November 2026

St. John’s Lutheran School in Chicago celebrated its 150th anniversary with a child-focused service on October 11, 2026. Ben Heinz (class of 2012) served as the preacher, the school’s students were invited to sing at various times throughout the service, and the school choir and handbell choir shared some special musical selections.

Around 300 people attended the service and the open house which followed. Opportunities were given to tour the school building, spend some time reminiscing, and even do a bit of bowling at the alley in the basement. Later, a celebratory meal was held at Chateau Ritz in Niles with nearly 150 people in attendance. Attendees were able to hear from 5 different alumni and a current 8th grader about what St. John’s has meant to them. Additionally, many of the middle school students made white, silver, and blue paper flowers for the centerpieces and students also created thank you cards for the attendees at the school an at the banquet hall.

Michelle Runge is in her fourth year of service as principal of St. John’s, and she served as the 8th grade homeroom and 6th, 7th, and 8th grade math teacher for 19 years prior. She’s seen a lot of the history of St. John’s, but the story begins many years before Michelle’s tenure began.

She shared, “Our story began in humble surroundings. About a year after the original wooden church received its pastor and was dedicated, the first school classes were held in the church’s basement, or undercroft. This space also served as a gathering place for church social activities. The facilities were certainly different from what we know today! The toilets were located in a separate outdoor structure, and there was even a small shed to shelter the horses used by those traveling to school.”

Amanda Yamate is a 4th grade teacher who also assists with Fine Arts and leads a Cheerleading program at the school. Amanda was a former student at St. Johns and has been teaching there since 2020. She added, “The school in the basement of the church quickly spread to two rooms under the sanctuary. A new parish school was built in 1915 and contained four classrooms, a library, and a heating plant. It served the congregation and the northwest side of Chicago until 1980, when it was torn down to build the Blanke Center. Other enhancements to the church and school took place in 1930, in the 1950s, and in 2000. In addition to three floors of classrooms, our building has a library, a gymnasium, a bowling alley, an Art/Science room, and a Makerspace. We also have a new playground in the back parking lot.”

As part of the celebration, St. John’s also marked the 25th anniversary of the Henry Knueppel School Endowment Fund. Michelle added, “Few people embodied the mission of St. John’s more fully than Mr. Henry Knueppel. For more than 60 years, he faithfully served our church and school, dedicating his life to helping students grow in their faith while receiving an excellent education. Even after retiring from teaching, Mr. Knueppel continued to serve as a volunteer, demonstrating his deep love for St. John’s and his unwavering commitment to Christian education.”

Over the past 25 year, that endowment has helped offset tuition costs for families through scholarship, supported innovated approaches to teaching, and provided bonuses for dedicated faculty. St. John’s has set an ambitious goal of growing the Henry Knueppel School Endowment Fund to $1,000,000. That milestone will allow them to strengthen academic programs, provide additional scholarship funds to families seeking a Christ-centered education, and continue to support the teaching staff who faithfully serve each day.

Amanda shared, “St. John’s is blessed to have over 160 students and an incredible faculty. We cherish our tradition of providing a safe, Christ-centered school on the northwest side of Chicago, and we work hard to make sure all of our families feel welcomed and supported. We feature many athletic teams and recently have added a Chess team and a LEGO® Robotics team to our extracurricular activities. Our Fine Arts programs are excellent, and we are really proud to spearhead recent Chicago Lutheran School Spelling Bee competitions.”

When asked what the future looks like for St. John’s, Michelle concluded with, “Our desire is to continue to offer Christian education to the neighborhoods in the north part of Chicago. As we celebrate these milestones, we give thanks, not only for the 150 years behind us, but also for the generations of students and families who will come after us. Buildings may change, classrooms may look different, and generations may come and go, but our mission remains the same: to share the love of Jesus Christ and provide an education that keeps Him at the center.”

We pray for God’s continued blessings on the faculty and families of St. John’s Lutheran Church and School, and we thank them for the Christ-centered focus in service to the surrounding communities.

Witness: Encouraging personal witnessing, congregational engagement with their community, support of our NID partnerships and missions and sharing in a world mission field together.