Wheaton Academy

Faculty Development | Wheaton Academy faculty and coaches make a difference not only because of their expert knowledge, but because they mentor and disciple their students as followers of Christ.

🍎Next week, the Wheaton Academy Institute will host its Best Practices Intensives conference, a faculty training experience for 300 Christian educators from across the nation. This year's conference will be held on campus and is completely sold out, a testament to Wheaton Academy's reputation as a leader in Christian education.

🍎Wheaton Academy honored David Rivera as Teacher of the Year, recognizing the many ways he goes above and beyond to live out the mission of Wheaton Academy.

🍎This year, Wheaton Academy sent 10 faculty and staff members to the Council on Education Standards and Accountability (CESA) Symposium, where they both participated in and taught sessions on responsible AI use in the classroom and partnering with parents.

🍎This year, Wheaton Academy sent some teachers and administrators to the Summit Worldview Formation Training in Colorado. The curriculum was intended to equip teachers to help students hold their faith under pressure.

🍎Wheaton Academy worked with the Herzog Foundation to equip teachers with skills to help students engage with hard questions.

🍎This year, WA recertified as a "flourishing" Best Christian Workplace, reaching the 89th percentile among Christian schools nationwide. A clear emphasis on professional development and personal investment is reflected in that score. Our faculty and staff reported feeling cared for, invested in, and encouraged to grow in their roles, with fair compensation ranking as a top strength in the Christian school sector. Gifts to the Warrior Fund make it possible to retain, reward, and invest in the Living Curriculum Teachers who disciple students and contribute to a flourishing workplace.

Wheaton Academy Milestones | We enjoyed some big milestones this year! Thank you for celebrating with us.

✅This May, Wheaton Academy celebrated Head of School Steve Bult as he concluded 20 years of leadership at Wheaton Academy.

✅Birthday gifts to the Warrior Fund helped continue to maximize transformational learning experiences.

✅This summer, Wheaton Academy will welcome Michael Rogers as its 40th Head of School. Mike is the founder and Executive Director of Moving Everest Charter School in Chicago, where he grew the school from 180 students to a thriving K-8 institution of 750 over more than a decade. An experienced school builder with deep roots in Christian education, Mike was unanimously selected by the Board of Trustees following a comprehensive and prayerful search.

✅Wheaton Academy received two prestigious awards recognizing outstanding academic achievement in 2025: the Governor's Blue Ribbon School Award from the State of Illinois and the CAPE Blue Ribbon School Award.

✅As Wheaton Academy celebrates the achievements of the Class of 2026, we thank God for his faithfulness to these students over the last four years.

✅Because tuition only covers a portion of the cost of a Wheaton Academy student's experience, gifts to the Warrior Fund are vital. Your generosity this year sustained expansive and transformative opportunities, so that we were able to remain fully committed to educating the whole person — heart, mind, soul, and strength (Luke 10:27).

Student Life | Through the Warrior Fund, you support some of Wheaton Academy's cultural cornerstones like Project Lead Teams and Homecoming. You are also resourcing student-run initiatives like the Shack. Your gifts contribute to a vibrant Kingdom Community where students find belonging and experience discipleship.

✝️Wheaton Academy's 2026 Spiritual Life Week centered on the theme Salt and Light from Matthew 5:13–16. Guest speaker Zach Cunningham, lead pastor of King's Church in Denton, Texas, challenged students to consider how following Jesus should set their lives apart.

✝️Students from the Expository Preaching class delivered chapel messages throughout the year.

✝️A group of students from Wheaton Academy and Wheaton North gather regularly to share the good news of Jesus at Woodfield Mall. Another team of students spent Winterim in Scotland, where they were trained in street evangelism.

✝️Senior Trip 2026 brought the Class of 2026 to Real Life Camp in Vero Beach, Florida for a week of reflection and worship. Sessions centered on God's faithfulness, navigating seasons of transition, and a redeemed vision of success.

✝️Students regularly serve in the community through long-term partnerships. Students tutor local elementary school students through Puente Del Pueblo every Friday. Students organized on-campus events supporting World Relief. Each month, students serve at By the Hand and Moving Everest in Austin. Students offer music and encouragement at Windsor Park throughout the school year.

✝️Throughout the year, students gathered on Monday mornings at 7:30 AM for a time of prayer over their community, their families, the global Church, and one another.

Mason Hockett's documentary "Rain" releases on release for streaming on Amazon Prime and Apple TV today!

Mason reflects, "Being apart of this project and show is something I’ll remember for a long time. I made the documentary for two reasons. To focus on the people that don’t always get their own spotlight, and to have as a permanent capsule for this special show and for everyone involved. From watching the rough early rehearsals to rehearing the score burned in my head, watching the documentary feels like a return to the stage— to a moment of joy and hard work. That’s especially important for me now as I’m pursuing things beyond high school, that rush of nostalgia and reminder of the person Wheaton Academy helped me to find is a gift to have, and I’m very glad we have so much of it on film. And I hope the documentary serves as the same thing for all the students and teachers involved."

Fine Arts | The Warrior Fund empowers a vast range of co-curricular activities, including 12 musical ensembles and our annual Spring Musical. Through these opportunities, students discover, explore, and hone their God-given passions.

🎭WATV and Sports Broadcasting students produced over 20 episodes of WATV and 30 livestream athletic broadcasts this year. New curricular pathways will expand the video program in 2026–2027.

🎭Our Concert Choir and Instrumental Program both toured nationally this year.

🎭Academy Theatre took on one of the most ambitious musicals in the theatrical canon: a sung-through production of Les Misérables, exploring themes of grace, sacrifice, and redemption that mirror the gospel.

🎭Our visual arts program hosted Artfest, an art show featuring work from students across the Chicagoland Christian Conference.

🎭Four Wheaton Academy students earned All-State recognition from ILMEA this year: Adelyn Cathey '27 — All-State Orchestra, Claire Jeong '28 — All-State Orchestra, Bryan Edmonstone '26 — Honors Choir, and Toby Morden '26 — Honors Band

Academics | As students grow to become excellent practitioners in their fields of study, we teach them to steward their gifts in service of God’s kingdom.

🎓Our most recent benchmark ACT data shows Wheaton Academy scoring among the very best public schools in the state of Illinois.

🎓Min Min DiGiacoma, Elliot Poland, and Forrest Schauer were selected as National Merit Finalists, placing them in the top 1% of US high school seniors.

🎓Winterim 2026 offered over 150 internships, 38 classes, and 11 trips.

🎓This year, Hannah White launched a new Internship Opportunities page connecting students with 30+ business partners, matching students to experiences aligned with their skills and career goals. Over 80% of students were rated "Excellent" by host organizations, and 72 partners have committed to return.

🎓Wheaton Academy students earned acceptances at highly selective colleges and universities this year, including Northwestern University, University of Notre Dame, Cornell University, Boston College, and Baylor University.

🎓Wheaton Academy's Math Team won our second back-to-back ICTM Division 2A State Championship at Illinois State University.

🎓Seven Wheaton Academy students competed at the Illinois DECA Career Development Conference. Grace Jo and Josie Schuldt placed 1st and 4th in their events, qualifying to compete at DECA Nationals in Atlanta.

🎓In its first year, Wheaton Academy's HOSA chapter sent four students to the Illinois HOSA State Leadership Conference, reflecting our growing investment in biomedical science and healthcare career pathways.

🎓This year, Wheaton Academy launched an Industry Career Panel Series, welcoming professionals from the medical and business/finance fields to connect students with real-world career paths.

🎓Academy by Design students are designing a WA Café for the atrium. Students are prototyping drinks and bringing their human-centered design skills to a space that the whole school community will enjoy.

Congratulations to the Lacrosse team on their State Championship!!!

WA Lacrosse defeated St. Viator 11-10 in a thrilling state final on Saturday, June 6 to claim the IHSA state championship. Congratulations to the players, coaches, and families who made this season one to remember. Warriors, you are STATE CHAMPIONS!

Our graduation photo gallery is now available! Visit our website to explore commencement photos and videos: https://wheatonacademy.org/celebrating-the-class-of-2026/