Lutheran High School of Hawaii
Encyclopedia
Lutheran High School of Hawaii (LHSH) is a Lutheran High School located on the grounds of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church at 1404 University Avenue in Honolulu on Oahu
, Hawaii
. LHSH is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
(WASC), the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools (HAIS), and National Lutheran School Accreditation (NLSA), and is a member of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu
(ILH) and PAC-5 sports programs.
Lutheran High's story begins in 1942 when a group of civilians and servicemen with the help of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod opened a small mission Service Center on Lunalilo Street in Honolulu. A few years later the mission group established Our Redeemer Lutheran Church and moved to a small building on Young Street owned by Kawaiaha'o Church.
In 1947, Our Redeemer Lutheran School was started in the basement of the building on Young Street. That first year the school consisted of Kindergarten and first grade.
Eager to provide a permanent home for the church and to meet the needs of a growing elementary school enrollment, the church purchased property on University Avenue in 1949 and constructed the present chapel, offices, and three classrooms. By 1950, the school had an enrollment of twenty-nine students in Kindergarten and grades one through three. Two more classrooms were added in 1952.
By 1959, Our Redeemer Lutheran Church became a self-supporting congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. In this capacity, Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, no longer receiving mission support, became the sole provider for the school.
The desire to have a complete Elementary school for Kindergarten through grade eight was realized in 1965 when a large addition was made to the University Avenue property. The new building, immediately behind the existing structures, added seven classrooms, a library, auditorium, teachers' workroom and kitchen.
Four short years later a high school expansion program was planned. Accordingly, during 1970-1974, grades nine through twelve were added with the first senior class of fifteen students graduating in 1975. During 1974-1982, space limitations on the University Avenue campus necessitated that the Elementary School be operated from three different locations stretching from Palolo Valley to Nu'uanu Valley.
Finally, in 1977, a second parcel of land on Wilder Avenue around the corner from the University Avenue property was purchased. By 1983, a modern three-story, fourteen-room structure had been completed. This facility now houses Kindergarten through eighth grade. Concurrently with the completion of the elementary building, improvements were made to the High School on University Avenue. These included library, classroom and office improvements and the addition of a computer center, teachers' lounge, and counseling office.
During the 1988 school year, a portable building was acquired to serve as an additional classroom.
On July 1, 1988, Our Redeemer Church relinquished its sole control of the high school in order to share ownership with four other Lutheran churches - St. Mark, Messiah, Our Savior, and Trinity - thus creating an "association" high school. Good Shepherd Church joined the association in 2004.
education for life by meeting the spiritual, academic, physical, aesthetic, social, and emotional needs of its students. LHSH clarifies its goals:
Spiritual - To give students the opportunity to learn of Jesus
Christ as their Lord and Savior and ensure a setting where the Holy Spirit
can strengthen the faith
of those who already believe in Him.
Academic - To provide a college-preparatory education as well as support for vocational competence, promote critical thinking
, effective communication, and independent work while appreciating the wisdom
and order of God's creation.
Physical - To help students recognize that the human body is a gift of God
, and they have a God-given responsibility to develop and maintain good mental, physical, and emotional health.
Aesthetic - To foster a lively and continuing interest in the fine arts and other cultural aspects of life as reflections of infinite beauty of God.
Social
- To offer students a Christian setting that encourages wholesome social relationships, as well as the development of values, attitudes, and social skills
that are characteristic of people who have respect for authority
and who are considerate of the feelings
and rights
of others.
Emotional - To encourage self-respect and the development of a healthy self-image based on God's love
and forgiveness
.
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. LHSH is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of six official academic bodies responsible for the accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in the United States and foreign institutions of American origin. The Western Association of...
(WASC), the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools (HAIS), and National Lutheran School Accreditation (NLSA), and is a member of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu
Interscholastic League of Honolulu
The Interscholastic League of Honolulu or ILH is an athletic conference composed of private secondary schools in Honolulu, Hawai'i. The ILH comprises 26 private schools with over 7500 students participating in 22 different sports including cross country, track and field, swimming and diving,...
(ILH) and PAC-5 sports programs.
History
Lutheran High has been serving the greater Honolulu community for over 25 years. Foremost during the school's existence has been a dedication to provide a quality, Christ-centered education for the children of Hawaii.Lutheran High's story begins in 1942 when a group of civilians and servicemen with the help of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod opened a small mission Service Center on Lunalilo Street in Honolulu. A few years later the mission group established Our Redeemer Lutheran Church and moved to a small building on Young Street owned by Kawaiaha'o Church.
In 1947, Our Redeemer Lutheran School was started in the basement of the building on Young Street. That first year the school consisted of Kindergarten and first grade.
Eager to provide a permanent home for the church and to meet the needs of a growing elementary school enrollment, the church purchased property on University Avenue in 1949 and constructed the present chapel, offices, and three classrooms. By 1950, the school had an enrollment of twenty-nine students in Kindergarten and grades one through three. Two more classrooms were added in 1952.
By 1959, Our Redeemer Lutheran Church became a self-supporting congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. In this capacity, Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, no longer receiving mission support, became the sole provider for the school.
The desire to have a complete Elementary school for Kindergarten through grade eight was realized in 1965 when a large addition was made to the University Avenue property. The new building, immediately behind the existing structures, added seven classrooms, a library, auditorium, teachers' workroom and kitchen.
Four short years later a high school expansion program was planned. Accordingly, during 1970-1974, grades nine through twelve were added with the first senior class of fifteen students graduating in 1975. During 1974-1982, space limitations on the University Avenue campus necessitated that the Elementary School be operated from three different locations stretching from Palolo Valley to Nu'uanu Valley.
Finally, in 1977, a second parcel of land on Wilder Avenue around the corner from the University Avenue property was purchased. By 1983, a modern three-story, fourteen-room structure had been completed. This facility now houses Kindergarten through eighth grade. Concurrently with the completion of the elementary building, improvements were made to the High School on University Avenue. These included library, classroom and office improvements and the addition of a computer center, teachers' lounge, and counseling office.
During the 1988 school year, a portable building was acquired to serve as an additional classroom.
On July 1, 1988, Our Redeemer Church relinquished its sole control of the high school in order to share ownership with four other Lutheran churches - St. Mark, Messiah, Our Savior, and Trinity - thus creating an "association" high school. Good Shepherd Church joined the association in 2004.
Mission
Lutheran High School of Hawaii summarizes its mission with the phrase: "Educating for Life - Promoting the Faith!"Goals
Lutheran High School of Hawaii aims to provide a quality ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
education for life by meeting the spiritual, academic, physical, aesthetic, social, and emotional needs of its students. LHSH clarifies its goals:
Spiritual - To give students the opportunity to learn of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
Christ as their Lord and Savior and ensure a setting where the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
can strengthen the faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
of those who already believe in Him.
Academic - To provide a college-preparatory education as well as support for vocational competence, promote critical thinking
Critical thinking
Critical thinking is the process or method of thinking that questions assumptions. It is a way of deciding whether a claim is true, false, or sometimes true and sometimes false, or partly true and partly false. The origins of critical thinking can be traced in Western thought to the Socratic...
, effective communication, and independent work while appreciating the wisdom
Wisdom
Wisdom is a deep understanding and realization of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to apply perceptions, judgements and actions in keeping with this understanding. It often requires control of one's emotional reactions so that universal principles, reason and...
and order of God's creation.
Physical - To help students recognize that the human body is a gift of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, and they have a God-given responsibility to develop and maintain good mental, physical, and emotional health.
Aesthetic - To foster a lively and continuing interest in the fine arts and other cultural aspects of life as reflections of infinite beauty of God.
Social
Social
The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
- To offer students a Christian setting that encourages wholesome social relationships, as well as the development of values, attitudes, and social skills
Social skills
A social skill is any skill facilitating interaction and communication with others. Social rules and relations are created, communicated, and changed in verbal and nonverbal ways. The process of learning such skills is called socialization...
that are characteristic of people who have respect for authority
Authority
The word Authority is derived mainly from the Latin word auctoritas, meaning invention, advice, opinion, influence, or command. In English, the word 'authority' can be used to mean power given by the state or by academic knowledge of an area .-Authority in Philosophy:In...
and who are considerate of the feelings
Feelings
Feelings is an album by David Byrne, released on June 17, 1997.Cover art by Stefan Sagmeister.-Track listing:All tracks written by David Byrne; additional writers in parenthesis.#"Fuzzy Freaky" – 4:59...
and rights
Rights
Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people, according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory...
of others.
Emotional - To encourage self-respect and the development of a healthy self-image based on God's love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
and forgiveness
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is typically defined as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution. The Oxford English Dictionary defines forgiveness as 'to grant free pardon and to give up all...
.