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HISTORY OF MARTIN LUTHER

 
Martin Luther High School was dedicated September 15, 1968. More than 1,500 people attended the festival service at which the Milwaukee Lutheran High School Band and Choirs provided the music. Dr. M. L. Koehneke, president of Concordia Teachers College in River Forest, Illinois, was the principal speaker. Following the service a reception was held in the cafeteria, and all guests were invited to tour the building.
 

Martin Luther High School opened for classes with 12 teachers and 85 freshmen and sophomore students. The mission behind the school was to provide a Christian high school education to the booming elementary enrollment in the south-side of Milwaukee that was pushing Milwaukee Lutheran High School to its limits of 1100 students. The school was named for the 450th anniversary of the Reformation, and they first broke ground on April 30, 1967. The same shovel that broke ground a decade earlier for Milwaukee Lutheran was used for Martin Luther’s beginning as well. Construction finished exactly one year later, ahead of schedule, fulfilling their promise and prayer of “We’ve done it once before..of course we can do it again, with God’s help.”

By its 10th anniversary, ML had an enrollment of 500, much in thanks to memorial scholarships and foundation grants for student aid, plus special gifts and bequests that continued to pour in from early campaigns to support the schools.

Another reception was held on October 6, 2018, to celebrate 50 years of Christian education. Starting with a worship service with alumni pastors, alumni choir and band members joined the student groups for the service music. Previous principals, board members, and teachers were also in attendance to be honored. The cafeteria hosted the alumni and staff with food and beverage for a time of fellowship and memories, and the school was open to explore the recent updates that have been made, along with decorations of yearbook photos. 

In August 2020, Martin Luther opened the retail and student housing facility at the front of the campus.  This brought the ML name to the front of 76th street.  With the new student housing, ML can now better house and provide cultural experiences for up to 72 students from around the world!   

Today, Martin Luther has 650 students with 58 faculty and staff. The Spartan family continues to be blessed by the support of parents, alumni, and donors into its next 50 years and beyond. 

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