In the last several months, some of our Alumni have been called to their heavenly Home. Over the eight years I have been at Concordia, I have attended hundreds of visitations of CLHS grads. Many of these families have children or grandchildren who are alumni or current students. This culture goes back to the 1930’s. We have some 4th generation families and it is a blessing for the school.
At each of the visitations, the stories about the years at CLHS are shared. It has been a joy to hear them even though some meant someone back then got into trouble. At a recent one I attended, two alumni started to tell me a story about the alumnus whose visitations it was. They would say, “do you remember when we were the lake and…no, I can’t talk about that one.” And then the other would say, “ And the time when he…no, I can’t talk about that one.” John, you better leave before you hear something you shouldn’t. Yet the smiles they shared as they recalled their times at CLHS and their times with alumni and classmates made all the difference in the world.
Yet, times are changing. Some of our legacy families who have two or three generations of CLHS Alumni are now attending other high schools. There are many reasons all of which are valid to them. This may be disheartening to some but it also puts a CLHS family in a position to do ministry at their new high school. Perhaps we as alumni, parents, grandparents, friends and others need to talk up CLHS more and more in the days and weeks ahead. And share that if the tuition is a concern, to get in and talk with our Director of Financial Aid as soon as possible.
Maybe the thing we need to share more is the Indiana 529 plan for younger families to save future tuition tax-free…or help others create more endowments for financial aid. The school is working harder than ever to tighten up expenses and improve income and its working. These steps along with other financial possibilities will definitely help.
Most of all, if you are proud of CLHS and know that it is the Christ-centered high school offering academic excellence, then let prospective parents and others know. Together, we can make a big difference!