The Fall Semester is well underway, and we are definitely back in the swing of things. This month, I’d like to share with you a little bit about our current group of students.
Our enrollment has gone up almost 9% since last year, and we are now at 309 students, the most in 12 years (and up from a low of 229 just four years ago). We have 49 middle school students and 260 high schoolers.
While God has blessed us with additional families, we are still a tight-knit school in which each individual student is known and cared for, and the family feeling remains in our hallways and classrooms. We are a richly diverse school, with students from 50 Chicagoland zip codes representing all the ethnic and cultural backgrounds found in our area. About 1/3 of our high school students still come from a Lutheran elementary school (including our own middle school, where 93% of our 8th graders remained for HS). We’ve increased our number of international students this year as well, with three coming from South Korea, joining a small group of other students from abroad. Finally, while we are encouraged by our growing numbers, our biggest pleasure remains serving each individual child of God who finds their way to Walther.
May God bless our students, our teachers, and our school year.
Yours in Christ,
Tim Bouman
Head of School/Principal
Successful Walther Day of Giving
In conjunction with Walther’s 70th birthday on September 12, we launched our inaugural Walther Day of Giving. With over 60 donors participating, we eclipsed our goal of $10,000 raised in support of Walther students and teachers. A special thank you to our 10 first-time donors, mostly current parents and young alumni, and to 12 donors who gave for the first time in over 3 years. When we come together as a Walther community, great things can happen.
Bill Koehne ‘87
Director of Advancement
Walther Christian Academy
LJ Hanyzewski, Walther Class of 2021, is a senior at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC). LJ is majoring in Biomedical Engineering and was recently inducted into Tau Beta Pi, a national engineering honor society. He has also been involved with Filipinos in Alliance (FIA), one of the largest cultural organizations at UIC with over 200 members, currently serving as its President.
LJ has had a long interest in engineering, but it was his Anatomy class at Walther with Dr. Seabaugh that put him on the path towards Biomedical Engineering. “I found Anatomy to be very interesting, and it was Dr. Seabaugh who informed me about the field of Biomedical Engineering. Her class set me up to know the physiological aspects of the human body needed for this particular degree. I love what I am studying and find medical devices very interesting.” LJ shared that one of his favorite classes has been Biological Systems Analysis where he learned to model the cardiovascular system using electrical circuits and mathematical equations. “AP Calculus with Mrs. Eberhard also prepared me to do the college level math which was expected right off the bat.”
Post-graduate plans are uncertain at this point, but LJ is considering graduate school with a focus on data science related to the medical field.
While at Walther, LJ was involved in music, drama, and student council. He was also instrumental in getting the boys volleyball team started. “The leadership and time management I learned at Walther prepared me for being able to handle my FIA responsibilities along with a challenging course of study.”
Congratulations to Daniel Saeedi ‘01 who was recently named by Crain’s Chicago Business on their Notable Gen X Leaders in Accounting, Consulting, and Law. |
As part of our 70th Anniversary celebration, and as a way to preserve the historical achievements of Walther Christian Academy and Walther Lutheran High School, the Walther Athletic Hall of Fame is being reactivated.
Congratulations to the Hall of Fame induction Class of 2024!
1984 Boys Track Team – Only State Championship in school history
2011-2013 Girls Track Teams – 2nd place at State for 3 consecutive years
Don Schafer – Class of 1984 Track & Field and Cross-Country
David Washington – Class of 1984 Track & Field
Andrew Amaya – Class of 1989 Basketball
Bo Flowers, Jr. – Class of 2002 Football, Basketball, & Baseball
MaShayla Kirksey Green – Class of 2013 Track & Field
Anna Strong – Class of 2013 Track & Field
Arra Strong – Class of 2013 Track & Field
Coach Warren G. Hoger Football, Wrestling, Track & Field
The induction ceremony and brunch will take place on Saturday, October 26 at Walther at 10:30am (note the new time). Tickets are just $10 and can be purchased using the button below. Ticket sales end Friday, October 18.
Induction classes may consist of individual athletes, teams, coaches, or supporters of the athletic program. Each year there will be a maximum of 10 inductees. Anyone nominated but not elected will continue to be considered for induction in the years to come.
A full list of all Hall of Fame members is available here.
Allen Schiefelbein, Class of ’62, passed away on June 18, 2024. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.
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
Josh Peterson, a Homeschool student who competed on the Walther wrestling team from 2019-2023, died on September 20, the result of a motorcycle accident. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.
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.
