Current Activities – Fall 2011

Auction – April 21, 2012
The auction committee members have begun work and are busy soliciting gifts for the event. They’ve chosen the theme of "Springing Forward" and ask everyone to SAVE THE DATE for a great evening at the Royal Fox Country Club in St. Charles.

Strategic Objectives for 2011-2012:
Objectives for the coming year have been set and lead to the overall desired outcome: Position Academy of the Cross to move ahead with confidence to the next phase of opening the school.

Targeted Objectives to accomplish the desired outcome:

• Increase the number of people knowledgeable and excited about the work being done.
• Expand the number of individuals involved by inspiring new participants.
• Broaden and deepen the donor base.
• Add three new board members.
• Fund the work of the year through a successful annual fund (Fund it Forward) and a profitable dinner auction on April 21, 2012.
• Find the right additional staff person to help with the next phases of development for this new school.
• Update the very positive market research from 2006 and reaffirm the previously identified support and market need.

Annual Fund Theme Chosen and Goals Set:
Fund It Forward progress has begun towards the goal of $140,000 and 200 donors.

Pastor Presentations:
Presentation packets have been prepared and are being shared one on one with area pastors.

Information Video:
Our first information video is now complete! Please take a few minutes to watch it here.

Past Year's Successes – The past year has given us many reasons to celebrate the substantial progress that has been made. Read the complete list.

Dinner Auction – The first annual Academy of the Cross dinner auction was held on April 9th at the Royal Fox Country Club in St. Charles. It was a wonderful evening of fun, fellowship, and funding for the development of our new school. Over half of the 167 attendees were new to being involved with Academy of the Cross, and the net proceeds from the event exceeded $35,000 and helps fund the operational expenses of continued forward progress. The event photo album exhibits the enthusiasm, excitement, and energy of the evening.

Archive of Previous Updates – June 2010 through March 2011

Information Events – Three information events were held during March at the following locations: St. John's Elgin, Immanuel Batavia, and Immanuel Dundee. These events provided the opportunity to share our vision and plans with many people. As a result, we have also benefitted from the involvement of new volunteers that have now become connected to Academy of the Cross.

Focus Group Event – On Saturday, February 26th, a group of 23 teachers, parents, and students gathered for a half day to prioritize the characteristics needed for the ideal teachers who will eventually be hired by Academy of the Cross. After hearing the vision for the type of program to be offered, each group worked separately to discuss their educator characteristic priorities, and then reports were made back to the full group. Now the personnel team will analyze the information gathered as they create a teacher ministry description, identify desired characteristics, and create interview questions that will eventually be used when it is time to hire. What a valuable day this event turned out to be!

Board Planning Workshop
The Board of Directors spent Saturday, December 11, in a full day strategic planning workshop. The day was spent analyzing progress and looking at the overall timeline. The work resulted in clarifying the priorities for the first four months of 2011.

Property Sign
We now have a sign on the property showing the school name, logo, and website. View the album of the sign being installed.

Sewer and Water
Construction has begun on bringing sewer and water to the high school property and the surrounding area. Seeing equipment currently on the site moving dirt and digging brings a glimpse of the future when, after raising the necessary funds, we will be able to begin constructing Academy of the Cross.

Governance
The change from an association of churches to an autonomous governance structure was completed on July 29th with the adoption by the association delegates of the Restated and Amended Bylaws of the new Lutheran high school's corporation.

Work to make that transition began over a year ago with extensive research on an effective future governance model for Lutheran high schools. That research showed that many churches desire to be supportive of Lutheran secondary education, but they no longer have the available financial resources to own and operate a high school. Not only formal research but informal dialog with area church leaders confirmed that assumption.

With the help of a lawyer the change was made in a legally responsible way, and proper communication insured the participation of all churches who had potentially at one time been members of the association.

In addition, a governance study team has helped chart the path of how relationships with supporting congregations will be maintained under the new governance structure. These relationships will be built upon a partnership between churches and the high school that grows from enthusiasm generated by effective communication and shared ministry goals. The team's report summarizes their work and gives direction for future planning and strategies.

Annexation
Very soon, when driving by the property, everyone will see construction equipment onsite and working. This activity is for the trenches being dug to run sewer and water lines along the western edge of our 33 acre site. When the high school is built, the lines will already be onsite for us to be able to tap into. Signing the annexation agreement with the Otter Creek Water Reclamation District, along with granting them easements (see map) across our property, has been the culmination of years of dialog and negotiation among a variety of groups to bring sewer and water service to this area. This is an exciting first step in the development of our site.

Negotiations with Fox River Water Reclamation District are also in progress which will define the terms under which they will provide sewer and water services to Academy of the Cross.

Small Parcel of Land Sold to St. Patrick's
The future site of Academy of the Cross is a 33 acre plot between St. Charles and South Elgin near the intersection of Randall Road and Silver Glen. In July 2010 the closing on the sale of 1¾ acres of that property to St. Patrick's Catholic Church was completed. This sale was necessary for St. Patrick's to establish contiguity to South Elgin in order to obtain sewer and water services for their new elementary school construction. The proceeds from the sale have been set aside by the high school to help offset the significant costs of property improvement including bringing sewer and water services to the future high school. The terms of the sale of the acre and three-quarters to St. Patrick's include a buy-back option at a pre-determined price to be exercised at a future time by the high school.