First day of school for St. Anthony’s and St. Paul’s | News, Sports, Jobs

St. Anthony’s students gathered in the schoolyard around 7:30 a.m. Parents were able to drop off their children and take photos of the first day. Students were also able to meet their friends outside before class.

Karen Schulte, principal of St. Anthony Elementary School, said 245 students from preschool through sixth grade attend St. Anthony’s this year. About 30 of the children are enrolled in preschool.

Overall enrollment was slightly higher than last year because the kindergarten class was larger.

Schulte’s day began with welcoming the returning children and helping the new students figure out where to go. She said the school held an open house for the new students last week. Part of the goal was to introduce the students before classes began.

Kelly Schauland, a preschool teacher at St. Paul’s School, greets a student on his first day. Photo by Dan Olson.

“We make sure that the children build a connection,” said Schulte. “We want the newcomers to find someone they know and can talk to.”

At 8 a.m., St. Anthony’s librarian Amy Gieseke rang the first bell of the school year to bring students in.

Gieseke said it was a good start to the year. She was worried it would rain during the opening day drop-off, but everything went smoothly.

“Everyone had a smile on their face,” said Gieseke.

The entire school gathered for a brief assembly to introduce new students and staff. New staff members included resource officer Paulette Kral, food service director Nate Struffert, and food service clerk Kim Schlumpberger.

Janelle Kopacek, a sixth-grade teacher at St. Anthony Elementary, welcomes students back to school on Tuesday. Kopacek said the first day of school is still exciting, even after 25 years of teaching.

Schulte also presented the “Virtue of the Week” Program. Each week of the school year, students receive a new virtuous theme. The theme of this week is “Great.”

It is planned to list the topics alphabetically.

At St. Paul, not all parents left the school after dropping off their children. The day began at 8:10 a.m. with a worship service that was open to parents and other parishioners. Pastor Nate Scharf delivered the sermon and offered his blessing to the students.

“The wonderful blessing of hearing the gospel every day,” he said. “That our sins are forgiven in Jesus and that God has a plan for our lives. We work together, teachers, parents, students, pastors, staff, ministers, all in this task of holding fast to God’s Word.”

Scharf said it is a great privilege to share God’s Word and grow in it together with the students.

Pastor Nate Scharf delivers the opening sermon. Photo by Dan Olson.

This year’s message for all Lutheran schools is “Partners in the Gospel.” Principal Pete Markgraf said the theme speaks to the importance of recognizing others.

“We should be grateful for each other,” he said. “Encourage one another, pray and help one another. This is not only in the Bible, but it is also being a good citizen of the city and the state. By participating in this way, everything grows and progresses.”

Principal Pete Markgraf said a lot of work went into opening day. More lockers were installed and support staff were hired, while all teachers were retained from last year. He said other than one thing, opening day went smoothly.

“The first thing I heard this morning was, ‘I think the air conditioning up there isn’t working.'” said Margrave. “We didn’t have air conditioning in this building for nearly 50 years, but our addition allowed us to install it. For the last four years, we’ve had air conditioning at the start of the school year, and we’re getting used to it.”

With the first year now behind them, Markgraf said he is looking forward to providing a fantastic school year for the 316 students enrolled.