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When students returned from Christmas vacation on Monday they found Fred Uttech, principal of St. Mark’s, greeting them at the door and welcoming them to full use of their new school. Equally exciting was the chance to have gym class, recess and basketball practice in the new gymnasium!
“The building is complete,” says Mr. Uttech. “The only things left are those little items that will keep coming up for sometime—items like delivery of furniture, bleachers for the gym, items for the computer lab. I believe we should have everything in place by the end of February.”
Monday was also the day of the “Punch List,” which is field jargon for a detailed project inspection. Harold Peckham, a professional architect and also member of the St. Mark’s building committee, and construction superintendent Matt Hollman went room to room and carefully checked for anything that needs touching up or finishing.
“Our families can’t believe how beautiful everything is. The children are in awe of everything,” says Mr. Uttech. “God has blessed our efforts at St. Mark’s and he will see us through this project, even in these current economic times.”
“Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds” (Psalm 72:1).
Matching gift contributions from donor employers and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans have also played an important role in our project. In 2008 Thrivent Financial gave $54,333 towards our project through its GivingPlus matching gift program. That’s a lot of money!
What is Thrivent’s GivingPlus and how does it benefit St. Mark’s?
For every $2 contributed to St. Mark’s Lutheran School by benefit members, Thrivent or one of its subsidiaries adds another $1. Member donations up to $600 will be matched, with a maximum supplement by Thrivent of $300 going to St. Mark’s.
Who are eligible Thrivent members?
If you are 16-years-old, or older, and if you own Thrivent Mutual Funds accounts and/or Thrivent Life Insurance Company products, you are a benefit member and can participate in Thrivent’s GivingPlus program. Multiple family members can participate if each of them are benefit members.
This program offers families an opportunity to really multiply their donations to the St. Mark’s fund appeal. Give it some thought!
Check out these sites for further information:
]]>Thrivent Financial for Lutheran representatives serving St. Mark’s
Many of us have spent the past weeks wrapping gifts and preparing for the holidays. Our construction crews have been wrapping things up as well—our building project, that is. As it nears completion, contractors continue with the final jobs before officially turning the school over to St. Mark’s.
Over the Christmas break, crews completed installation of the tile flooring in the classroom portion of the addition and maintenance manager A.J. Ritschke kept busy with the polishing. Baseman Bros, of Milwaukee, finished painting lines and a St. Mark’s logo on the gymnasium floor. Crews have also installed appliances in the kitchen and a very professional office set-up by Hillcraft Ltd, of Madison.
Last year, when members expressed wishes for our new school, two common desires were that of energy efficiency and “green” design. Our commons room, shown above, fulfills these desires very well. With large, southern windows and a bright, airy layout, this room feels warm and sunny even though it’s frigid outside.
Yes, we’ve had some very cold temperatures and a lot of snow this month. But God continues to bless our project and the work continues. His love for us is obvious, especially with the birth of his Son Jesus Christ.
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St. Mark’s athletic director Matt Nottling is mighty happy these days. For the past two weeks Baseman Bros., of Milwaukee, has been laying, sanding, finishing and painting the hardwood floor for our new gymnasium.
“I love it,” says Matt. “I’ve been waiting more than a year for this!”
Floors are going in elsewhere as well. In the kitchen, crews put down a heavy-duty epoxy coating for a long-lasting durable floor. Over the vacation holiday, hallways in the new classroom portion were tiled.
And what’s the schedule? Are we on track?
You bet! In fact, we’re even ahead of schedule. According to construction superintendent Matt Hollman, the original plan was to complete the school by January 9. Maas Brothers now plans to turn the school over to us on January 2, meaning the whole school will be ready for use when students return from Christmas vacation.
“It’s amazing, if you think of it,” says Matt Hollman. “A lot of homes aren’t built in six months. Everyone working on this project did a great job.”
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A year ago a new school for St. Mark’s was an idea barely on paper. Today it’s a reality greater than we imagined. God has blessed St. Mark’s with so much! Our thanks and praise belong to him!
The big news this week is the concrete. It’s dry! The concrete floors in the classrooms, lunchroom, commons, offices and gymnasium have all passed the test for moisture content and now are ready to receive flooring. Over the Thanksgiving break, crews will begin laying tile in the classrooms. Kids, you’ll have a new look when you come back to classes next week!
The gymnasium floor was also tested this week for levelness. By requirements, our floor could not vary more than 1/8″ within a 10-ft. section. 
According to construction superintendent Matt Hollman, our floor tested better than any other examined by the inspector. Kudos to Middleton Construction for their superb work for us!
And, as pictured here, the wood flooring for the gym arrived! A whole truckload of it! Our gymnasium is really taking shape.
This Thanksgiving we say thanks for our new school, dedicated contractors and their quality work, our wonderful volunteers and most of all, our loving God.
“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving…” Psalm 95:1
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Sitting quietly in the back of church, you’ll often see Eric Howlett with his wife Jackie and their adorable 11-month old daughter. As unassuming as he appears, Eric has played a very important role in our school building project.
Eric is a man whom God has blessed with great skills. Since 2003, he’s been co-owner of Midwest Electric, a local contracting company that provides commercial, industrial and residential service throughout Wisconsin. This spring, when the opportunity arose, Eric put his expertise to work for us here at St. Mark’s.
Not only has Midwest Electric given St. Mark’s excellent service, Eric has also taken extra measure to help us with rebates offered by WE Energies for the purchase of energy efficient technologies to replace older, less efficient technologies. To date, St. Mark’s has received $13,770 in rebates, all of which Eric has applied for and completed the necessary paperwork.
Our thanks to Eric for all he’s done for the St. Mark’s project. More importantly, our thanks to God for giving Eric these great gifts!
“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms” I Peter 4:10.
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The lights of St. Mark’s Church have always created a striking nighttime picture and now the same can be said for our school. With the pillars and trim painted white and deep red brackets added, it certainly is an inviting entry!
We’re also now proud to display our school name and new cornerstone, both located on the south wall beside the entryway. This cornerstone commemorates the new building, as well as each of the
previous sections of our school.
Sports fans, be glad to know the gymnasium is coming along as well. While the concrete continues to dry, crews have completed the white paint and now are personalizing it with a St. Mark’s red stripe. They’ve also tested the newly-installed basketball hoops with a game of Horse and, according to construction superintendent Matt Hollman, they are in good working order—he won!
All in all, the project is progressing very well. Thanks everyone for your hard and diligent work!
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Crews have been busy painting this week and our new gymnasium is looking bold and bright as a result. Statz Drywall continues their work in the kitchen and commons area and soon those rooms will also be painted.
When St. Mark’s initially discussed needs for a school addition, one of our main concerns was a lack of accessibility. The problem was resolved this week with the installation of an elevator by Otis Elevator. 
This enables access to all three school levels, as well as giving St. Mark’s compliancy with the Americans Disabilities Act.
And, hey, where are all the trailers? Have you noticed how neat and landscaped the area is becoming? Contractors are gradually clearing out the parking lot—very indicative of the progress. This week even Maas Brothers Construction shut down their trailer and Matt Hollman, our project superintendent, moved his office inside the school.
As Matt says, “Things will look a little different for the students when they come back from their days off.”
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What a special day for St. Mark’s School!
At noon, everyone came outside to watch work crews install a new flagpole. As A.J. Ritschke raised the first flag, Mr. Uttech led everyone in a Pledge of Allegiance. Wow, there was lots of cheering going on! And reasonably so—this is a meaningful day to remember.
There’s a lot to cheer about inside the school too. For our school cooks, who have been cooking and serving lunch in the Parish Center for the past month, a new kitchen comes closer to reality with the installation of a walk-in cooler and freezer. In other areas, Statz Drywall completes work in the computer room, crews have started painting the gymnasium and windows are installed in the newly constructed areas.
We’ve had some beautiful days of autumn this week and our school’s looking beautiful as well. God is blessing St. Mark’s!
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