As the 24-25 school year comes to a close, I wanted to take this opportunity to shine a light on an iconic Walther teacher who is retiring this year: Mr. Jeff Carnehl. Jeff has taught art at Walther continuously since 2000. An artist himself, his paintings are mounted around our school and can be found on many of our greetings cards and programs as well. His classroom is an absolute wonder to behold. With decades of student work and his own art adorning the walls alongside all sorts of posters, found objects, and art supplies, this is a dynamic creative space he has built up over the years. His students learn not only how to draw, paint, and tap into their creative sides, but also that all artistic gifts come from God. One part of Mr. Carnehl’s legacy that will not soon be forgotten is how each Easter Monday we return to school to see the first floor ceiling covered with beautiful, colorful butterflies, newly created by his students each year and hung by him with care. His students will always remember his patient and caring demeanor and how he brought out the artist in everyone. Walther will not be the same without Mr. Carnehl. We wish him all the best as he joins his wife Janet in retirement. Mr. Carnehl, “Go with God”-and come back often to visit.
Wishing everyone a great May.
Yours in Christ,
Tim Bouman
Head of School/Principal
In October of 2024, Walther held its first induction ceremony in 26 years with around 100 people in attendance.
Plans are underway for the 2025 induction to be held on Homecoming Day, Saturday, October 4, 2025. 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 31, 2025 with the new induction class being selected early in June. Any person or team who was nominated last year stays in the pool of candidates for 2025 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.
Bill Koehne ‘87
Director of Advancement
Walther Christian Academy
On April 11, the Chicago Women in Philanthropy (CWIP) hosted a career conference at Walther for our sophomore girls. The purpose of the conference was to “empower high school girls by teaching them about different unique career journeys, how to build confidence when pursuing their career, and not letting self-doubt get in their way.”
A panel of speakers from tech and engineering to the arts and leadership roles shared with our students about their personal stories, challenges, and triumphs as they navigated their path to success. The conversation provided powerful insights on how to build confidence, pursue your passions, and break through the glass ceilings that still exist in many industries today.
The panel discussion was followed by an opportunity for our students to meet in small groups with mentors from CWIP. During this speed mentoring session, each group of 4-5 girls met with 4 different women to ask questions and learn more about their different careers.
Sophomore Jenna Clark commented, “It was a great opportunity to learn more about the different job opportunities out there for all of us depending on our passions and interests. All of the speakers were very smart. I am thankful that this event took place.”
Diane Palumbo, school counselor at Walther added, “In a world that oftentimes sends mixed signals to our young women and girls, the Career Conference created a safe place for ALL the participants to share their stories. This powerful experience was inspirational, motivating and set the stage for many participants to take that small risk to break through those obstacles and move towards achieving their goals and dreams.”
We look forward to continuing this event in partnership with CWIP in the years to come.
Deidre Kruckenberg, Walther Class of 2012, is a Safety Engineer with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Her team at AWS works on research and development in technology. While a team of scientists is working in a lab at Caltech University to develop a Quantum Computer that can be scaled for large production, Deidre’s job is to keep them safe. In this role as an industrial hygienist, she assesses issues such as potential workplace hazards and exposure to unseen chemical and physical safety risks, analyzes ventilation reports, and conducts other risk assessments. “This is a unique position,” explains Deidre. “I am 1 of 1 within AWS.”
After graduating from Walther, Deidre went to the University of Arizona. As a junior she was accepted into a 3+2 program in Industrial Hygiene allowing her to graduate in 2017 with both a Bachelors and Masters degree in Public Health.
“Walther set me up so well for this journey,” Deidre shared. “I loved Chemistry with Mr. Tuomi and I leaned on what I learned in there so much in college. My college classmates were often confused, but I knew the material from my chemistry classes at Walther and was able to explain it to them in a different way.”
“I also loved the service opportunities available at Walther. One of my favorite experiences was the Mexico mission trip I took with Mr. Benke during spring break of my sophomore year. Through my experiences at Walther, I knew I wanted to do something with science while serving others. I initially considered Pharmacists Beyond Borders, but after an internship in Panama I decided to turn my focus towards Public Health.”
Like many Walther students, Deidre was very involved in extracurricular activities. From Wind Ensemble and Christian Minstrels to Cross Country, Softball, and Cheerleading, she did it all. Favorite memories include bus rides to games, hanging out with friends, and Campfire. “It was so fun to have everyone come together.”
While the 30-40 minute commute from Warrenville each day made it challenging, she now has a new appreciation for the sacrifices her parents made for her to attend Walther.
“To me, all of my Walther experience was about community. How beautiful it is that Walther brings people together from so many different backgrounds. It is a very special place. I will forever be grateful.”
Spring Concert II – Sunday, May 18 4:00pm (Jazz Band, Christian Minstrels, Gospel Choir)
Middle School Promotion Ceremony – Friday, May 30 6:00pm
High School Graduation – Sunday, June 1 2:00pm
Spring Musical: Matilda – Friday, June 6 @ 7:00pm, Saturday, June 7 @ 7:00pm, and Sunday, June 8 at 2:30pm
Here is an update on our spring sports as of May 4.
Boys Volleyball is 8-9 (5-1 Chicago Prep Conference). After a slow start against tough competition, the team has won 7 of their last 8 games including non-conference wins over Fenwick and Montini.
Girls Softball is 9-7 (5-0 CPC) and currently hold a 7 game winning streak.
Boys Baseball is 6-9 (4-6 CPC). They have their largest roster in several years with only 2 seniors among the 20 on the roster.
Girls Soccer is 4-7 (2-5 CPC). Earlier this week they won their 1st and 2nd round matches of the CPC tournament. These are the program’s first ever wins in the conference tournament. The championship game will be on 5/8.
Girls and Boys Track continue to progress heading into their conference meet on 5/8. They are looking forward to hitting some state qualifying marks as the weather warms up over the next couple of weeks.
Middle School Track has had four athletes qualify for the Lutheran Sports Association state track meet held at Concordia on May 17 & 18.
The National Honor Society, under the direction of Malory Mack, hosted a blood drive on April 7. In all, 27 people signed up and 20 (including students, faculty, and community members) were able to donate. Special thanks to our 18 first time donors. The NHS looks to grow this event in the years to come.
Later this spring, we will place a new order for the Paver walkway outside of the main entrance to the school on Chicago Ave. For just $200 you can have a paver inscribed with your name or message. Inscription can be up to 13 characters on 3 lines. Go to the DONATE button at the top of this newsletter and select Paver to make your purchase today. Bill Koehne will contact with you with more details.
Sixteen students were honored during a ceremony on April 24. This included one senior, one junior, and nine sophomores being inducted into NHS in addition to three eighth graders and two seventh graders being inducted into NJHS. We are proud of the academic accomplishments of all of these students and look forward to great things from them in the future.
Phil Wangerin, Class of ’65, passed away on March 15, 2025.
Marianne (Cotte) Joseph, Class of ’60, passed away on May 3, 2025.
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 y.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.
