This year’s National Lutheran Schools Week theme was “Connection.”
Sarah Akey discusses with sixth-graders what chemical reactions are and how atoms are conserved in chemical reactions during a National Lutheran Schools Week activity Friday at Trinity Lutheran High School in Seymour.
Throughout the week, Trinity Lutheran High School students participated in dress-up days for National Lutheran Schools Week.
Immanuel Lutheran School eighth-graders Jane Browning and Emma Mellencamp work on a group art project Friday during a National Lutheran Schools Week activity in the commons at Trinity Lutheran High School in Seymour.
National Lutheran Schools Week concluded in the Trinity Lutheran High School gymnasium with a worship service led by Pastor Joshua Haugen.
Immanuel Lutheran School sixth-grader Carter Johnson smiles in Sarah Akey’s lab at Trinity Lutheran High School in Seymour.
Trinity Lutheran High School music teacher Leah Schneider teaches fourth-graders a medley of worship songs on Friday.
Trinity Lutheran High School teacher Justin Vorthmann teaches sixth-graders how to build film canister rockets.
Trinity Lutheran High School juniors Jake Holland and Brady Sawyer and sophomore Sam Lorenz give thumbs up to National Lutheran Schools Week.
Trinity Lutheran High School English and drama teacher Jayme Lowe hosts a trivia challenge in the gymnasium.
More than 650 students from four local Lutheran schools gathered in fellowship Friday at Trinity Lutheran High School in Seymour.
The daylong event is an annual congregation of students and marks the conclusion of National Lutheran Schools Week, organized by the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and celebrated in more than 1,800 preschools, elementary schools and high schools in America.
Participating schools locally this year were Lutheran Central School, Immanuel Lutheran School, White Creek Lutheran School and St. John’s Sauers Lutheran School.
Throughout the week, Trinity students participated in dress-up days.
This year, each dress-up day related to sweets. Monday was Hot Chocolate Day with students coming to school in their pajamas. Tuesday was Twix Day with students picking a “twin” and matching each other. Wednesday was Skittles Day with students dressing monochromatically. Thursday was Payday with students dressing like celebrities. Friday was Donut Day (as in “Donut forget about Jesus”) with students dressing in Trinity attire.
After a performance by New Albany-based magician Richard E. Darshwood in the morning, students were divided by grade to participate in different activities celebrating the joys of fellowship.
In the commons area, eighth grade students colored and cut out slips of paper shaped like puzzle pieces and people. These slips were glued to banners representing this year’s theme, “Connection.”
“Each school will take one banner home, so the students will have a visual encouraging them to stay connected with one another,” Trinity art teacher Carrie Adler said.
In the choir room, fourth-graders were taught a medley of “His Banner Over Me Is Love” and “Father, I Adore You” by Leah Schneider, Trinity’s choir and band director.
Schneider chose the songs because their lyrics correspond with this year’s theme (“He is the vine and we are the branches/His banner over me is love”).
Fifth-graders made cross wall hangings out of rubber bands in the FFA building, while sixth-graders learned about reactions and built film canister rockets in the science labs, and seventh-graders participated in a trivia challenge in the gymnasium.
Immanuel eighth grade teacher Sue Sims has a son who went to Trinity, and she said she loves seeing students from different schools come together each year and connect with one another over their shared faith.
“We have so many Lutheran schools in the county and neighboring counties, but we don’t always have the opportunity to get together in fellowship and realize we’re part of a bigger picture, something that’s national,” Sims said. “The kids get to see how important and wonderful it is to be part of something so big and how there are other kids going to school sharing their faith and learning about God.”
The event concluded in the gymnasium with a worship service led by Pastor Joshua Haugen, which is Trinity Principal Clayton Darlage’s favorite part of the day.
“I love ending this day together with an opportunity to worship our lord and savior, Jesus Christ,” Darlage said. “In my opening remarks, I spoke about the love that God has for all of us no matter who we are or what backgrounds we have, no matter what age or race. Being able to connect with one another, that’s the love that God gives us.”