The Rimbach Teacher Award

The Martin Luther Schule

The Rimbach Teacher Award seeks to advance German-American traditions at the Martin Luther Schule in Rimbach , Germany . The Martin Luther Schule (MLS) was founded in 1887, and it shares with St. Olaf College a heritage grounded in the values of the Lutheran Church . Both institutions offer primarily courses in the arts, sciences, and humanities with selected programs in service and pre-professional training.

Today, the MLS is a campus of three connected buildings that emphasize library and media resources, natural sciences, and art and music. The MLS describes itself as a "Schule mit Schwerpunkt Musik" and its global outreach includes a program in east India . It is located in the small city of Rimbach (4,000) in the Oden Forest north of Heidelberg.

The program of Rimbach teachers was started in 1948 to support the Lutheran World Federation relief projects in post World War II reconstruction in Germany. Professor Howard Hong of St. Olaf College forged the agreement with the student body association that provided travel funds for twenty teachers until 1968. Since then, the Martin Luther Schule has grown to a campus of 1,500 students financed by state funds.