SITE VALIDATION TEAM REPORT ACCREDITED SCHOOL - EXEMPLARY STATUS School Name: Concordia Lutheran High School Address: 700 E. Main Street, Tomball, Texas 77375 Phone Number: 281-352-2547 Executive Director: Joel Bode, bodej@clhs-tx.org Principal: Mark Bahr, bahrm@chls-tx.org Site Validation Team Members: Dr. David A. Sommermeyer, Educational Consultant, davesommermeyer@me.com Ms. Sarah Heislen, Faith, Las Vegas Middle School Principal, heislens@flhsemail.org Terry Schmidt, NLSA Executive Director, terry.Schmidt@lcms.org Dr. William Hinz, Texas District LCM Director of Schools, WVHinz@aol.com Visit Date: January 31 - February 1, 2013 I. Site Validation Checklist Qualifier The school is Christ centered and service driven. School Meets or Exceeds YES or NO YES Comments ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● The school has an established and documented record of student academic preparation and success. YES ● ● ● ● Global Embrace Program. All student travel includes service component. Admin - global embrace -- Kazakhstan, Costa Rica, England, Honduras. working with LINC Houston - mission service Admin - Service Trips -- Joplin, MO -- Katrina relief Admin - Service work is required part of all student travel. Community leaders recognized the community service component of CLHS and its community service contributions in a variety of ways. Strong intentional Spiritual life program. Concordia has a Spiritual Life Director. Many commented on spiritual life at Concordia. Test Scores -- above state and national averages Parent (several) - my student was well prepared for college. Admin - AP dual credit -- offered on campus -don’t have to leave campus Parent - “My child’s senior year at CLHS was more challenging than their freshman year at Baylor” A positive perception exists in the community regarding the school. YES ● Parents report students are well prepared for success in college.”The day you walk into CLHS you are being prepared for college.” ● Concordia winning the Henderson Award (overall state champion in Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools 4A division) for all sports, music, band and academic competitions -- two years ago and finishing in second last year has been a benefit to the community perception. Both of Concordia’s major feeder schools, Trinity, Klein, and Salem, Tomball are recognized as United States Distinguished Schools and the majority of both Trinity and Salem graduates go to Concordia High School. Executive Director (Joel Bode) is on Chamber of Commerce Board. ● ● Mayor, law enforcement, and Chamber President ● Everybody looks to Concordia as the place to be! ● I’ve never heard anything bad about Concordia, it has a great influence in the community. ● Local police try to get on the “list” of events to work at Concordia because of their reputation ● School administration works very closely and collaboratively with law enforcement -administration perceived as very discerning ● Mayor reports that Concordia is involved in the community -- responds when the need arises, i.e. opening up their parking lot and helping a church in need, took in students who were affected by hurricane Katrina ● Kids are respectful and you can just tell there is something “different” here ● This school makes a statement about the community’s commitment to faith and values ● Concordia truly partners with the community ● Leadership team is highly respected in the community ● The entire Tomball community - fire trucks, police, EMS escorted the football team home from the state football championship shaking the hand of every single Concordia football player. ● They are very open to receiving information from us. They are prepared but they are not overreacting ● The kids show us respect when we come in. ● Police officer enjoys stopping by for chapel. ● Concordia is included in Tomball magazine. Board Members -- In response to their perception of reputable best practices at Concordia?: ● Kids can get involved in a variety of activities ● ● ● ● ● Students are prepared for college My child caught the “thespian bug” at Concordia thanks to the inspiration of one of the teachers Excellent leadership; trust in the leadership at Concordia; leaders take calculated risks Leadership team is committed to excellence Faculty leaders put together their own entrance assessment Feeder School Perceptions: ● Feeder schools have benefited from Concordia. ● Concordia has a presence on our campuses. Association Pastors Perceptions: ● Pastors feel involved in a partnership with Concordia. ● Students here are engaged and participate in chapel. ● Spiritual life direction at Concordia is intentional and mentioned throughout visits with pastors and other groups. ● Student groups will lead music and/or worship at some association congregations; teams will attend worship together; share resources. ● Parents who have had older children attend public schools have chose Concordia and plan on sending their younger children who will attend CHS. The school supports satisfied stakeholders. YES ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Parent - excellent staff/teachers go the extra mile. Parent - School well serves students with differing learning styles and abilities. Staff is described as involved and fully engaged with students through a wide variety of school activities. WELS parent loves Concordia - Sports is the daughter’s motivation for academic performance. CLHS sports program inspires daughter’s academic performance. Parents who have had older children attend public schools have chosen Concordia for their younger children. Teachers help wherever there is a need. Parents report students are well prepared for success in college.”The day you walk into CLHS you are being prepared for college.” Parent - “I know that my child is loved and cared for at CLHS as much I do.” Parent - National merit scholars provide evidence for academic preparation. “Freshman year at Baylor was easier than high school.” “My child was almost going to leave Concordia after the first semester but with the great help of ● ● The school demonstrates innovative leadership through Best Practices. YES ● ● ● all of her teachers she is now doing exceptionally well.”“ I know that my child is loved and cared for as much as I do” “The hearts of the teachers are extremely unique” The FAME program has helped freshmen to integrate successfully into CHS. The Global Embrace program has given students opportunities to be involved in ministry locally and around the world. Reciprocal church worker tuition agreement with Salem and Trinity II. What are the school’s unique “Best Practice(s)”? A validation team editorial note: While the visit focused on the three “best practices” suggested by Concordia, the team identified a number of other practices easily considered best as well: ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Intentionally addressing the culture of the school, relationships -- the Concordia “atmosphere” Teachers required to be involved in at least one extracurricular activity -- equates to students having an opportunity to be involved in many things Spiritual life program Goal to hire synodically trained teachers -- recruitment process Leadership team all on the same page Strategic Plan driven initiatives Forensic Science Club - CSI Concordia Dual Credit Classes all taught on Concordia’s campus by adjunct professors FAME (Freshman Achieving More Excellence) Program Summary: Concordia faculty and administration observed that many of their freshman students were not readily demonstrating the skills necessary for achieving excellence. Many of the students were lacking in a number of areas: study-skills, selfesteem, self-motivation, responsibility, goal setting, understanding of healthy and positive relationships, and an understanding of how attitude and perspective affects a student’s ability to achieve success. The FAME program was created to assist and help students address the areas necessary to excel at CLHS. FAME is actually the fourth (4th) step in a continuous intentional program that Concordia freshman experience. 1 “Fish Camp” -- two hour program before school starts designed to help freshman meet other students and become familiar with the campus. This is led student leaders in upper grades (11th and 12th) 2 “Freshman Retreat” -- a 2-day (first Sunday / Monday of school year) off campus program of activities designed for building relationships, unify as a class, and learn about Concordia. 3 “Freshman Success Seminar” -- a day long off-campus, kick-off workshop experience for the FAME program, after about a month of school. 4 “FAME” -- 12 on-campus sessions throughout the school year (students divided into mixed gender groups of 8/9). There are 3 phases to the FAME program: 1 How to Get Good Grades in Ten Easy Steps by Linda O’Brian. Initially introduced at the “Freshman Success Seminar,” this phase addresses studyskills, organization, time management, taking notes, reading a textbook, studying smart, being a good test taker, reducing test anxiety and asking for help. 2 What’s In Your Backpack? Packing for Success in Life. A three hour professional presentation by Jimmy Cabrera, CSP encouraging students to see themselves and others as valuable children of God who have been redeemed by Christ. Students are frequently reminded and engaged to pack their backpacks for success throughout the year-long FAME meetings. His acronym for BACKPACK: Believe in yourself Attitude is everything Courage is essential Knowledge is power People skills build respect Always set goals Commitment pays Keep on Dreaming 3 The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, The Ultimate Teenage Success Guide is a book by Sean Covey that is covered over 12 sessions throughout the school year. A variety of formats, settings, activities, and assignments are intentionally designed to engage students during their FAME experiences. The program outline is as follows: a Get in the Habit and Paradigm and Principles - scheduled for the Sunday evening of the Freshman Retreat b Personal Bank Account: scheduled for 4 Thursday morning segments i Habit 1 - Be Proactive ii Habit 2 - Begin with the End in Mind - 2 segments fostering Goal setting iii Habit 3 - Put first things First iv Students develop a personal Mission Statement c Relationship Bank Account: scheduled for 5 Thursday morning segments i students create and set and academic goal for 2nd semester ii Habit 4 - Think Win-Win iii Habit 5 - Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood iv Habit 6 - Synergize v Habit 7 - Sharpen the Saw Upperclassmen students are invited and incorporated as leaders for the small groups providing freshmen with supportive mentors. ● ● ● ● FAME program grew out of attrition from 9th-10th grade Students “retreat” off campus centered around spiritual growth, leadership/team building, social and emotional growth Program is assessed by way of a survey and questionnaire; anecdotal evaluation is that upper level students desire to serve as leaders in the program Grades and study skills have improved ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Naturally develops leadership skills Frosh report that the retreat was a great experience and helped them meet new people; Students loved the Success Seminar, this seemed to make a great impact; This has helped students be prepared for the important of college preparation; Freshman Student - finding it very beneficial Student - changes life Student mentor - Student Council plans “Fish Camp” Student - nurtures and develops relationships -- breaks down barriers Parent - responsive to students needs -- teachers spent extra time to meet individual needs Parent - went from frustration to beyond expectations GLOBAL EMBRACE - MISSION AND SERVICE Program Summary: Central to Concordia’s mission of “Building Lives of Excellence upon the Foundation of Christ,” is one of our most important goals of sharing the love of Christ with Concordia families by modeling and providing experiences for students to participate in service and mission opportunities. Therefore, an intentional emphasis has been placed on encouraging Concordia students to participate in local and international mission outreach by serving and ministering to people who have struggled with life in general, natural disasters or other specific challenges to their livelihood. Activities have included: wildfires, drought, flooding, home maintenance, teaching, nursing care, babysitting, childcare, soup kitchens, supervision/event volunteerism, etc. Additionally, Concordia’s Theology curriculum has incorporated teaching units on topics of The Christian in Mission and Small Group Bible Study to prepare students for their experiences. Finally, the administration has insisted that teachers and/or advisors incorporate service and mission opportunities into every trip related to a curricular endeavor. A few examples of where the curriculum, mission, and service intersect would include: Kazakhstan – Students teach Bible lessons, play, and interact with elementary school children who would not receive any Christian interactions without our involvement. They also assist in renovating areas to make them safe and usable for the residents. Costa Rica – Environmental Science students become immersed in the local culture as they trade experiences with native residents. The students also become involved with a large scale construction project (in the spring of 2012, the students refurbished a home and made additions to the living space). Mexico – A faculty member and student partnered with the CanDo Missions program traveling to Merida to work on refurbishing and building a school, teaching VBS, and living through a cultural exchange with fellow Christians from various parts of the United States and the native people of Mexico. Alabama and Louisiana – Relief efforts for areas devastated by severe storms where students cleared tree limbs, brush, and debris so that residents could get back to a normal life routine. The Global Embrace program incorporates a specific set of goals which are taught to Concordia students before their participation in mission and service events. These goals are to: LEARN about the history, literature, and culture of the places visited. HONOR the institutions and systems integral to the nations visited. FOSTER friendships with peers who live in the places served. EXPLORE the unique features of a country’s ecosystem and geography. SERVE as ambassadors of our faith and tradition. Global Embrace incorporates the needs of local/domestic issues and therefore is not limited to just international experiences. Actions intentionally embody Acts 1:8 through a ripple effect of being Christ’s ambassador permeating “our” Judea, Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth. Partnerships that are already planned include the following: Downtown Houston – Concordia is collaborating with LINC Houston which is a mission organization that sees the need for new and healthy faith communities across the city among our ethnic and urban neighborhoods. They plant new churches that are self-governing, self-supporting, and self-propagating. This partnership will allow Concordia the opportunity to serve Houston, interact with various cultures and ethnic groups (in the city), and give the Apologetics Class a tour of various faith groups. In the fall of 2012, Junior and Senior level Theology students toured a Hindu Temple and a Buddhist Temple interacting with leaders from each of these religious institutions. Honduras – The Spring of 2013 has Concordia’s Spiritual Life Director and Spanish teacher traveling to Honduras to create a partnership with HEART4CHILDREN, a ministry to boys and young men. This ministry seeks to rescue young men from the streets by creating a safe place for them in a boy’s home and providing them an education at the nearest college. HEART4CHILDREN also has started a K6th grade Christ Centered School in the local village where currently our Spanish 4 students are pen pals with a number of these students. England 2013 – This will be Concordia’s first trip to this area of the world where students will become involved in learning about the great history and traditions of British Literature, both from the ancient and modern worlds. While there, students will be involved in a service project with the underprivileged as yet to be determined. Certainly, service and mission activities are present in many Christian schools all around the country. However, Concordia has found huge benefits to its students individually and the entire student body collectively once they intentionally communicated a desire to seek partnerships and opportunities under the mantra of a Global Embrace. ● ● ● Service becomes an intentional focus of everything at Concordia. Global Awareness, understanding and involvement is a key component of 21st Century educations critical knowledge and skills. Several commented that their Global Embrace experiences were life changing RECIPROCAL CHURCH WORKER TUITION AGREEMENT Program Summary: When a roster eligible church worker from either Salem or Trinity enrolls one or more students at Concordia their total tuition for the family is only $1,000 plus applicable fees. Likewise when a roster eligible church worker from Concordia enrolls one or more students at either Salem or Trinity the total family tuition is $1000 plus applicable fees. ● ● ● ● ● ● A significant financial commitment. Assures that church worker’s students from Concordia, Salem and Trinity will attend a Lutheran school from K-12. Elementary teachers know their children will go to Concordia and become strong advocates for concordia to their students and parents. Incentive for workers to get colloquy. Incentive when recruiting teachers. Strengthens Concordia, Salem and Trinity partnership and relationship. The validation team’s visit to Concordia supports that Concordia is worthy of Accredited School - Exemplary Status recognition. ● Strategic plan driven ● Strong Leadership - trust ● Numerous “best practices” ● Outstanding Community and congregation partnerships ● Strong test scores ● Very satisfied stakeholders and customers ● Strong indication of intentionality for continuous improvement - not satisfied with the “status quo” ● Healthy financial conditions ● Validation team heard “first hand” the many comments (and more) that are included in the validation checklist. Electronic Signatures - 2/1/13 Dave Sommermeyer Sarah Heislen (Team contact person) Terry Schmidt Bill Hinz