Courtesy Photo Tom Tuuri, project consultant, is pictured in the old ACES academy building where renovations are underway for the new Immanuel Lutheran High School.

ALPENA — Progress is underway at the old ACES Academy building in Alpena, as construction workers transition it into what will be the new Immanuel Lutheran High School.

The News reported Immanuel’s official announcement of starting a high school in March of last year. The school plans to open initially for grades nine and 10 and enroll grades 11 and 12 in the fall of 2027. Immanuel Lutheran School currently houses pre-K to eighth grade at their school on Wilson Street.

Immanuel is about a third of the way through their renovation of the old Aces Academy building, Dylan Tanner, marketing head of the high school planning committee, said in an email. Right now, they’re bringing life safety systems (fire safety, building security, and heating/cooling) up to code.

Rev. Joshua Schultz, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, said he’d been informed by Project Consultant Tom Tuuri that renovations are on track for the school to open this fall for some students, barring any unforeseen challenges.

“We’re excited to hopefully get the building into a condition with construction to have an open house,” Schultz said. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s exciting.”

Devere Industrial is the general contractor for the project, which is employing 50 plus tradesmen from across Northeast Michigan.

Immanuel has already raised $1.1 million toward its $2 million fundraising goal, mostly from within the church, but with some generous outside donors, Tanner said. They had a $100,000 matching gift challenge in December that was met and exceeded. The public phase of the capital campaign starts on May 1.

The curriculum is mainly going to be college prep, but the school is also working on partnerships that will allow students access to vocational programs.

Schultz said that he could not expand on what those partnerships are at this time. He said one partnership will be presented at an upcoming board meeting.

“It looks like it could be a promising partnership for our school and students that are looking into that avenue,” he said.

Schultz said that incorporating electives and extracurriculars like music programs and athletics will happen very gradually.

He said that sports are tricky because they need enough students to field their own team. He is exploring co-op options with other Northeast Michigan schools.

“As we develop, those things will become more available,” Schultz said.

Immanuel is building a curriculum and programming from scratch, Schultz said. The school will start with a few teachers teaching multiple subjects and expand from there. He is planning to hire one new teacher to start. However, that plan could change depending on enrollment numbers. Enrollment begins in March.

Just like at the current school, parents can expect their kids to receive a Christ-centered education if they enroll at the high school.

“It’s never been about pitting ourselves against the public schools,” Schultz said. “(We’re) pitting a Christian option for people that want it. It’s been quite well received.”

A religion course is a core part of the curriculum at Immanuel school and will continue to be at the high school level. However, the upper grades will be able to go a little more in depth, Schultz said.

“We say that we teach, live, and proclaim Christ in all things,” Schultz said. “Christ permeates everything we do and we will continue to do that into the upper grades.”