SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – When you think about the late Mike Zimmers, you have to smile. And the second floor of the building at First and Laurel Streets was full of smiles Thursday afternoon, as the Lawrence Education Center was renamed the J. Michael Zimmers Academy.
“Every one of us has a story that we can tell about Mike,” said site administrator Kari Borders. “He was inspiring and dedicated and wanted all kids, all teachers, and all families to know that they mattered.”
The building houses District 186‘s alternative education program for sixth- through twelfth-graders who have been expelled or assigned there via an IEP.
Zimmers, who passed away four years ago, gave most of his adult life to Springfield Public Schools, as a teacher, coach, administrator, and school board member. To educator Layne Zimmers, he was Dad. “He believed that every child matters and that every child deserves someone in their corner,” she said during Thursday’s ceremony. “That is the part of his legacy that means the most to mew,” adding that a place “that represents opportunity, support, and new beginnings for our students.”
