Worth the Wait!
Theword advent is rooted in the Latin word adventus which means “coming” or “arrival.” We Christians celebrate the season of Advent as the four weeks that lead up to Christmas, the arrival of our savior, Christ Jesus. What is one of the most difficult things to do these weeks leading up to Christmas? Waiting. Patiently waiting. This is especially true for children, but waiting is difficult for people of all ages. Yet year after year, being able to celebrate the Savior’s coming is always worth the wait.
At Lakeside, students, faculty and staff (especially the front office staff) are patiently awaiting another type of arrival—the time when our current building project is complete. It has been eight months since we broke ground. In just days, the work trucks will disappear, the tarps down, the dust settled. Front office staff won’t be interrupted by the daily sights and sounds of a construction project. Staff members who have been patiently waiting for new offices to be completed can move from their temporary locations. Students are already enjoying the facelift given to the current cafeteria and lobby restrooms, but soon they won’t be knocking elbows with one another during lunch as they spread out into the expanded cafeteria space.
As the Lakeside family patiently awaits this coming completion, we are already grateful. We’re grateful for our SAVIOR. We’re thankful that our ministry is so well supported—teachers and administrators who strengthen students’ faith by sharing God’s Word with them in a quality educational setting. We give thanks for generous, thoughtful and selfless supporters. We can never say THANK YOU enough, but we can try by providing events just for you, our loyal supporters, throughout the year. We hope to see you often as we share Christian fellowship, our love of Lakeside and our love for our Risen Savior together.
Wishing you a blessed Advent season!
Bruce F. Davis III
The Legacy is published twice yearly by the Development Office of Lakeside Lutheran High School; content is intended for Annual Giving Society members. Correspondence and address changes may be sent to The Legacy, 231 Woodland Beach Rd., Lake Mills, Wis. 53551, or e-mailed to development@llhs.org
Editors: Bari Vredeveld & Kimara Winters | Development Director: Bruce Davis
Headshots, p. 2 & 7: Empire Photography | All other photos: LLHS pub staff or contributed.
Dedication Ceremony
With the Phase 2 building project so close to completion, on Sunday, December 15, we were blessed to be able to host a ceremony to give it all back to our gracious God from whom it all came! Several pastors on the Board of Regents— Kevin Hundley (St. John, Newville), Tim Redfield (St. Luke, Watertown) and Tim Nass (St. Paul, Lake Mills)—joined Principal/Pastor Don Schultz in leading attendees through thoughts from Scripture passages, a capella hymns of “God’s Word is Our Great Heritage” and the Doxology, and a dedication rite before throwing open the doors to the new cafeteria for tours and fellowship. We are thrilled to share we are also blessed to have the project fully funded, meaning the entire $3.5 million project was accomplished debt-free.
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:10-11
Chi “ ” Fellowship
Members of the Chi Fellowship, through the fruit of the Holy Spirit, have provided a single gift of less than $1,000 during the last year to Lakeside Lutheran High School. With the Greek letter Chi so evident in our churches and schools, your association with this fellowship is a reminder of God’s love, and every gift is significant to Lakeside.
As a thank you for your gift we offer you a subscription to The Legacy and invite you to attend a fellowship event.
To remain a member of this Chi Fellowship we encourage you to renew your annual support each year, or prayerfully consider joining the Rho or Kentro Fellowship.
Chi Fellowship Giving (468 Members)
Total Gifts $14,891 June 1, 2024 through November 30, 2024
*Other may include Athletics, Band, Choir, FFA, Operation Go, STEM, Tech Ed, Theatre, Transportation, Video and more!
You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. Luke 1:14 NLT
Austin DeNoyer
Our focus on Christ’s love defines who we are at Lakeside. As an alum from the class of 2016, I am especially grateful to see how much the school has grown, both in numbers and in faith.
Serving now as a Phy Ed teacher and coach, I get to witness this growth firsthand as students strive to excel, not just for personal achievement, but out of a genuine eagerness to use their talents to serve others and honor God. Each day, I see them lift each other up, challenge themselves, and represent their Savior in everything they do. There’s a deep sense of pride and purpose in our students, and they consistently impress me with their willingness to grow. At Lakeside, success is measured not by wins or grades but by the love of Christ that defines our identity and drives everything we do.
A 3-season athlete in high school himself, Austin came to Lakeside from Wisconsin Lutheran High School in Milwaukee for his senior year when his dad took the call to be Lakeside’s Activities Director in 2015. He graduated from Martin Luther College and came to us in 2023. In addition to teaching PE and Strength and Conditioning, he coaches JV2 Boys Basketball and JV2 Football this year. He and his family, Carissa and Weston, live in Fort Atkinson and are members at St. Paul, Lake Mills.
Below: Last spring, Austin was part of the state champion boys Track & Field team. He and co-head coach, Justin Vanderhoof, received a well-deserved Coach of the Year Award from the WIAA.
Rho
Fellowship
Members of the Rho Fellowship, with the Lord’s guidance, have provided multiple gifts totaling less than $1,000 within the last year to Lakeside Lutheran High School. The Greek letters Rho and Chi form the symbol for Christ. This symbol, displayed in the center of our school seal, serves as a reminder that Christ is the center of our faith at Lakeside. Through this faith we return our blessings to continue His work.
As a thank you for your gifts we offer you membership in the Rho Fellowship, a subscription to The Legacy and also invite you to attend the fellowship events that have been planned for you.
To remain a member of the Rho Fellowship we encourage you to renew your support each year, or prayerfully consider joining our Kentro Fellowship.
Rho Fellowship Giving (205 Members)
Total Gifts $6,631 June 1, 2024 through November 30, 2024
*Other may include Athletics, Band, Choir, FFA, Operation Go, STEM, Tech Ed, Theatre, Transportation, Video and more!
Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him. Psalm 34:8 NLT
Jennifer Statz
Lakeside is such a special place. As a graduate, parent of two alumna and a future Warrior, I was humbled to join the ranks as a staff member this fall. Serving as the Assistant Director of Student Services, I have the opportunity to interact with students in a variety of settings, both in and out of the classroom, through individual conferencing and small group class meetings. I help coach course selection, explore career options, and vet life stressors and anxieties with our teenagers all while reminding them that each step of their journey is part of God’s perfect plan. I walk the hallways, I sit in a cafeteria full of students, I join in worship during weekly chapel services, I watch sporting events … in all these places and spaces I am constantly reminded of just how much of a blessing it is to be a Warrior. Going through the day-to-day, it’s easy to overlook these blessings Lakeside has to offer and take for granted how wonderful it is to have an environment that focuses our children’s hearts and minds on Jesus while they practice navigating life. With a focus on faith, academics and personal growth, students at Lakeside thrive in an environment that nurtures their whole self. Spiritual maturity develops as everything from relationships, work habits, and conflict resolution is grounded in Christian values and the saving grace of Jesus. I feel fortunate to be a part of this school community, preparing young adults not only for college or careers, but also for a life of service and faith.
Jen graduated in 1994 and then from Wisconsin Lutheran College in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Social Studies, and Biology with Secondary Ed. (‘99). She earned a masters in Education from Viterbo in 2009 and Educational Leadership in 2021. She and husband Brian (‘94) have three daughters: Emma (‘20), Nora (‘22), and Addy (8th grade). They are members of St. Peter, Helenville. Below right, she poses with some of her new co-workers, Jenny Krauklis (left) and Christin Leckwee, during her first homecoming pajama day as a faculty member.
Kentro Fellowship
Members of the Kentro Fellowship have offered a gift or returned a commitment card to Lakeside Lutheran High School of $1,000 or more for the year. The Greek word, Kentro, meaning center, leads us to reflect on Christ as the center of our lives. Through Him we receive these blessings and are encouraged to offer them up to His glory.
As a thank you for these blessings you have shared, we offer you a subscription to The Legacy and invite you to join us at several fellowship events in your honor.
To remain a member of the Kentro Fellowship we encourage you to renew your gift annually through the enclosed commitment envelope.
Kentro Fellowship Giving (137 Members)
Total Gifts $$465,002 June 1, 2024 through November 30, 2024
*Other may include Athletics, Band, Choir, FFA, Operation Go, STEM, Tech Ed, Theatre, Transportation, Video and more!
“ ”
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NLT
Giving Tuesday
Thank you! Just shy of $14,000 has been donated toward Project: EQUIP.
Our Giving Tuesday-specific financial goal of $15,000 may not have been met December 3, but God provides! Yes, we will still be able to purchase all that is needed because of blessings received since, and from the whole year through for Lakeside and Christian education.
We’d like to thank and celebrate YOU and your continued partnership and response to our requests. Our mission moves your hearts and we are so grateful. It moves our hearts too. We know you are asked by many on this well-known giving day, but many of you chose us. Thank you.
Fun generosity fact: Students contributed $400+ after being challenged to give $350. A thoughtful and generous teacher offered to match the student goal. WOW!
The photos below were taken at the dedication event Dec. 16. The red circles show where Giving Tuesday items will be installed during semester break.
My gift to support Christian education 2026 Annual Giving Society
Chi Fellowship
*one-time gift
Rho Fellowship *two or more gifts
Kentro Fellowship *gift of $1,000 or more
*Chi, Rho, and Kentro gifts exclude memorials/tributes.
Distribute your gift(s) to any/all of the following areas:
General Operating
Financial Aid
Building Improvement Fund
Foundation
Other (you name it!)
Use the enclosed envelope visit llhs.org/giving or scan with your smartphone camera:
Leaves of Legacy
Located in the lobby of the east school entrance, our Leaves of Legacy tree is a symbol of deep roots bearing much fruit for the future, a recognition of support for quality Christ-centered education. Individual leaves are engraved with individual and family names and shine like the light these donors have provided for the future of our ministry here at Lakeside Lutheran.
We give thanks to God for those who share our vision and have left a legacy to Lakeside, including recent legacy gifts from Nancy Kind.
Our prayer is for you to please consider sharing your legacy with us in the form of a deferred gift. For more info, contact Bruce Davis at 920.648.2321 x2217
9/25/24
1/18/25
2/2/25 Annual Giving Society (Chi, Rho, Kentro) Luncheon & Pops Concert
3/5/25 Spring Grandparents Day (SO/SR)
3/29/25
4/25/25
