More Information...
Included:
The History of St. John Lutheran School
In September 2006, St. John Lutheran School started its 124-year of teaching students the Word of God. The school was started in 1883 and taught by Rev. Paul Luecke. The school was started to maintain the congregations’ German heritage, Lutheran doctrines, and obviously to share to Word of God everyday with children.
The first school had thirty students enrolled and was housed in the church proper. The equipment included eight benches and a blackboard that was 4ft by 5ft. The members were not charged tuition and non-members were charged fifty cents each month. All classes were taught in German and in English.
After the first year a school that was 18 x 26 feet was built on the east side of Merrill. After a year the school was deemed too small and too far for some students who lived on the west side. So in 1884, another school was erected near the center of Merrill.
In 1888 the first professionally trained teacher was hired. Mr. Wetzel taught every grade. In 1893, the school added classes for lower grades and hired another teacher, Mrs. Kerble. Both German and English were still used in the school, all religion classes were conducted in German.
A third structure was built in 1903 to accommodate the growing number of students. The new facility was built at Fifth and Spruce Street, at a cost of $8,000. This property is currently the school’s playground. The enrollment for that year was 202 children. The next year’s confirmation class was the first to speak their vows in English. In 1909, the congregation hired its first principal, Mr. John Rehfeld.
With continued growth of the congregation and the implementation of modern teacher methods, the need for a larger and better-equipped facility was needed. On August 4, 1968, the present structure, located on Third Street, was dedicated to the glory of God and the teaching of God’s people both young and old.
In 1977, an instructional media center was developed and was equipped with a variety of books and audio-visual materials. In 1979 a kindergarten was added, which brought St. John to a K-8 program. The preschool and pre-Kindergarten programs started in 1991. In 1998 a new addition was added to the church and school that added more classroom and office space as well as an elevator. For the 2006-2007 school year we currently have 195 students enrolled at St. John with nine full-time teachers.
Today the school itself does not appear much different than it did in 1968, but look further many things have changed. We operate a current computer lab and are integrating technology into all curriculum areas. In gym has been refurbished with a new floor, new backboards, and scoreboard. Our curriculum is up-to-date and is on a rotating basis to ensure our students have current learning methods. However, in all things one thing remains a constant, a rich tradition of high academic standards integrated with the Word of God.