LUTHERANS SHOW SUPPORT FOR HIGH SCHOOL

The idea of a regional Lutheran high school received a real boost recently from area Lutheran congregations. Members from 14 Lutheran churches were surveyed about helping to develop and fund a secondary school. An impressive 80 percent of those responding gave the project a thumbs up. This kind of solid support should give the project momentum.

It is no wonder that many parents support such a notion.

Support for public-school education continues to falter across the nation. Parents are frustrated by educational schemes that do little to reinforce the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic.

And for a growing number of families, the absence of prayer in public schools is unsettling. It seems to go hand in hand with a moral decay of the country. Public schools should be a place where all ideas can be explored and debated -- including religion.

The proposed Lutheran high school could draw from 20 regional Lutheran churches in the region. Lutheran grade schools operate in Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Perryville and Altenburg, but the closest Lutheran high school is in St. Louis.

But, no doubt, the school would have an appeal beyond Lutherans. For example, at Trinity Lutheran School in Cape Girardeau about 40 of 237 students are non-Lutheran. A number of parents simply prefer a more structured environment where religion is part of the curriculum.

The phenomenal growth of Notre Dame Regional High School (Roman Catholic) and Eagle Ridge High School (non-denominational) is evidence that parents feel this kind of learning environment is important.

The committee exploring a Lutheran high school is looking at a site within a 30-mile radius of Cape Girardeau. One possibility might be the former Notre Dame High School building at 1912 Ritter. The school recently moved into a new building on Route K just outside Cape Girardeau. Committee members must determine if the 13-acre former Notre Dame site is big enough for an expected enrollment of 300 students.

The recent survey surely adds fuel to the fire for proponents of a new Lutheran High School. This may be an educational need for area Lutherans whose time has come.