We are Walther, the last Lutheran High School in Chicagoland.
Follow us as we make plans for our future!
From the desk of our Advancement Director.
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Tim Bouman, Head of School |
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Greetings from Walther!
As we come to the end of a long winter at Walther, we have much for which to be thankful. Our seniors have been getting more and more college acceptance letters and scholarship offers, including to schools such as Loyola, DePaul, multiple Concordias, Luther, Carthage, Valparaiso, Gustavus Adolphus, UIC, Kalamazoo, Hope, and Augustana, to name a few. One of our top students will be entering the pre-seminary program at Concordia University Chicago. We are excited for him, and glad to have been able to nurture his faith at Walther.
In other news, our admissions and recruitment efforts are once again bearing fruit, and we anticipate another increase next year. Our Band is about to go on tour for the first time in two years, visiting churches in Southern Illinois and the St. Louis suburbs before returning to perform at the Northern Illinois District's upcoming convention at Concordia. Our Mathletes made an excellent showing at their competition last week, while our spring athletes are now preparing to take the field/courts/track. And while we are speaking of athletics, I am proud to report that we had Walther athletes make it to State competitions in bowling and girls' basketball (three-point shooting finalist).
As always, we are anchored in faith. The Walther community began our Lenten journey with the imposition of ashes in Chapel last week. This Lenten season, please keep us in your prayers, as we pray for peace and healing around the world.
Yours in Christ,
Tim Bouman
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Sally Ruecking, Director of Advancement
Happy March, Walther Family!
Spring was in the air! And then today it snowed!
Thank you for being part of this caring community. We are grateful for your gifts both large and small, and for keeping Walther in your hearts and prayers. Our students are very active and seem to really be happy that they can carry on with their activities and just being kids.
We are thrilled to be hosting four events in the next few months and hope that you will be a part of some of them. You can register for all Bronco Benefits as well as the Bucking Bronco 5K by going to our new website, which has a responsive design that you can view right from your I-Pad or cell phone. It’s a clean design and we hope is easy for our current families and alumni to access whatever you are looking for.
All of our clubs and athletics are in full force, and Aura is no exception. Mr. Bouman and I are excited to take the Aura Club members on a field trip in May to visit the National Museum of Mexican Art and have an authentic Mexican meal in Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago.
Please register for any of our events soon. Our 5K is a family-friendly event where you can Run, Walk or Stroll!
And, as always, please pray for and consider leaving Walther in your estate planning. Thank you to so many who have returned your response card and have left this wonderful school in your estate planning. We are still here---because of YOU! Please come visit soon!
Thank you for being part of the Walther community!
Sally Ruecking
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WALTHER EVENTS!
In 2022, there are several events you can attend to support Walther!
New Dates Below!
Mark your calendars!
May 14, 2022 at 6 pm
Bronco Benefit at Maggiano's
Little Italy, Schaumburg, IL
May 20, 2022
New Event: Bronco Benefit Junior
6 pm at the school. This event is for Alumni Classes of 1990 to 2021
May 21, 2022 at 6 pm
Second Annual Virtual Bronco Benefit will be hosted across the USA via Zoom
June 4, 2022
Second Annual Bucking Bronco Run/Walk at the school and surrounding neighborhood. Registration is open at:
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We're on the road again (FINALLY)! On March 9, 2022, the Wind Ensemble, String Ensemble, and Jazz Band from Walther Christian Academy in Melrose Park, Illinois will embark on a three day tour through St. Louis and Chicagoland.
This tour will serve a service project to raise money for the congregation of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Beecher, Illinois, whose historic country church burned to the ground last fall. Through the support of Lincoln County Music Supply in Troy, Missouri, Walther’s instrumental ensembles will perform at Bonfils Auditorium in Troy, Missouri on Wednesday, March 9 at 6:30 p.m. and at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in O’Fallon, Missouri on March 10 at 7:00 p.m.
Walther Christian Academy is a small Chicagoland parochial school with a thriving fine arts program. The participating members of the ensemble are active members of multiple musical groups, as well as many other activities. These students recognize their Call to use their God-given talents to spread joy to “all nations.” Their performances will include music by Alfred Reed, David R. Holsinger, John Philip Sousa, Count Basie, and much more! Please join us for a wonderful evening of music. A freewill offering will be collected, and all proceeds will go to Lutheran Church Charities efforts to assist St. Paul Church.
Samantha M. Rose
Walther Grade School Instrumental Music Program Director
Fine Arts Department Chair
Editors Note: Please support our incredible music program and attend March 13 at 3:30 pm. We look forward to seeing you there!
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Meet: Jessica and Aaron Harsch, Walther Alumni Class of 2003 and Owners of Redemption Road Coffee |
Aaron and Jessica met while attending Walther. They both attended Bethel College in Indiana.
They moved to Colorado in 2010 for Aaron to attend seminary because they felt Jesus was calling them there. Here is their story:
When you buy a freshly roasted bag of Redemption Road Coffee, you’re not just buying good coffee…
You're supporting a cause.
You're supporting individual hardworking families all across the globe.
You're supporting my family in our mission to help people live more authentically both emotionally and spiritually.
You're joining a community of people with the desire and vision to make the world a better place.
History
Aaron Harsch began roasting his own coffee in a whirleypop crank-handle popcorn maker in 2010. As he researched and experimented he began to perfect his roast creating a smooth, flavorful coffee. Friends would say “You make a great coffee!" and he and his wife would give their coffee as Christmas gifts. The Harsch’s home-roasted coffee was well-loved.
During that time, Aaron, with the support of his wife Jessica, began a non-profit organization called Redemption Road. Redemption Road runs groups and weekend intensives that help men learn how to live in freedom. (Find out more at redemptionroad.com)
In the fall of 2015 a friend made a comment to Aaron in passing: "You should sell this coffee to support Redemption Road". For some reason that idea hit home. Aaron started considering what it would take to start a coffee roasting business. That Thanksgiving, he and his wife decided they would make this a reality. They bought an industrial drum roaster, obtained the necessary licenses and opened for business.
Not only would this coffee support their own family, but they would give a portion of the profits away to help support Redemption Road and other great causes. The Harsch’s also saw that they could support international families and communities from whom they sourced their coffees. This is why the descriptions on their coffees are so long. They want you to know the whole story. They want you to know about the people who hand-picked the coffee cherries, and what they are using the profits for in their communities.
Redemption Road Coffee has graciously donated auction items to our upcoming live Bronco Benefit. As a thank you to them we hope you will support their Christ-centered business by clicking on the link below.
(And enjoy the photo of Aaron and Jessica in High School!)
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Whether you are Near or Far-You can attend one of three Bronco Benefit's this year!
Walther Welcomes you Home!
We are so excited to be able to gather together at our upcoming Bronco Benefits! Our “traditional” in-person Bronco Benefit hasn’t happened in two years, and we look forward to seeing all of our alumni, friends, teachers and staff together at long last!
This year we are hosting our live Bronco Benefit at Maggiano’s Little Italy in Schaumburg. Together with our talented music students who will be performing, we welcome professional musicians “The Rob Curtis Band” to entertain throughout the evening. This event ticket price is $150 which includes dinner and two cocktails.
Covid taught us all to be flexible and resilient. Last year’s ZOOM Bronco Benefit was a success and what we learned was that so many alumni lived all over the country and really appreciated “seeing” each other. So, we will be hosting a Virtual Bronco Benefit with break-out rooms for alumni to chat and get reacquainted. This event ticket price is $100 which includes break-out chat rooms of your choice.
Finally, we are hosting a special Bronco Benefit Jr. for alumni who graduated in 1990 and after. This will be hosted at the school and will be a casual taco dinner and cocktails. There will be an opportunity to play “bags” in the halls and hear from our talented student musicians. This event price is $50. What a fun event to reconnect with your former classmates!
Registration is open now. If you cannot attend any of these events, your donation is always appreciated! We hope to see you take some time out of your busy lives to support Walther Christian Academy!
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Our winter installation has been completed, but please order today for Spring!
The time is NOW to become a permanent part of Walther by purchasing an engraved paver today! You can purchase one on our website by choosing the paver purchase option to honor your time here at Walther, thank a parent for sending you here, thank a teacher or honor a memory.
Pavers are $200 each.
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We are pleased to share with you Walther Christian Academy’s Annual Report for our fiscal year 2020-2021. Everyone who donated to our school during July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 has been mailed a copy. You may also view the Annual Report on our new website.
We believe this is a way to honor our donors by providing transparency and accuracy on our financials. It is also a way to highlight achievements throughout the year and to highlight some of our recent graduate’s successes.
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Come see the recent upgrades that have been on-going on our building and campus!
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Walther would not exist without you!
To all ALUMNI: We are asking every one of you, regardless of where you are in life, to consider including Walther Christian Academy in your will.
Leaving a legacy at Walther means that more students will experience the joy of attending a school that truly cares about them and that your legacy will be helping students tomorrow.
Please contact Sally_Ruecking@WaltherAcadamy.org to discuss your wishes.
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Walther Christian Academy | www.Walther.com |
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