Walther Lutheran Academy Press Releases

WALTHER LUTHERAN ACADEMY @FOREST PARK OPENS (August 7, 2007)

The brand new Walther Lutheran Academy @Forest Park opens its doors for school for the first time on Monday, August 27, 2007. The school opens on the campus of the former St. John Lutheran School which closed this spring after operating for 137 years. The Academy, like its forerunner, will offer a quality Lutheran education, but it will be one with a new face.

Walther Lutheran Academy is a Concordia University Partner School. Academy students benefit from the focused attention of teacher training programs as a Concordia University Chicago Partner School and the excellence of a dedicated staff drawn from across the nation. “We are blessed to open the Academy with teachers that have both experience and expertise in their field,” said Principal Stephen Zielke. “Parents and students alike will be impressed with their teacher's dedication and attention. This coming school year promises a contagious enthusiasm for learning,” he added. The school provides classes for ages 3 through 8th grade along with extra curricular activities and extended care from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Today in the Chicago metro area, Concordia University Chicago has taken the lead in education and teacher training, working with over 3000 graduate students each year. An emphasis on nurturing the social, emotional, intellectual, and physical developmental needs of children is behind the latest innovations in multiage learning. Walther Lutheran Academy @Forest Park applies the success of multiage learning in a positive and healthy educational setting that is available to busy families for up to 12 hours each weekday.

The Academy operates under the umbrella of the Walther Lutheran Association which is the parent organization of Walther Lutheran High School. The college preparatory school in Melrose Park has been a cornerstone of Lutheran Education in the Chicago area since 1954. Walther relies on a strong relationship with elementary and middle schools throughout the region, serving them with a variety of interactive grade school activities of an academic, athletic and social nature and offering a quality, college preparatory secondary education. A favorable teacher-student ratio and an advanced degree faculty have created an atmosphere where excellence is the norm.

“This is certain to be one of the finest schools in the western suburbs,” enthused Don Gillingham, Executive Director of the Walther Lutheran Association. “The talent that has been assembled to make this dream a reality is staggering. It is time for educators to look at what we need to do to prepare our kids for the changing competitive world that awaits them. We believe that this includes developing a hunger for the spiritual things and an understanding that being excellent in our approach to the wisdom of the world is a God pleasing thing.”

Between the two campuses Walther offers superior classroom instruction and extracurricular experience for students from age three through 12th grade. In partnership with Concordia University Chicago, the total Lutheran Educational experience is designed to continue into college and beyond.

For information about Walther Lutheran Academy @Forest Park or Walther Lutheran High School visit Walther.com or call 708.344.0404.

Press Release contact: Lori Solyom, Public Information Coordinator