St Paul Lutheran School

St. Paul Lutheran School has operated continuously in North Omaha since 1887. The first school building was destroyed in the 1913 Easter Sunday tornado. The school re-opened six months later at 27^th and Jaynes. In 1958 the school was moved to its current location at 5020 Grand Avenue (one block north of Ames). With each move, the church always built the school first and then the sanctuary.

St. Paul has a long tradition of serving children and youth in the north Omaha area. The school offers a 2-day, 3-day, or 5-day-a-week preschool program, full-day or half-day kindergarten, and first through eighth grade in a culturally diverse atmosphere. Before and after school care is provided as well. St. Paul Lutheran School provides an educational opportunity to a diverse student population with a large percentage of its students qualifying for the free or reduced lunch program.

Additionally, St. Paul acts as an outreach ministry to the community. Over 83% of our students are not members of the St. Paul church congregation. We have a number of families who do not have a church home. For these families, St. Paul Lutheran School offers both an opportunity for growth and a support system for the daily challenges of life.

It is the mission of St. Paul Lutheran School to assist parents in the educational instruction of their children. The entire staff - teachers, volunteers, and support personnel - are dedicated and committed to a values-centered education with an emphasis on individual instruction for each student. Our focus is the students. Our goal is to help students understand and utilize their potential - emotionally, intellectually, socially, and spiritually.

As an urban school, we recognize the best way to solve problems is to prevent them. We strive for a high level of expectation with regard to academics. Along with strong academics, we combine an emphasis on social skills to prepare our students for success in future academic endeavors and in the business world. St. Paul Lutheran School has a long tradition of preparing students to be leaders, scholars and servants. After 8th grade graduation our students attend local public, Catholic, and private high schools, and we’re happy to say we hear great reports of exciting things happening in their lives.

Amy Price, a St. Paul grad, led the UNO women’s soccer team to a national championship. In 2006, three of our former students who graduated from Northwest and Concordia High Schools were awarded regent scholarships to UNO. Also last year, St. Paul students Tom Polinko and Cherith Polinko were the featured 8th grade speakers at the Downtown Rotary Club’s annual Honor Roll Luncheon last May. Cherith was also the captain of the St. Paul girl’s Volleyball team.

Recently Northwest High School contacted St. Paul with information about students included on the Honor Roll with a minimum 3.5 grade point average. Nine former St. Paul students were included, with three of them (Laura Eberly, Samantha Haggar and Leah Leick) ranked 1, 2, and 3 in their senior class. Furthermore, Laura Eberly has received Regent Scholarship offers from UNO and UNL and a President Scholarship from Creighton. This is in addition to her spending the last three summers teaching young children in Nicaragua.

Lastly, St. Paul music teacher, Mrs. Vivian Kesar, and her violin students were selected to play in the Omaha Area Youth Symphony Honors Orchestra.

All of this from a small school of less than 150 students.

St. Paul school has existed since 1887 to carry out a mission of education, love, and support to the children it serves. For children to grow, it is important for them to be instructed daily to seek what individual gifts God has given them. Scholastic excellence that challenges and stretches what students can do, in an environment where discipline and grace go hand in hand, is what we strive to provide each and every day.

Construction of a new gym was completed at the end of 2007. Follow this link and see how it is being used now. http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/13289102.html#

This is the first gym in the school’s history,