Arlington Heights school celebrates 150 years, predates the town
Families at St. Peter Lutheran School in Arlington Heights have been celebrating its 150th anniversary since September, and next month will close out this historic year.
From a balloon launch and a 150th day observance, to an all-school reunion and fundraising gala, the school and its large extended family have celebrated its rich legacy in the community.
"St. Peter continues to be a vibrant bright spot in the Arlington Heights community," says Principal Bruce Rudi.
Just last month, the all-school reunion drew everyone from 97-year-old Margaret Grom, thought to be the oldest living alumna, to 7-year-old Noah Meyer, who is the sixth generation of his family to attend the school. Both live in Arlington Heights.
Noah's father, Matt, works as a special-education teacher and gymnastics coach at Conant High School. He points to his years at St. Peter's as formative ones, which helped build his confidence and leadership, and ultimately made him want to teach.
He credits longtime athletic director Fred Martin with making a lasting impression on him.
"(Martin) demanded excellence from us - both in and out of the classroom," Meyer says. "I think that he really showed me how much one person can impact others and he demonstrated how to lead."
Marilyn Hermann, whose husband, Don, taught music at the school for 40 years and composed many of its operettas, gathered with three other members of her 1950 eighth-grade class, including Woody Goebbert, of Goebbert & Sons Farm Market.
"We couldn't believe we graduated 65 years ago," Hermann says with a laugh. "But the good basic beliefs, the teachings that I learned at St. Peter's have stayed with me all my life."
Another lifelong church member and graduate, George Rateike of Arlington Heights, reflected on the book of prayers he received before graduating in 1939. He still cherishes that book, which he carried on the beaches of Normandy and in the combat trenches during World War II, as well as during the Korean conflict.
That kind of Christ-centered teaching still drives the school, Principal Rudi says.
"The church supported the start of our school in 1864 with 16 students," he says, "and it continues its commitment to building expansion, program development and spiritual infusion."
A group of German immigrants worked to establish the school near the end of the Civil War, when Arlington Heights was called Dunton. Kids were taught in German for the first 50 years.
It has grown from a single classroom in the rear of a shoemaker's shop to a sprawling campus at 111 W. Olive St. with 36 classrooms housed in two wings, and with two gymnasiums, all serving 570 students.
Rudi points to its expanded preschool, integration of technology in all classrooms and expansion of its fine arts program as ways the school has evolved to meet the needs of current students.
Rudi takes special pride in the differentiation program, called Pathways to Learning. In it, students in first through fifth grades are placed in small learning teams for math and reading instruction.
"These teams allow for meeting student learning needs in an intentional and effective process," Rudi says, "which has produced increased learning outcomes for our students."
This kind of innovation earned St. Peter's a Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence in 2013 from the U.S. Department of Education. This year, the school was named a National Lutheran Exemplary School by the National Lutheran School Accreditation Commission.
One of the more novel aspects to the school is its affiliation with the Comfort Dog Ministry, operated by Lutheran Church Charities. Two of the golden retrievers in the program now have found a home at St. Peter, connecting with students during reading time, making visits to classrooms and greeting students before chapel time.
School officials say the dogs help at times of crisis in meeting the emotional needs of students and faculty.
The yearlong celebration has given the entire school a greater appreciation of the school's long history, Rudi says.
"We've learned from educational experiences," he says, "and ultimately garnered a greater understanding of the commitment and sacrifice that is made in Christian education."