Dear Walther Alumni and Community,
Every so often, God allows us to experience a moment so powerful, so pure, and so unmistakably filled with His presence that it leaves a lasting imprint on our hearts. Our recent Worship Night was one of those moments.
Worship Night was an extension of Kickstart – our student-led worship gathering that takes place every Tuesday morning as students come together to seek God, lift their voices in worship, share devotionals, and pray to “kick start” their day. On March 20th, our students did not simply host an event, they transformed our multi-purpose room into a sanctuary. They created space for the Lord to move, and He did. It was truly extraordinary.
The atmosphere was sacred. With hands lifted, hearts open, and voices singing out in sincere worship, the room was filled with a powerful manifestation of God’s love, power, and presence. With the theme of Restoration, there was a tangible sense of refreshing in the room – a vivid reminder that God still meets His people, still restores, still revives, and still pours out His Spirit.
As a school leader, I can say without hesitation that this was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had. To be led by our students in worship – to watch young people willingly surrender their Friday night, at the very start of Spring Break, not for entertainment, not for applause, but simply to honor God – was both humbling and deeply moving. I left full… of the Spirit and full of overwhelming pride in our students.
Moments like this remind me why Walther is so special. We are not only committed to academic excellence, opportunity, and growth; we are equally committed to nurturing the gifts God has placed inside of our young people. We believe in this generation. We believe God’s hand is on them. Therefore, we will continue to cultivate spaces where their faith can grow, their voices can be heard, their gifts can be sharpened, and their purpose can be awakened.
I am more convinced than ever that God has a plan for this next generation, and I am grateful that Walther gets to be a part of that formation.
I am truly proud to be a Bronco!
God Bless You All!
Dr. Terence Swims
Principal
Thank you for reading this We Are Walther newsletter. Three quick updates for you:
I wish you all a Blessed Easter!
Bill Koehne ‘87
Director of Advancement
Walther Christian Academy
On February 24, Walther senior Dillon Carey signed a Letter of Intent to play baseball next year at North Central University, a Division III school, in Minneapolis MN. Dillon shared, “I really like that North Central is in a big city, it is faith based, and has an up and coming program. It fits what I was looking for athletically and academically. Plus, it will be fun joining Brian Dahlstrand (Walther Class of ’24) on the team.” Dillon plans to major in Business and play catcher on the baseball team.
National Honor Society Induction – Thursday, April 23, 6:30pm
Jazz Band, Christian Minstrel, Gospel Choir Concert – Thursday, May 7, 7:00pm
Wind Ensemble, A Cappella, Concert Choir Concert – Sunday, May 17, 4:00pm
On Friday, March 13, 14 alumni, one parent, and members of the Melrose Park Police Department were at Walther to speak with our students about their careers. The morning began with a Campfire worship followed by a keynote address from Sarah Heidloff Ohanesian ’01. Sarah implored our students to believe in themselves and not let anyone convince them that they should not follow their dreams. Students then attended four career sessions. The afternoon included a college fair for our students in the Multi-Purpose Room followed by the annual senior-faculty volleyball and basketball games.
Thank you to the following people who took time out of their day to enlighten and encourage tomorrow’s leaders.
Randy Melton ’89 – Technology / Business Owner
Tirrell Robinson ’95 – Banking – Business Loans
Dennus Bishop ’96 – Special Agent in Charge USPS
Sarah (Heidloff) Ohanesian ’01 – Public Speaking / Marketing
Daniel Saeedi ’01 – Attorney
Dr. Elizabeth (Eschelbach) Wollensak ’04- Pediatrician
Perry Brown ’09 – Financial Planning
Erica (Means) Sierra ’09 – Accounting
Joshua Easter ’10 – Entrepreneur / Non-Profit
Terry Jones ’10 – Counseling
Emmanuel Perez ’12 – Counseling
Dr. Maria Hill ’16 – Pharmacy
Renata Serpico ’16 – Teaching
Rachel Wilharm ’16 – Physician Associate
Beatriz Gonzalez – Nursing
If you are interested in speaking at a future Career Day, contact Bill Koehne at 708-344-0404 x230 or bill_koehne@waltheracademy.org
In October of 2024, Walther resurrected its Athletic Hall of Fame with the first induction ceremony in 26 years.
Plans are underway for the 2026 induction to be held on Homecoming Day, Saturday, October 10, 2026. Nominations are now open for the next class of inductees. Use the button below to nominate an individual, team, or coach. Nominations close on May 15, 2026 with the new induction class being selected early in June. Any person or team who was nominated in the past stays in the pool of candidates for 2026 and does not need to be nominated again.
To preserve the accomplishments of our rich athletic history, Walther has purchased an interactive display board. To view information remotely, use the button below. Note: The display functions best on a computer.
Psalm 116:15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His faithful servants.
Please email any death notices to Advancement@WaltherAcademy.org
Walther Christian Academy is operated for the purpose of providing Christian Education at the secondary level for the families of Lutheran congregations. However, it admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin, and religion to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin and religion in administration of its educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school administered programs.
