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December 5, 2008
Dear fellow Saints:
Dear fellow Saints: Merry Christmas! Peace and joy to you and your family. As we reflect upon this year, we are pleased to report that enthusiasm and compassion are thriving in the halls at Seattle Lutheran High School. Why are enthusiasm and compassion so vital to a Christian school?
To connect the dots, let’s go back to our Greek and Latin roots. Enthusiasm comes from the Greek, en theism, “inspired by God,” and compassion from the Latin, com pati, “to suffer together.” We are all called, inspired by God, to be compassionate – to help others. When we are enthusiastic about service, we are inspired by God to serve. There are so many examples of enthusiastic service this year at Seattle Lutheran. More than 30 percent of our students are involved in Key Club. Our students are feeding the hungry, teaching children, and caring for the sick. This is what it means to learn from a Christian worldview; this is why your support for Christian education will make this world a better place for us all. In a time when our economic future is uncertain and Wall Street is not paying dividends on our financial investments, it is good to know we serve a God whose return on investment is guaranteed. Investing in Christian education will store treasures in heaven as seeds are planted in the hearts and minds of our nation’s future leaders.
To those of you who have supported our annual fund this year, thank you. Less than 75% of the cost to educate each student comes from tuition and fees. Less than one-half of one percent of our annual budget comes from local church budgets. Therefore, we rely on you to keep this school moving forward. We are halfway to reaching our annual fund need of $150,000 due to the generous support of our faithful donors and a grant to improve several areas of our academic programs and operations. We still need to raise $65,000 by the end of the fiscal year to achieve our annual fund need. Whatever we raise above this goal will begin to build up two vital endowments we will begin in 2009 – an endowment for faculty to raise compensation and increase access to professional development and an endowment to increase student scholarships.
Every other year, the school has been doing an auction in the fall to cover the gap between tuition and the cost to educate each student. This year we celebrated our 30th Anniversary and have raised $85,000 so far between individual donations and a $75,000 grant to support academics and operations. We still need to raise an additional $65,000 to cover our operational costs for the 2008-09 school year.
Because of you, we have been able to keep tuition costs low, while still offering competitive programs and services. With your generous support of our annual fund drive, we will make great strides in 2009 to support our teachers and reach more students. Thank you for making this possible. We would love to hear how things are going for you; may God bless you and your family as you gather to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
Blessings,
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Adair Hinds
Head Of School
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Bil Hood
Direcor of Advancement |
John Jacobs
School Board President |
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PAST YEAR
• 100% of current seniors have applied for college.
• 7 teams played in State Tournaments last school year, already 3 have gone to state this fall.
• More than 30% of the student body are members of the Key Club service group.
• SLHS has added 6 AP programs in the last 2 years.
• SLHS has partnered with St. Christopher Academy to offer education to students with special needs.
• This fall school began with waiting lists in three grades.
• We have partnered with more than 10 local churches this year to grow our chapel program. |
“ It has been an adventure. The blessings by the grace of God have been so paramount, as Seattle Lutheran continues in it’s Christ filled ministry. We see the continuing evidences of these blessings. We see it in the academics, in the staff, in worship, athletics, school spirit and other activities where people are genuinely touched by God’s love.”
Bob Christian
Founding Director, 1977-1994
For 18 years Mr. C. set the standard that all other Seattle Lutheran leaders strive to live up to.
“ONE - It’s powerful, profound, biblical. It’s not a number; it’s an approach.
Every student crafted by a loving God, each of them different, each of them with a different skill set, and above all each of them with a different calling in life. It is our task to help them to make and implement choices that reflect their very highest calling. For 30 years this place has launched “ones” into the world. Each of them the most important one, and God rejoices.”
Bruce Biesenthal
Executive Director, 2000-2006
Bruce’s ability to articulate God’s plan for SLHS in a way that was powerful, yet easy to understand helped usher the school into a new era.
“We’ve come a long way, we’ve traveled this road, and here we are today. Cause you’ve been there to help carry the load. You are the foundation of all we build, of every stone that builds this place and though we haven’t always been steadfast, yet you saved us by your grace. So where do we go from here O Lord? You’re the truth, the life, the way. By your grace we will serve you O Lord, until the end of days. It’s been thirty years of laughter and tears, yet here we are today.”
From Bob’s 30th Anniversary Song
Bob Matthews
Teacher, 1981-2001
Recently voted into the Washington State Coaches Hall of Fame, Mr. Matthews spent 20 years as a favorite teacher, coach and song leader.
"What a joy to be part of the ministry to young people at Seattle Lutheran High School for nearly 30 years – teaching, helping our seniors apply to college, seeing more than 1000 graduates pass through these halls, and observing the fruits of that ministry in the lives of our alumni. God has richly blessed our ministry over the past 30 years, and we are excited to see the blessings God has in store for us as we move into a new era."
Shirley Vradenburgh
Teacher, Registrar/College Counselor, 1979-present
Over the last 30 years at SLHS, no one has given more time or taken more photos than Miss Vradenburgh. |
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