March 8, 2000
Trinity Lutheran celebrates 50 years
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Christian ideals, eager learners and trusting friends.
Those are some of the qualities that stand out about students at Trinity Lutheran School, now as much as 50 years ago when the first 29 students walked through the school's doors.
Rejoicing in a half century of offering quality education with a Christian emphasis, members of the Trinity Lutheran School hosted a '50 Years: Growing in Grace' party Sunday afternoon at the school. More than 300 people came to celebrate, including current students, their parents and teachers, as well as former students, teachers and administrators. A member of the 1951 kindergarten class was also there.
"This school is much like a family," said former principal Bob Schultz, who retired from the post in 1998 after 11 years. "A lot of people here today are not even from this parish, but came back here today to say thank you."
With some families boasting a third generation in the school and ongoing strong enrollment, the program aptly noted that the celebration is about the school's first 50 years.
Students like Madison Ford in the sixth-grade, whose father, David, attended Trinity in his youth, guarantee continuity. Ford is already planning to send his future kids here, despite having a few years until his own graduation from the school.
"Getting a Christian education means I can teach my kids when I am older to follow Christ as well," said Ford, whose brother also attends the school. "I like it here because I have friends I can share everything with; I trust them with anything."
Teachers at the school emphasize the whole student not just a person's academic achievements. Students also learn that who they are and living a Christian life is more important than what they do. The close-knit class members often form friendships for life.
"These are excited children to learn and they are excited about their faith," said Dan Dockery, a fifth-grade teacher at the school.
This does not mean that teachers and administrators are not proud of their students' test scores. Principal Gary Priskorn points out that on the Stanford Achievement Test, students across the board at the school score well above the national averages.
"The students are always well-prepared and the receiving schools are glad to have Trinity graduates," said Priskorn. "These students have the study skills, the academic status and the social skills to succeed."
The current enrollment of 173 students in grades kindergarten through eight is a far cry from the first year's kindergarten class of four. The first graduating class of seventh-graders in 1951 also had four students. Over the years the school's enrollment steadily grew, reaching a peak of 227 students in 1994. The next year, an eighth-grade was added to meet the demand and in 1997 the school received accreditation by the National Lutheran Schools Association.
Along the way the school has expanded its staff, starting out with two teachers and now boasting nine today. The school has also added classrooms, a gymnasium and playground equipment. Two years ago the school began offering music and physical education classes taught by public school teachers, a partnership that has enhanced the school's depth.
Ongoing parent and parish involvement is crucial to the school's success. In fact, it was parents who hosted the 50th anniversary celebration, working together for more than a year to bring it all off. They dug through the school's archives to put together collages of school activities over the decades and compiled lists of names to search for former students.
"The celebration was everything we expected, everybody worked together," said Linda Carroll, who has two students enrolled at Trinity Lutheran. "We just wanted to acknowledge the 50 years that had gone by."