex?

The Annex houses four main sections, three of which are dedicated to specific vocational fields. Each field has a classroom and a workshop area with equipment.

The largest section is for aviation programming, and contains the retired corporate jet. This allows aviation mechanic students to see the components of a fully completed aircraft, Director Jacob Strausbaugh said. There are also opportunities for students to work on finishing details that are on the inside of aircraft, such as upholstery. The flight simulators, however, are typically housed in the main CAVE building and were brought over for Wednesday’s showcase, Strausbaugh said.

Mentzer said Gulfstream, the business jet manufacturer, plays a key role in The CAVE’s aviation programming.

There’s also space for healthcare programs. Currently, students have the opportunity to get their Community Health Worker Certificate, which can give students a leg up when applying to health care jobs, The CAVE’s website says.

The CAVE healthcare space is oriented toward this certificate goal, Strausbaugh said. It includes an Anatomage table, which provides digital simulations of humans’ and animals’ insides. There’s also a hospital mock-up station with real hospital transportation chairs and, soon, beds, and infant simulators.

One section is devoted to the district’s automation, manufacturing and robotics programming, which will debut this coming school year. In essence, Mentzer said, this programming has to do with all things “next generation manufacturing technology.”

The Annex boasts a Computer Numerical Control Machine, or CNC Machine. Students create a code on a computer specifying how they want the machine to cut a large metal sheet. Using a flashdrive, they transfer that code to the machine it cuts according to the specifications.

Last, there’s a flex space that houses e-sports equipment. The after-school activity is moving from the main building to the Annex next school year because it has more space for the growing number of interested students. The space is also used for meetings and professional development, Strausbaugh said.

How does the district decide what programs to offer?

It’s all about community collaboration, Mentzer said.

The district engages with the community to determine its needs. From there, Mentzer said, the district looks at how programs that fill those needs can be implemented with SWIC’s dual-credit program and how they can align with a high school curriculum.

The CAVE itself is a product of the community, Mentzer said, given the multitude of partnerships that make its programming possible.

“It truly is about community,” Mentzer said. “That’s the neat thing about it: It brings together a whole community that have very different interests to make kids’ lives better, to change kids’ lives.”

By the time CAVE students graduate, they have three pathways ahead of them, Mentzer said. They can use their skills to directly obtain employment, go to trade school or community college or apply them to their studies at a four-year university, Mentzer said.

How much did the expansion cost, and how did the district finance it?

Mentzer said the final cost of the expansion was on par with Millenium Construction’s bid of $3.64 million.

In Fall 2023, the district issued $7 million in general obligation bonds, and the following summer transferred roughly $5 million of this bond revenue to the capital projects fund. Some of this was used for the expansion.

Why was The Annex opening delayed?

Originally, The Annex was projected to open in time for this school year. Long lead times on supplies and materials threw a wrench in these plans.

But now, The CAVE Annex is ready to welcome students in August.

The district’s CAVE solar project plans are an ongoing discussion, Mentzer said.

This story was originally published May 15, 2025 at 6:00 AM.