2017 Winter Advantage

WLHS

ADVANTAGE WINTER 2017 | GRADE SCHOOL PARENT PUBLICATION

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Meet Campus Pastor Phil Huebner

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Scholarships Make WLHS Possible

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Choosing WLHS

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Chromebooks in Action

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Community Service & Leadership

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Students Live on Campus

GUIDED BY FAITH. DRIVEN BY EXCELLENCE.

Meet Campus Pastor Phil Huebner

When the school year began this August, WLHS welcomed an important addition. Phil Huebner (’99) joined the high school as campus pastor.

“I’m here to help students in every way I can.

I’m available to listen and encourage them. I’m here if they want advice or need guidance. I’m here to show them how to be active in their faith lives” —Campus Pastor Phil Huebner All WLHS chapel services are live streamed at 8:45 a.m. weekdays and archived on wlhs.org under “Program Links” at the bottom of the homepage.

Phil Huebner, Campus Pastor

With his warm smile and welcoming demeanor, Pastor Huebner is easy to approach. He teaches freshman and sophomore religion classes, regularly leads chapel and is involved in most of the school’s worship activities. And, to make sure he’s part of the fabric of WLHS, Huebner attends as many after-school events as possible.

Each summer WLHS students have the opportunity to spread God’s word during Share the Mission trips in the United States and abroad.

“My years at WLHS were wonderful and helped shape my future,” says Huebner. “I’m excited to be working with teens during a time when the truth of God’s Word can solidify their faith and bring them comfort, hope and joy.”

This fall, he was head coach of the JV football team and assisted the varsity squad. Huebner has a special passion for football since he was captain and quarterback of the Wisco team that won the school’s first State Championship in 1998.

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WISCONSIN LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL || Winter 2017

This fall, campus pastor Phil Huebner took a group of students interested in attending Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota, to tour the school and connect with WLHS alumni.

Scholarships Make WLHS Possible Carley Techlin is a busy junior who’s involved in cross country, Agents of Change and numerous choirs and bands. She’s also the oldest of four girls who will all be attending WLHS next year.

“The tuition assistance my sister and I have received so far has helped my family a lot financially and has made Wisco possible,” says Techlin, who attended Christ the Lord Lutheran School, Brookfield. “When I learned I was awarded the Quint Music Scholarship, it felt like a huge burden had been lifted.”

Techlin is not alone. Each year, approximately 190 students receive tuition assistance or scholarships that range from $500 to $6,000.

Applications for scholarships and tuition assistance for the 2017-18 school year are available on February 1, 2017 at wlhs.org.

Families are encouraged to apply immediately since award amounts are based on financial need and timing of the completed application.

Another scholarship recipient is junior Sydnee McDowell.

McDowell participates in cheerleading, competes in discus and shotput for the track & field team and plans to attend Alcorn State University in Mississippi.

“I care about my education and know it’s the key to my future success. That’s why I’m so thankful to receive support from A.O. Smith,” says McDowell, a graduate of Atonement Lutheran School, Milwaukee.

“Since freshman year, my teachers and parents have pushed me to focus on God and my grades. During that time, my faith, knowledge and confidence has grown so much.”

Carley Techlin (pictured left) and Sydnee McDowell (pictured right) were student speakers at the Scholarship Luncheon on November 17.

Students are eligible for financial support all four years they attend WLHS.

“If you’ve thought about sending your child to WLHS but are worried about the cost of tuition, please call me. It’s so important for parents to know that we work one-on-one with families to make WLHS possible,” Brad Wetzel, director of admissions, 414-453-4567 ext. 1322 or brad.wetzel@wlhs.org.

GUIDED BY FAITH. DRIVEN BY EXCELLENCE.

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Choosing WLHS

Two families share their stories of selecting WLHS for their children.

The Lohr Family

Although Emily Lohr had attended Lutheran grade school since early on, her parents were determined to fully explore their options for high school.

“I have a lot of colleagues whose children attend Brookfield Academy and University Lake School so we seriously considered those schools,” says Nicole Lohr, a cardiologist and assistant professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin. “We wanted to make a decision that positioned Emily for a competitive college environment.”

Over the years, the Lohrs had heard good things about the STEM program at WLHS but still had questions.

“We needed to make a decision so my husband, Pete, called Pastor Fisher on a Saturday morning,” says Nicole. “He picked up and we had a 45 minute conversation that made up our minds. It wasn’t just the talk. It was the fact that Pastor Fisher was so committed to the high school that a Saturday phone call was something he welcomed.”

Emily is now a sophomore and all three Lohrs are happy with their decision.

“She’s getting a full liberal arts education that’s shaping her into a well-rounded person, which is exactly what she’s going to need to make the jump to college,” says Nicole. “What’s more, she’s in a faith environment and is surrounded by quality, Christian teachers who, we’ve found, definitely go above and beyond for their students.”

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WISCONSIN LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL || Winter 2017

The Gerhard Family

Ever since the Gerhard children were born, their parents Mark and Tanya prayed, in addition to other things, about their children’s educational settings.

Given that God led these parents to send their two older sons to Brookfield Central High School, they thought that was the path for Sam too. However, God had other plans.

When the doors did not initially open for Sam to attend Brookfield Central, they made the decision to enroll him at WLHS. Shortly after paying their tuition, he was offered an opportunity to attend school in the Elmbrook district.

After praying about the decision again, the Gerhards had full and complete confidence and peace that WLHS was the right place for their son.

“By that time, we felt God had sent us a clear message that Sam should attend Wisco,” says Tanya.

The family has been very pleased with the Christian education Sam has been getting.

“He’ll come home and tell me about what was discussed in chapel or about the religion class he is taking,” says Tanya. “He’ll look things up in his Bible on his own when he has questions. He’s taking ownership of his personal relationship with Jesus!”

Sam, who is now a sophomore, plays varsity football and is on the baseball team. He is also taking extra high school and college-level classes online to prepare for his future.

“In addition to the academics, Sam has definitely benefited from the focus that Wisco has on developing strong, Christian men and women who are leaders in this world. The most important thing to my husband and me is to be in heaven with our children and I know that is what Wisco wants too,” says Tanya.

Chromebooks in Action

As part of a school-wide technology initiative, each WLHS student is now equipped with a Google Chromebook®.

“In Mr. Iles’ class, we learn to think critically instead of just memorizing dates. We understand why major events in history happened and how they occurred,” sophomore Ashley Carlson, Trinity Lutheran School, Waukesha.

“By incorporating Chromebooks into the curriculum, we’re preparing students for a connected world so they can succeed in college and the workplace,” says Peter Iles, director of instructional technology and history teacher. “The technology provides a number of advantages, including more opportunities for ongoing teacher involvement, group collaboration and peer review.”

As part of Iles’ Modern World History course, students hone their writing skills through digital, in-class projects that utilize peer feedback and editing.

To make a recent World War I video series more meaningful and engaging, Iles ran a chat room while the video played. Students posed questions and added their observations and comments to the conversation.

“When teens can immediately engage, it makes the video more meaningful to them. The learning process becomes participatory and is enhanced since it opens up new areas for discussion,” says Iles.

“We focus on writing since it’s a critical skill that crosses all subjects and disciplines,” says Iles. “I bring peer involvement into the assignments because it simulates the business world where you work in teams and modify and change things, based on your colleagues’ insight and feedback.”

In 2011, while principal of Grace Lutheran School in Oshkosh, Peter Iles was the first instructor in the United States to incorporate Google Chromebooks into classroom learning.

As a lead up to their study of World War I, students in Modern World History played the board game “Diplomacy” to learn about communication, critical thinking, world powers of the day and the geography of Europe. The class also conducted secondary research on their Chromebooks to supplement their discussion of the war.

GUIDED BY FAITH. DRIVEN BY EXCELLENCE.

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Community Service and Leadership

Raking leaves, pulling weeds, serving meals and helping with Sunday school are just some of the volunteer activities WLHS students are involved in as part of Agents of Change (AOC).

AOC, which is focused on serving others and sharing the love of Jesus, is the largest and one of the most active co-curriculars at WLHS. Freshmen to seniors can choose from six different outreach committees —community, church, grade school, international, world and decorating.

“Sophomore and junior year I was part of the committee that welcomes the international students to Wisco. We’d eat dinner together, hang out and do group activities,” says senior Mollie Henning, a member at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, West Allis. “It was a lot of fun and I really liked getting to know other kids and learning about their countries and cultures.”

“We are so grateful for the many Agents of Change students who help serve our Friday night meals and bring the message of Jesus to our youth,” Mark Gunderson, director, Lighthouse Youth Center

AOC also offers students the opportunity to grow their leadership skills. The organization has an executive board and each committee is run by co-chairs.

Junior Nathan Wranovsky is co-chair of church outreach. Throughout the year, he coordinates teams of students who help area congregations with a variety of special events that range from trick-or-treat to kids’ carnivals to Easter egg hunts.

“I like to lead, organize and volunteer. Being part of AOC lets me do all those things. Plus, I get to show Christ’s love to others, especially little kids, and demonstrate what an outstanding school WLHS is,” says Wranovsky, a graduate of St. Paul Lutheran School, Muskego. “And, even though I didn’t think about it originally, my involvement will look good on college applications.”

The impact of Agents of Change can be seen throughout WLHS. This year, the decorating committee created more than 100 signs with Bible passages in English and Spanish and placed them throughout the building. AOC also led a school-wide food drive to collect non-perishable items for local food pantries.

WLHS offers more than 40 different co-curriculars that range from math track, tech club, robotics and chess to cross country, golf, concert band, show choir, forensics and international and domestic mission trips. (Students pictured assisted in a food drive as part of their Share the Mission trip in Dallas, Texas).

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WISCONSIN LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL || Winter 2017

Students Live On Campus

For out-of-state students and those who simply live too far from WLHS for a daily commute, on-campus housing is now available in five, supervised residences along Honey Creek Parkway.

This school year, three students from Grace Christian Academy in Falls Church, Virginia, moved into the homes and joined the WLHS student body. Stephanie Hernandez, Lauren Butler and Isabella Iglesias are all freshmen who are now immersed in high school life at Wisco.

“I got involved in a lot of activities right away so making friends was pretty easy,” says Stephanie.

“As part of living in the student homes, we also have Funtivities to keep us busy. We’ve gone to the movies, a trampoline park, bowling and do volunteer things like wrapping Christmas gifts for children in Mexico.”

The decision to send their daughter to Wisconsin for high school wasn’t easy for Sara (Kleist) Butler (’93) and her husband but the couple knew they wanted Lauren to be surrounded by Christian friends and teachers during her teenage years.

“We’ve been so happy with our decision and I just know there’s no better place for her,” says Sara. “I’ve been in touch with her teachers and I feel the love and Christian encouragement they give Lauren and all students.”

“We talk to our daughter every day and each time she tells us how much she loves the high school. Even though she’s far from home, I know she’s in a community that’s centered on God and that reassures me,” says Yolanda Diaz, Stephanie’s mom. (Stephanie pictured with her parents on student housing move in day.)

A total of 35 domestic and international students live in the WLHS homes. For more information, contact Brad Wetzel at 414-453-4567 ext. 1322 or brad.wetzel@wlhs.org.

Stay connected to WLHS! GUIDED BY FAITH. DRIVEN BY EXCELLENCE.

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GUIDED BY FAITH. DRIVEN BY EXCELLENCE.

330 North Glenview Avenue Milwaukee WI 53213-3379

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5TH Grade

EXTRAVAGANZA GUIDED BY FAITH. DRIVEN BY EXCELLENCE.

January 29, 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the WLHS Cafeteria RSVP by January 20, at www.wlhs.org/5thGrade

Upcoming events you don’t want to miss!

Kids Carnival at WLHS February 19 1:00-3:30 p.m.

4th Grade “Make a Splash” at Country Springs Hotel, Pewaukee March 6, 5:30 p.m.

6th Grade “Make a Splash” at Country Springs Hotel, Pewaukee March 13, 5:30 p.m.