Luther Preparatory School (LPS or Luther Prep) is a residential four-year
secondary school located in
Watertown, Wisconsin
Watertown is a city in Dodge and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Most of the city's population is in Jefferson County. Division Street, several blocks north of downtown, marks the county line. The population of Watertown was 2 ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. Established in 1865, it is owned and operated by the
Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as theologically conservative, it was founded in 1850 in Milwauke ...
(WELS). LPS focuses on preparing students to become WELS pastors and teachers and to continue their education at
Martin Luther College
Martin Luther College (MLC) is a private college in New Ulm, Minnesota, operated by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). Martin Luther College was established in 1995, when Northwestern College (NWC) of Watertown, Wisconsin, combined ...
(MLC), a WELS college in
New Ulm, Minnesota
New Ulm is a city in Brown County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,120 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Brown County. It is located on the triangle of land formed by the confluence of the Minnesota River and the ...
.
Curriculum
In education, a curriculum (; : curricula or curriculums) is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view ...
at LPS focuses on the
liberal arts
Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term '' art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically th ...
and
religious studies.
LPS has an enrollment of approximately 415 students, with slightly more boys than girls; three-fourths of the student body lives in
dormitories
A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...
on the
campus. The campus has a main classroom building, dormitories, a student union/gymnasium, an auditorium, and a cafeteria. There are several sports fields, including a track, tennis courts, a football field, a soccer field, and softball and baseball fields. There are 30 full-time faculty members and nine additional piano instructors. Nine
tutor
TUTOR, also known as PLATO Author Language, is a programming language developed for use on the PLATO system at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign beginning in roughly 1965. TUTOR was initially designed by Paul Tenczar for use in ...
s live with students in the dormitories.
History
Luther Preparatory School is the oldest Lutheran high school in the United States. LPS began its history as the prep department of
Northwestern College, a pre-ministerial college established in 1865. The prep department received its own identity in 1974 as Northwestern Preparatory School (NPS). In 1995, Northwestern College moved to
New Ulm, Minnesota
New Ulm is a city in Brown County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,120 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Brown County. It is located on the triangle of land formed by the confluence of the Minnesota River and the ...
, and combined with
Dr. Martin Luther College to form
Martin Luther College
Martin Luther College (MLC) is a private college in New Ulm, Minnesota, operated by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). Martin Luther College was established in 1995, when Northwestern College (NWC) of Watertown, Wisconsin, combined ...
. In the same year,
Martin Luther Preparatory School (MLPS) of
Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin
Prairie du Chien () is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Its ZIP Code is 53821.
Often referred to as Wisconsin's second oldest city, Prairie du Chien was est ...
, was closed and combined with NPS to form Luther Preparatory School.
Purpose
The mission of Luther Preparatory School is to prepare and encourage young men and women for the full-time ministry in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.
Athletics
Prep's mascot is the
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
. LPS plays in the Capitol Conference of WIAA. Fall sports include football and soccer for boys, volleyball and tennis for girls, and cross country for both. In the winter, there are boys' and girls' basketball, as well as boys' wrestling. Spring sports are baseball, softball, track and field, boys' tennis, girls' soccer, and golf. Luther Prep also offers intramural sports, such as basketball and volleyball.
References
* Braun, John A (2000). ''Together in Christ: A History of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod''. Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House.
External links
Luther Preparatory SchoolNPS-LPS Brief HistoryWisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod Web Site{{authority control
Private high schools in Wisconsin
Lutheran schools in Wisconsin
Boarding schools in Wisconsin
Educational institutions established in 1865
Schools in Jefferson County, Wisconsin
Secondary schools affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
1865 establishments in Wisconsin