A new Lutheran elementary school opened its doors for its first day of classes Wednesday morning after a year of struggling to get established.
Located at the King of Kings Lutheran Church at St. Albert’s northern fringe, the private school attracted just 14 students on its first day. Principal Ken Albinger was still excited.
“I got up early this morning,” Albinger said Wednesday. “I was as excited as I’ve ever been.”
It’s the fifth or sixth Lutheran school that Albinger has been involved in starting and it’s typical to start small, he said, though this is the lowest starting number he’s ever seen.
“We have to prove our educational credibility and our Christian ethos credibility with potential families,” Albinger said. “In order to do that, it takes a bit of time.”
The school is teaching the Alberta curriculum as well as a Christian studies curriculum developed by the Lutheran Church. Albinger’s aim is to grow the K-6 school to 70-plus students in the next five years, necessitating a new school the congregation hopes to build on its existing land directly north of the church.
The St. Albert congregation decided about a year ago to pursue its long-time goal of establishing a school. It reached an agreement with the Edmonton Lutheran School Society to operate the school. The society operated Faith Lutheran School in Edmonton for about 15 years until closing it at the end of last year.
That school is essentially moving to St. Albert, with two teachers plus Albinger making the move, as well as computers, SMART Boards, playground implements and gym equipment.
The new playground won’t be ready until spring and the gym equipment will remain in a storage container, Albinger said. He’s in negotiations with two local facilities to acquire gym time for one afternoon a week.
He has money to buy enough books to stock a library, which will be established over the course of the year in an outbuilding on the church property, he said.
The new school’s third teacher was hired away from the Catholic system in Fort McMurray. The school will operate at a significant loss this year, Albinger said. This will be covered by the Edmonton Lutheran School Society, which also paid the $140,000 to renovate the church to accommodate students.
The school would need 12 students per teacher to be self-financing, Albinger said.
Tuition at the school is $2,600 for the first child and $2,400 for the second, he said, though some subsidies are available.
“No child will be denied access,” Albinger said.
One of the biggest hurdles to gaining enrolments is the existence of the Logos Christian program in the public school system, he said.
Parents reported being attracted to the school because of its Christian component and its small classes.
“My sons went to a Catholic school before but I belong to this church so it’s really important for me to have them grow up with the Lutheran theology,” said mother Jennifer Behm, a resident of north Edmonton.
“I really don’t like the public school system at all,” said mother Crista Christensen, a resident of northeast Edmonton. Though she lives right behind a public school, her kids will never go there because of the foul language, bullying and lack of supervision she says pervades that environment.
While some parents are convinced the temporary school is the right place for their children, others will be looking for results before being swayed, Albinger said.
“We have to do our job really well. We have to be what we say we are,” he said. “I can say everything to everyone [but] it won’t have as much weight as a kindergarten mom who, over coffee with a friend, says it’s really been a great experience.”
