Let’s Grow Together
Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School is on an amazing path of growth. What a privilege we have to teach more students, share the love of Christ with them every day, and offer a safe environment in which they can grow spiritually, academically, and emotionally.
In order to meet the current and future demands of our students, our planned addition will include a new, larger fitness center, trainer’s room, additional gym space, atrium, space for future classrooms, and more. The estimated cost of this addition is $10 million, and we were blessed with $2 million in lead gifts for this Let’s Grow Together campaign.
THANK YOU!
Goal: $10M by June 30, 2024
For more information, contact either President Jamie Luehring (jamie.luehring@kmlhs.org) or Director of Mission Advancement Wendy Breimon (wendy.breimon@kmlhs.org).
A Bold Defining Moment
At various times throughout KML’s 50-year history, our leaders have faced the challenges of a growing enrollment and the need to expand our facilities. We often refer to those times as bold defining moments.
We are currently faced with the opportunity for another one!
During our 50 years, KML has accomplished six building projects, and within just the past twenty years, we have experienced three successful capital campaigns. This is monumental. Professional fundraisers advise their clients to conduct one major campaign in that same time frame! Following that recommendation would have limited our ability to meet the challenges of a growing enrollment and the opportunity to share the Gospel with more youth. Rather than listen to the advice of those “experts,” we made the bold decisions to respond to God’s blessings with positive action.
Now, in 2023, we are moving forward again. As of this writing (August 2023), we are more than halfway through our latest capital campaign, Let’s Grow Together. God continues blessing our school with amazing growth, and we gladly respond by meeting the needs of more students.
At the KML General Board meeting on August 14, 2023, the delegates heard a Let’s Grow Together update and were invited to ask questions and provide input. The details of the report included:
- More than 1500 donors have already supported this campaign, and more than 150 of those donors are alumni.
- More than $5.5 million has been given or pledged.
- KML’s enrollment has and continues to grow at an average of 17 students/year.
- The Jr. Chargers program, which has expanded to more than 400 youth, continues to serve as one of our best ministry opportunities for our federation and community, including many future KML students.
- Our current gyms are used every period of the day as well as before school and long into the evening.
- The weight room is inadequate for our P.E. program and our athletic teams, and the trainer’s area needs significant expansion.
- There is a continual demand for more classrooms to meet future growth.
- A proposed building addition would meet these and future needs.
In response to this report, the delegates voted unanimously to move forward and build the addition. The initial design includes a fitness center, trainer’s room, gym, atrium, classrooms, storage, and more. This expansion will meet the needs of current activities as well as future programs.
“This campaign isn’t about the building. It’s about serving more students with the Gospel. The building is simply one of the tools to help us accomplish our mission.” – President Luehring
Our leaders are now finalizing plans with the goal of breaking ground in spring of 2024 and completing the project by the summer of 2025.
At this time we ask for your continued prayers. Pray for our students as they grow every day in their faith and knowledge of Jesus their Savior. Pray for our faculty and administrators as they lead this ministry, and pray for the success of the Let’s Grow Together campaign as well as prayerfully considering your own special donation to help reduce the amount we will need to borrow.
This is another bold defining moment for KML and can be accomplished with all of us working together for God’s glory.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What exactly is this new campaign?
A: This campaign, titled Let’s Grow Together reflects the blessings of KML as we are now sharing God’s Word with more and more students. As we’ve grown in both quality and quantity, we are faced with some facility limitations. This campaign is designed to raise the funds for a new addition which was first introduced in 2018 as phase 2 of the Blessed Beyond Belief campaign.
Q: What will this building addition include?
A: This new addition includes a new fitness center, trainer’s room, a fieldhouse, a large atrium/greeting area, bathrooms, locker rooms, concession stand, Charger Wear store, storage areas, and space for future classrooms.
Q: How will this addition promote and fulfill KML’s vision of a “Christ-guided success path for all?”
A: As with all our facilities, this new area will allow and encourage more people to come to KML and ultimately hear the message of salvation through their Savior, Jesus Christ. Specifically, our teachers and coaches provide the Christian guidance that is consistent with KML’s philosophy, and the facility offers the resources for our leaders to fulfill the mission.
Q: Why do we need a new fitness center?
A: Our current fitness center is quite limited in space and equipment. The new fitness center will allow an entire class or any of our teams to work out together at the same time. The fitness center may also be available for others in our KML family who wish to use it at available times.
Q: Will we need to buy all new equipment for the fitness center?
A: Some of the current equipment will transfer to the new area, but the expansion will allow us to purchase new equipment to serve our students more effectively.
Q: How will this addition serve our students who aren’t on KML’s sports teams?
A: The additional gym and expanded fitness center will allow more phy. ed. classes to be held simultaneously and offer greater flexibility in course availability. We also plan on expanding our intramural program, and the additional space will allow more students to be involved in athletic participation at that level.
Q: How will the atrium be used on a daily basis?
A: The atrium will be a general gathering area. Utilized as cafeteria overflow, it will encourage fellowship among students and faculty. There will also be heavy use during games and special events.
Q: What interscholastic sports/programs will be added if we get this facility?
A: There have been requests and discussions about offering boys volleyball and wrestling.
Q: Will any of this facility be open to the public?
A: This is a possibility, but our students always have priority for the use of any areas of our campus. We currently schedule a few outside groups to use our facility when there are no conflicts, and that policy would continue with this new area.
Q: Why should I pay for things that don’t benefit me or my family?
A: The practice throughout our federation is to work cooperatively to provide the best ministry and educational experiences possible. That starts with God’s Word and our Christian faith, but it also includes a variety of academic, social, physical and emotional needs. Support for KML, or specifically this Let’s Grow Together campaign is a united effort that allows all of us to work cooperatively to improve our overall curricular and co-curricular programs.
Q: We have an existing debt. Isn’t it better to reduce the debt before taking on a project like this?
A: Yes, we have current debt, but the interest rates are extremely low. We could pay off our debt and then borrow to build our addition, but the costs would be considerably higher. It is better to maintain our current loans and raise the money for this project as a separate effort.
Q: Will tuition increase after this building is completed?
A: Tuition goes up each year as operational costs increase. Throughout our history, we have not used tuition to pay for capital improvements. In other words, tuition will likely go up in the future but will not be used to pay for building this addition.