ABOVE: Martin Luther High School in Northrop is currently fundraising for a new parking lot. The lot is gravel and poses many problems when it rains or snows.

NORTHROP– Martin Luther High School (MLHS) in Northrop is in the midst of fundraising for a parking lot. The project comes just as the school is celebrating its 40th anniversary beginning July 1 when the new fiscal year kicks off.

The school started in 1983 after 18 association churches came together with a mission of creating a christian high school in southern Minnesota. The first first classes were held in downtown Northrop for a group of 19 students in grades 9 and 10. Since then, 541 students have graduated from the school.

Martin Luther remains the only christian high school in Southern Minnesota. The nearest ones are in Mankato and New Ulm and other than that, in the metro area.

Marge Thiesse, Director of Development at MLHS, said they have had students over the years come from as far east as Winnebago, as far north as Lake Crystal and as far south as Estherville. This past school year they had students come daily from Milford, Iowa, and Hanska.

The current school building was built in 1988 and since then a few additions and cosmetic changes have been made. One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the parking lot.

“The parking lot needs to be done. We’re the only school in the area that has a gravel parking lot. It really creates problems for bussing,” Thiesse said.

She said it also creates problems with snow removal. In addition, the gravel lot results in dust and dirt making its way into the school building, which can damage the floors.

Thiesse said they found out that one student this past year, Braden Roiger, was bringing over a boxcar scraper when no one else was around. Roiger understands the problems the lot is creating and even helped when a car belonging to Pastor Schultz was stuck in the snow.

Roiger and Thiesse made a video detailing the problems, which is posted on the school’s website at martinlutherhs.com.

Fundraising for the project is important because as a private school, MLHS doesn’t get the same funding as public schools. In fact, it receives none.

“Everything comes from donations, gifts and the benevolence of people,” Thiesse said.

She noted that the school hasn’t had a large capital campaign like this for several years.

In 1998, it fundraised to added a weight room and again in 2015 to a new gym floor.

“We’ve been on a very frugal budget for many years,” Thiesse said.

She explained how the school got started on the parking lot project.

“In 2015, an anonymous donor paid to concrete the driveway because he said first impressions are so important,” Thiesse explained.

On March 1 of this year, principal Paul Steinhaus told Thiesse he would like her to get some bids for redoing the whole parking lot. About 10 days later, Thiesse was at the school by herself one morning calling different contractors.

“At 11 I went to get the mail, and in the mail was a $27,000 check from that original donor. I thought it was ironic. It was a wonderful gift,” Thiesse said.

Soon after that, an accreditation team was at the school and it interviewed many different people and reported that the number one thing that came back from parents, students and staff was that they would like to see the parking lot improved.

“Then we received notification that we’ll be receiving an estate gift later in the year (in the amount of $29,830) which must be used for school needs, not for the general operating budget,” Thiesse said.

Using the two monetary gifts as seed money, the board of directors voted to launch a fundraising campaign for the parking lot. The campaign was launched on April 10.

On April 22, during the school’s annual “Oh! What a knight! dinner auction, $22,800 was raised for the project.

The cost for the concrete is $280,466. So far the total amount given is $137,268. There’s a remaining amount needed of $143,198.

“We’re only going to pour as much as we have funds for. If we don’t reach the goal, it’s only going to get partially done,” said Thiesse.

She said they’re very thankful for all of the donations that have been given so far for the project and that they have been sending out letters to people outside the community who have connections to the school.

“We’re hoping that they will look at how God has blessed them and give back,” Thiesse said.

Anyone who wishes to donate can do so on the school’s website, martinlutherhs.com. Donations are being taken until July 1 with an anticipated concrete pour date of Aug. 1.