Dear Grace Lutheran members,

I wish to share with you some of the experience of teaching in one of our synod's 20+ high schools and also some photos I have snapped with my camera. Nebraska Evangelical Lutheran High School is located in Waco, NE - a town of about 260 people located close to York, NE on I-80 west of Lincoln. There are three primary buildings - the main instructional facility, which 3/4 of the building is practically new, the boys' dormitory and the girls' dormitory & cafeteria. 

The school operates on an 8 period day, with a "zero hour" around 7:40 am for some extra curricular things. Faculty have 8 am devotion for 5 minutes, then 1st period at 8:20 am. Morning chapel after 2nd period is conducted by the male faculty. Sometimes they conduct a split gender chapel. I was invited an lead a chapel with the message being on Mark 10:2-12. Talking to a 150 - 200 students, faculty and friends can be challenging. The grade schoolers from down the street at Trinity come to Friday chapels.

I am teaching Physics and Chemistry right now for 3 periods of work. I am looking to add biology for a couple periods more in the last two weeks. I am not as versed in Biology, so that gives me pause. Plus the freshman class that takes Biology has moments of unruliness. Otherwise, I visit other classroom to observe how other teachers handle their classes and the different teaching techniques they use. I have seen Spanish, AP Government, Algebra II, US History, Religion 9, Physical Science and English 11 to name a few classes.

There are 3 other student teachers from Martin Luther College here and they "look young", but work hard. One young lady, Kathy, arrives each morning around 6 am to start planning her Spanish class work. Rest assured I have seen some tremendous teaching and professionalism from the teachers at NELHS. You can be sure that the high school education our WELS children get is as good and better than the public schools. This small school of 76 young men and women have a wide variety of opportunities academically and they excel for the most part. This little school even offers Calculus at the senior level and Latin in addition to Spanish.

I will close for now with some posted photos. I hope to share more as time permits. I have joined the choir from Bethel Lutheran in York and we are preparing for singing a Reformation piece this afternoon. The choir director has us to do muscle limbering exercises prior to singing and warms us up with scales. Slave driver perhaps? No, it is fun and I am enjoying the many facets of this teaching experience.

God bless,

Perry Lund

Three block walk to NELHS from the home I was staying. Its a nice walk down the street. No sidewalks needed.

The wooden sign outside the main building.

The sidewalk and green space between the girls dorm and main instructional building. New in 2000-2001.

The main entrance.

One of the NELHS teachers - Benjy Wells with freshmen English class.