Concordia, Missouri has a strong history of Lutheranism. A great example of this is Saint Paul’s Lutheran High School. With roots tracing back to 1883, this high school is unique in that it is a boarding school, so many students stay in residential halls on campus. Saint Paul’s hosts students from many places, including across Missouri, an impressive number of international students, and local students who come for the day.

This is Evan Magness’ first year at Saint Paul’s. Magness, a Junior from St. Louis, said that he chose to attend Saint Paul’s “because of its strong academics and choral program, strong Lutheran identity, sound Lutheran theology and practice, and because boarding school was a good fit for our current family situation.”

When comparing boarding school to previous school experiences, he said it was a completely different experience. “It was a bit stressful at first, but after a few days, you get used to. It’s different because you’re away from your family a lot more. The line between home and school gets blurred because you’re living at school,” explains Magness. “Because it’s a boarding school and there are people that come from many places around the world, you get exposed to many more different types of people, and that’s very interesting.” Magness notes, “One of the things I like most about SPLHS is that the chapel services are liturgical, with solid preaching and traditional hymnody. They use other songs sometimes, but mostly use Lutheran Service Book.”

Magness remarks despite a two week quarantine, mask wearing, and social distancing, COVID-19 “hasn’t had too much of an impact on the curriculum. SPLHS tries to make every day as normal as possible while adhering to the rules.”

Dr. Jerrode Marsh, Director of Music at Saint Paul, notes that, “Probably what strikes me the most about this school is the sense of family. People make friends for life here—friends from all over the world. Having such a closely-knit group of friends makes it a very unique high school experience for both the students but also the teachers.”

When comparing boarding school to previous school experiences, he said it was a completely different experience. “It was a bit stressful at first, but after a few days, you get used to. It’s different because you’re away from your family a lot more. The line between home and school gets blurred because you’re living at school,” explains Magness. “Because it’s a boarding school and there are people that come from many places around the world, you get exposed to many more different types of people, and that’s very interesting.” Magness notes, “One of the things I like most about SPLHS is that the chapel services are liturgical, with solid preaching and traditional hymnody. They use other songs sometimes, but mostly use Lutheran Service Book.”

Magness remarks despite a two week quarantine, mask wearing, and social distancing, COVID-19 “hasn’t had too much of an impact on the curriculum. SPLHS tries to make every day as normal as possible while adhering to the rules.”

Dr. Jerrode Marsh, Director of Music at Saint Paul, notes that, “Probably what strikes me the most about this school is the sense of family. People make friends for life here—friends from all over the world. Having such a closely-knit group of friends makes it a very unique high school experience for both the students but also the teachers.”