Over the past two years, a group of La Salle-Peru High School students has used their voice to let their school know they want to revive the high school’s agriculture program.

Students and administration began working together, and by mid-May, a new $8 million Agriculture Center may be mostly complete.

“[The students] get to see everything they wished and dreamed come to fruition over the course of the next few years,” said Riley Hintzsche, Head of the Agriculture Department. “They’ve had their feet in every piece of this process. It’s not just been teachers or adults at the table.”

Hintzsche provided updates on the program’s progress during a meeting Monday night, emphasizing the importance of student involvement, the possibilities the program offers and the status of the new agriculture center.

“The plan for substantial completion is mid-May 2026,” Director of Communication Matt Baker said. “I’m sure they’ll still be buttoning some things up... but the goal would be students this school year would get some time in the building.”

Baker said the project was awarded to Vissering Construction last week, but the completion of the project should have no impact on the tax rate, as the school has fit it into the budget.

The two-story center will have two classrooms, an agriculture maintenance shop, a greenhouse, a veterinary science building, a kitchen, a learning center, a student store and an FFA office.

“I will be transparent in regards to this. This is really exciting,” Hintzsche said. “We will have one of the best ag buildings in the state... for a high school campus.”

Currently, Hintzsche is teaching three courses – intro to agriculture, animal science, and veterinary science – to 54 students with multiple students knocking on his door every day, hoping to join. He said they are planning on adding horticulture in the fall.

He said he had five students walk into his room, just on Monday, to ask what classes they should sign up for next semester.

“That’s super exciting for me,” Hintzsche said. “They’ve started seeing this momentum and we’re moving forward... we’re growing in leaps and bounds... There are things that we’ve done in three or four months that ag programs take two or three years to do.”

At the center of L-P agriculture’s comeback are Molly Mudge, a senior, and Mollie Thompson, a sophomore. Both students grew up in farming families and wanted to share and expand their knowledge through a program at their high school.

“I was always surrounded by agriculture and when I got to L-P, I realized we didn’t have anything,” Mudge said. “I’m excited for the opportunity for other students to be able to help with animals... and all the different aspects.”

“It’s going to open up a lot of opportunities,” Thompson said.

Community members and businesses are invited to “Plant a Legacy” by making contributions toward the project. Donations will offset the project costs for the school district and support the growth of agricultural education in the community.

The various levels of donor recognition include “sowing seeds of innovation” for $100 to $500 donations to $15,000 to $500,000 for facility naming rights.

Donors are able to make multi-year pledges and partner with other families or groups to claim a larger naming right opportunity or name a major or minor gift in memory of a loved one.

For additional information, contact Superintendent Dr. Steven Wrobleski at 815-223-2373 or swrobleski@lphs.net.