St. Mark's Lutheran Students Get 'Minute to Win It'

St. Mark's Lutheran students in kicked off this year's National Lutheran Schools Week by sponsoring a "Minute to Win It" contest for their congregation.

"It was a blast," said Debbie Armbruster, a St. Mark's teacher.

Throughout the week (which was March 5-10), students showed their school pride by wearing "Lighten Up" T-shirts, which is the overall 2012 theme for St. Mark's. During midweek, the school's sixth-graders wore their shirts on a field trip to the St. Louis Symphony and Gus' Pretzels.

"National Lutheran Schools Week is a time set aside for parents, students, and teachers to intentionally look at the Lutheran school in which they are involved," said Deb Schmich, director of Lutheran Elementary School Association's (LESA) Educational Resources Division. "It is a time of appreciation of the education, the relationships and the spirituality that happen in a Lutheran school."

The theme of this year’s celebration was “Securing Each Child's Future-Equipped,” based on 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

, which is located at 500 Meramec Blvd. in Eureka, is a member of the St. Louis-based LESA group.

More than 236,000 children attend 2,245 Lutheran schools and early childhood centers in the United States, according to Brenda Madden Kimberlin, LESA media coordinator. Seven LESA schools rank among the largest Lutheran schools in the country, she stated.