MLS Graduation 2026 — A Joyful Noise in Joplin, Missouri

Martin Luther School celebrated its 2026 Graduation Service on May 21 in Joplin, Missouri — honoring eight kindergarteners and two eighth-grade graduates in a joyful service of worship, Scripture, and gratitude for the year God has provided. Every child in that room has been known by name, loved as a child of God, and challenged to reach their God-given potential. On May 21, that mission came to life.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)

This promise from Jeremiah anchored every element of the May 21 service — the Scripture readings, the commencement message, the Proverbs verse on the back of every program. It is the same promise that has guided Martin Luther School since 1953: the One who formed these children also holds their future. Our job is to kindle the flame He already placed inside them.

Let’s Make a Joyful Noise

All year long, the theme at Martin Luther School had been Let’s Make a Joyful Noise — a call drawn from the Psalms for every student, every classroom, every hallway at MLS to ring with the sound of a people who know they are loved and held by God. The graduation service on May 21 was the crescendo.

The commencement message, delivered by DCE and teacher Mr. Jason Glaskey, opened with a simple object: a wireless microphone transmitter. He held it up and asked the room — graduates, families, faculty — if they knew what it was.

Then came the demonstration. With the transmitter switched off, a child spoke into the mic. The room heard almost nothing — a whisper, a signal going nowhere. Not because the voice wasn’t real. Not because the words didn’t matter. But because there was no connection to the source. When the transmitter clicked on? Same voice. Same words. But now it filled the room.

That is what it means to make a joyful noise. Not performing for an audience. Not trying harder. A voice connected to its source — full, clear, and alive. That was the whole year in one moment.

The message turned to the eight kindergarteners. Mr. Glaskey reminded them that they had walked through Mrs. Hull’s door last fall not knowing a thing about these hallways — not the sounds of chapel, not the routines, not the names of friends sitting beside them. But Jeremiah 29:11 was already true before any of it happened: “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord — plans for your welfare, not for harm, plans to give you a hope and a future. God already knew. Long before kindergarten, He had a plan for every single one of them.

Then the message turned to the eighth graders — two students who had moved through these halls slowly, steadily, year after year. One who found his strength in technology, in circuits, in the systems that make things work. One who lit up the stage in the spring musical Out of the Woods, whose name was in the playbill, whose voice filled the room. Two different stories. Two different gifts. Both of them connected — and both of them heard.

The Apostle Paul wrote the same thing to his young friend Timothy — the passage read earlier in the service from 2 Timothy 1:3–9. Fan into flame the gift of God which is in you. God has not given you a spirit of timidity, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind. Don’t let the transmitter stay off. The signal is there. Stay connected. Make a joyful noise.

Congratulations to Our 2026 Graduates

This year, Martin Luther School’s kindergarten class sent eight resilient learners, compassionate leaders, and God’s unique creations forward with diplomas in hand:

• Kadence
• Ryan
• Jensen
• Harper
• Shiloh
• Henry
• Shaina
• Alyse

From our upper grades, two eighth-grade graduates crossed the stage — young people whose curiosity has been ignited, whose character has been kindled, and whose faith has been fanned into flame through their years at MLS:

• Austyn Louise Keskinen-Burke
• Andrew Charles Lesley

The Teachers Behind the Graduates

Graduation doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because of teachers who show up every single day — who know their students by name, who pray for them, who spark joy in the classroom and kindle character in the hallway. Three homeroom teachers in particular deserve to be celebrated alongside their graduating students.

Mrs. Trish Hull — Kindergarten

Trish Hull brings warmth, patience, and a genuine love for young learners to the most important first year of a child’s school journey. The eight kindergarteners crossing the stage on May 21 walked into Mrs. Hull’s classroom last fall not knowing what school even was — and they leave knowing how to read, how to count, how to treat a friend, and that they are loved by a God who made them on purpose. That’s not just teaching. That’s calling.

Mrs. Amanda Kessler — 5th & 6th Grade

Amanda Kessler teaches 5th and 6th Grade at MLS, and the graduating eighth graders passed through her classroom on their way to the stage. Mrs. Kessler is known for her advanced academic rigor, her genuine passion for STEM education, and her ability to meet students right where they are — sparking curiosity in kids who are ready for bigger challenges and deeper questions. The innovative thinkers walking across the stage today were sharpened in her classroom.

Mrs. Lyla Glaskey — 7th & 8th Grade

Known affectionately as “Mrs. G,” Lyla Glaskey has taught 7th and 8th grade at Martin Luther School for over a decade — and she is exactly the kind of teacher every middle schooler needs. She meets students at the most critical turning point in their young lives with patience, humor, and a deep, steady faith. Austyn and Andrew have spent two years in her classroom having their character kindled and their faith fanned into flame. She is a Called Teacher and Commissioned Minister of Religion in the LCMS — and her investment in these graduates shows.

Photos from the Service

The Order of Service

The service opened with the processional hymn “Peace Like a River” as graduates processed in. Two Scripture readings — 2 Timothy 1:3–9 and Jeremiah 29:11–13 — set the tone for everything that followed. After the commencement message, the kindergarteners performed “Be Strong and Courageous” for their families — a fitting final number from a class that has spent a year learning exactly that.

Diplomas were presented, followed by a prayer from Pastor Christopher Ramstad and the Martin Luther School Prayer led by the graduates themselves. The service closed with the recessional hymn “How Firm a Foundation” — and refreshments in the Fellowship Hall.

Kindle Character. Spark Joy. Ignite Curiosity.

Since 1953, Martin Luther School has existed to kindle character, spark joy, and ignite curiosity in every child — through the light of Christ. The programs, curriculum, and community here are built so that students don’t just leave academically prepared — they leave formed. They know who they are. They know whose they are. And they go into the world with the transmitter on, connected to the God who already holds their future.

That is what we saw on May 21. Ten students. Ten unique children of God. Ten voices — connected, full, clear, and alive. Making a joyful noise.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Proverbs 3:5–6 (ESV)

Frequently Asked Questions

Martin Luther School is affiliated with the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) and accredited through National Lutheran School Accreditation. Located at 2616 S Connecticut Ave, Joplin, MO 64804.