Wednesday was a special day for the 365 students of Lincoln-Irving Elementary School in Moline.
Not only was it the typical one-hour midweek early out, but after school, dozens of students, staff, school board members, district leaders, and many others gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking for the planned much larger new school on the site, 1015 16th Ave., Moline.
The Robert Ontiveros Elementary School will consolidate the Lincoln-Irving and Willard schools in a modern K - 5 facility designed to help students thrive. A 61,000 square-foot addition and 32,000-square-foot renovation will double the school's size, refresh learning spaces, and honor the rich diversity of families, says the Moline-Coal Valley School District, noting the current enrollment will grow to 600. Highlights include a cultural tree and learning stair at the core of the facility.
The school is designed to remind students of home: wood elements, an earth tone color scheme, a raised “porch” gathering area, and classroom entrances that resemble home entries. The school is named after Moline native Robert Ontiveros, a beloved Quad Cities entrepreneur, philanthropist, and community leader.
The new mascot, the Ontiveros Owl, was selected via a community survey. Among those who participated in the design process were Lincoln-Irving and Willard students, staff, and families, as well as the N.E.S.T. Committee (Naming the Elementary School Together).
The facility is designed by Legat Architects (Moline) and will be built by Estes Construction (Davenport). Construction and renovation at Lincoln-Irving Elementary will begin in early April 2026, and all students and staff will move April 7 to Western Illinois University in Moline for school the remainder of this year and the 2026-27 school year.
Once renovations are complete (summer of 2027), Lincoln-Irving and Willard students will join together and transition into the newly transformed Robert Ontiveros Elementary school for the 2027-2028 school year. Official opening date will be in August 2027.
This milestone will mark the retirement of the historic Willard Elementary (1616 16th St., Moline), which has proudly served the community for over 127 years.
The Moline-Coal Valley School District announced the renaming on Dec. 9, 2025, for the school project, to cost $33.8 million. Ontiveros – who died Feb. 8, 2022, at 83 -- “was a pioneering entrepreneur, philanthropist, and community leader whose work expanded opportunity and strengthened the cultural and economic vitality of the Quad Cities,” the school district said of the influential founder of Group O, one of the largest Hispanic-owned businesses in the nation.
He also founded the Greater Quad Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and co-founded Moline-based Mercado on Fifth. The school’s Owls mascot will replace the Lincoln-Irving Eagles and Willard Warriors.
“It's one of the most exciting things that I've ever seen happen here in the community and to my family and to my father,” Bob Ontiveros’s older son, Chris, said Wednesday before the event, noting about 15 family members attended. “Seeing all the people and especially the laughing children in the background, it's just absolute joy to my heart.
“I feel absolutely blessed, humbled. The community has absolutely been sending positive vibes to us and accolades and congratulations to my father. Moline meant a lot to him. It meant a lot to all of his brothers and sisters. So this is a tribute to not only my dad, but their family. And they've been here for over 100 years."
Chris said that Bob “believed in integrity and perseverance, but more importantly, he believed in education. And he was a big supporter of Lincoln-Irving, and he was a big supporter of Black Hawk College and Moline High. And knowing that his values for community and education will continue to grow and be the foundation for generations is amazing.”
Bob Ontiveros was born in the Hispanic Floreciente neighborhood, in Moline’s west edge.
“They were as poor as poor can be,” Chris said. “There was a lot of people that helped raise my family. I had a deadbeat grandfather, like many children do have deadbeat dads. My grandfather was one of them. And my dad proved that you can become somebody if you try hard enough. And others care for you. There was a lot of people from the junior high level in high school that helped my dad realize that poverty meant nothing.
"But what did matter was character, determination and perseverance.”
In that neighborhood, the support Bob and his wife Blenda gave to the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Valley resulted in the club naming the youth center, 1122 5th Ave., in their honor.
“My mom doesn't get a lot of accolades, but she was also a big part of this success,” Chris said. “She was there every day pushing him, pushing us to try harder.”
Other lessons they imparted to Chris and his brother Gregg – “Don't be afraid to fail. Try hard, keep going. Persevere. You will succeed,” Chris said.
He also pulled out two small egg-shaped containers that have some of his parents’ ashes, created by Trimble Funeral Home.
“Great pride and lasting significance”
“This is an incredible honor and moment of great pride and lasting significance that we all gather here today to officially dedicate this school and honor an extraordinary man,” Chris said during Wednesday afternoon’s ceremony. “To name a school after an individual places their values permanently into the foundation and education itself and ensures that every student walks through these doors is reminded every single day of the power of character, work ethic, integrity and service. These are the very same qualities that my father portrayed and acted every single day of his life.”
“My dad is not a man who sought recognition, but he was a man who earned it,” he added. “He understood that true leadership is built through consistency, humility and responsibility. Through his life's example, he showed us that success is not measured in titles and or awards. But this award and this title is absolutely just inspiring beyond belief.
“I hope the children of this school feel his presence every single day, especially days when they just don't seem to think they're going to make it,” Chris said. “Bob believed deeply in family and community and doing what was right, especially when no one was watching. He stood as a steady example of perseverance again, accountability and compassion. His guidance helped shape generations and his presence strengthened everyone fortunate enough to know him.”
“By placing the name of this school, we ensure that this story continues to teach every student who passes through these doors that they will learn more than academics,” he added. “They will learn what it means to lead with integrity, to serve with humility and live with purpose.”
“This project is more than a building,” said Jeff Sandberg, CEO of Legat Architects. “It represents opportunity, growth and a commitment to the next generation of the community. By bringing Lincoln-Irving and Willard together into one unified environment, we're creating a space designed to support collaboration, innovation and student success.”
Leadership, planning and investment
“Projects like this just don't happen without thoughtful leadership, long-term planning and a willingness to invest in the future of your community,” he said to the school board. “And that's exactly what you've demonstrated...And we're especially proud of this school that honors Robert Ontiveros, a leader whose impact on this community reflects the very values of the school will stand for -- dedication, opportunity and giving back.
"As we break ground, we're not just starting construction. We're laying the foundation for stronger futures, stronger families and a stronger community.”
“When our craft and our mission come together, those are incredibly special projects for our project team to be part of,” said Mallory Merritt, CFO of Estes Construction. “And we're very grateful to the district for the opportunity to be the construction partner for such a transformational project.”
“We know that access to high-quality, safe and leading-edge education is the path forward for our region. It's the path forward to our future workforce needs. So a huge thank you to the district now not only for conceptualizing such a remarkable project, but also for all of the hard work in getting it to this point and for the community impact that it will have whenever we cut the ribbon."
“Speaking of impact, our construction team will not do this alone. There's a signed IMPACT agreement for this particular project,” she said. “So what that means is that we're going to be bringing alongside of us our region and our local, most skilled, trained union labor that will really be driving schedule quality and safety.”
“This groundbreaking marks a new beginning,” said Rachel Savage, superintendent of the Moline-Coal Valley School District. “One community, one future and one shared commitment to ensure every Owl has the opportunity to learn, grow and soar. I want to extend a huge thank you to the Ontiveros family for allowing us to honor your father in this way and to have his legacy be able to continue on in the hearts and minds of the children of Lincoln-Irving and Willard is a true honor for the Moline-Coal Valley School District.”
You can keep track of the school expansion project status online HERE.
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