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L-P ag center construction underway, set for May completion

$8 million facility aims to revive high school farm program

The main entrance of La Salle-Peru Township High school today. Under the master plan, the clock tower and auditorium will remain the same. Under the master plans, students and staff will not have to travel outdoors during the school day (for certain classes) to create a safer learning environment.

The main entrance of La Salle-Peru Township High school today. Under the master plan, the clock tower and auditorium will remain the same. Under the master plans, students and staff will not have to travel outdoors during the school day (for certain classes) to create a safer learning environment. (Shaw Local News Network)

By Maribeth M. Wilson

La Salle-Peru High School’s $8 million agriculture center is expected to be mostly complete by mid-May, marking the revival of the school’s agriculture program.

Construction on the two-story facility began in December 2025, which will include two classrooms, an agriculture maintenance shop, a greenhouse, a veterinary science building, a kitchen, a learning center, a student store and an FFA office.

Riley Hintzsche holds a big from Brockman Farms in Verona. Hintzsche began a project at Streator High School called "Think Oink!", where the school brings in two pregnant pigs and they give birth. The students manage the entire process.

Riley Hintzsche holds a big from Brockman Farms in Verona. Hintzsche began a project at Streator High School called "Think Oink!", where the school brings in two pregnant pigs and they give birth. The students manage the entire process. (Photo provided by Riley Hintzsche)

The district hired instructor Riley Hintzsche in February 2025 to lead the program’s resurrection. Hintzsche previously revitalized Streator High School’s agriculture program.

“I was very impressed with the student-leadership development program, the ranges of courses offered, and the real-world experiences students had,” Hintzsche told Shaw Local News Network in March. “I knew then that this is the type of program we would aspire to create at L-P.”

Riley Hintzsche, Head of the L-P Agriculture Department, stands with a few of his students during the Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, "Replanting Agriculture" meeting.

Riley Hintzsche, Head of the L-P Agriculture Department, stands with a few of his students during the Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, "Replanting Agriculture" meeting. (Maribeth Wilson)

Hintzsche emphasized student involvement in the planning process.

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

The instructor expressed excitement about the facility’s potential.

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

La Salle CountyNewsTribune

Maribeth M. Wilson

Maribeth M. Wilson has been a reporter with Shaw Media for two years, one of those as news editor at the Morris Herald-News. She became a part of the NewsTribune staff in 2023.