MEETINGS ON LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL CONTINUE

Opening a new parochial high school in Southeast Missouri shouldn't be about competition for students but offering alternatives and options for education, said a Cape Girardeau Lutheran elementary principal.

Saxony Lutheran High School is expected to open in August with an enrollment of at least 50 students. The school will rent classroom space from St. Andrew Lutheran Church until a permanent building is completed.

An agreement on a site for the school should be finalized by week's end.

Bill Unzicker, principal at Trinity Lutheran School, said a Lutheran high school can offer a positive influence. It "reflects the kind of education our kids get" and allows them to continue that tradition past the elementary level, he said during a meeting of the Cape Girardeau Lion's Club Wednesday afternoon.

He has been an adviser to the board of regents for the proposed high school since the group began meeting more than a year ago.

When area Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod congregations began talking about forming a high school, they had to look at demographics, expenses and possible revenue.

Lutheran schools typically start with seven to 10 interested congregations, said the Rev. David Dissen. Saxony has more than 20 congregations involved and expects more.

And Lutheran high schools need at least 10,000 members in a community or area before they can open. The area from Perryville to Sikeston, which is the targeted area for drawing students, has at least 18,000 people, Unzicker said.

Having that sort of support has helped Saxony Lutheran High School move ahead so quickly, Unzicker said.

Public meetings are planned for 3 p.m. Sunday at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson and at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 20 at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau.