Friday, January 16, Lutheran High School students had the opportunity to step into the world of medicine at the UT Health Science Center's Brain and Eye Day—a unique program designed to give high school students hands-on experience with real medical education.

LHS was selected as one of only a few schools invited to participate in this immersive program, hosted by medical students at the Long School of Medicine. Our students spent the morning at the UT Health Science Center campus on Floyd Curl, diving deep into neurology and ophthalmology through interactive learning experiences.

The program featured five specialized stations where students rotated throughout the morning:

• Eye Anatomy - Students dissected cow eyeballs, examining the intricate structures that allow us to see
• Brain Anatomy - Real cross-sections of human brains gave students an up-close look at this complex organ
• Eye Diseases - Learning about common conditions that affect vision and eye health
• Brain Diseases - Exploring neurological disorders and their impact on the body
• Mental Health - Understanding the connection between brain health and mental wellness

One of the highlights of the day was the chance to learn directly from current medical students who are on their own journey to becoming doctors. These medical students led the stations, sharing their knowledge and passion for medicine while giving our students a glimpse into what a career in healthcare might look like.

Programs like Brain and Eye Day do more than teach anatomy—they inspire. They show students that science isn't just something in a textbook; it's tangible, fascinating, and full of possibilities. Whether our students pursue medicine or not, today's experience increased their understanding of how our bodies work and the importance of maintaining brain and eye health throughout our lives.

We're grateful to UT Health Science Center and the Long School of Medicine for this incredible opportunity and for investing in the next generation of learners and leaders.

We are thrilled to announce that Lutheran High School of San Antonio has been recognized with Platinum recognition on the 2025 AP School Honor Roll – marking our third consecutive year earning this prestigious honor! This achievement reflects our unwavering commitment to pursuing excellence and our dedication to providing a firm foundation for student success in college and beyond.

What Does Platinum Recognition Mean?
The AP School Honor Roll recognizes schools that demonstrate exceptional commitment to expanding college-level opportunities for students. To earn Platinum status, schools must meet rigorous criteria across three key areas:
College Culture: At least 40% of graduating seniors must take at least one AP Exam during high school.
College Credit: At least 25% of graduating seniors must score 3 or higher on at least one AP Exam.
College Optimization: At least 2% of graduating seniors must take five or more AP Exams across their high school years, with at least one taken in 9th or 10th grade.

LHSSA's Outstanding Performance
Our Class of 2025 has exceeded expectations across all three categories:

• College Culture: 97% – Nearly all of our students engaged with AP coursework, far surpassing the Platinum threshold
• College Credit: 63% – Nearly two-thirds of our graduates earned college credit through AP Exam scores of 3 or higher
• College Optimization: 44% – An impressive portion of our students took five or more AP courses throughout their high school career

As we celebrate this achievement for the third year in a row,  we are proud of our students' dedication, our teachers' commitment to excellence, and our community's support in making Lutheran High School of San Antonio a place where students are challenged, supported, and prepared for their future.

Congratulations to the Class of 2025, and here's to continued success!

Last night, Lutheran High School of San Antonio's gymnasium transformed into a hub of scientific discovery as students presented their research projects at our annual internal Science Fair. In partnership with Shepherd of the Hills, we hosted an evening of innovation where freshmen and sophomores in honors biology and chemistry, alongside 8th graders, shared their scientific investigations with a distinguished panel of judges.

The event served as a crucial stepping stone for students aiming to advance their projects to the ARASE Junior Academy of Science local fair or the ARASE regional fair. From the regional fair, outstanding projects have the opportunity to compete at the prestigious Texas State Science and Engineering Fair hosted by Texas A&M University.

Science Fair exemplifies how our students live out LHS's mission to lead lives of impact in our community to the glory of Jesus Christ. Through their projects, students identified real-world problems, investigated potential solutions, designed rigorous experiments, and analyzed data to draw meaningful conclusions. This process develops critical thinking skills while encouraging students to use their God-given talents to serve others and advance human knowledge.

A dedicated panel of judges—comprising LHS teachers, parents, and alumni—evaluated each project using comprehensive criteria that assessed three key areas:
Foundation & Planning: examined whether students developed clear, testable research questions and appropriate methodologies with well-defined variables and controls.
Execution & Innovation: focused on the quality of data collection, the reproducibility of results, proper application of statistical methods, and the originality demonstrated in the research question or approach.
Presentation & Communication: evaluated both the visual clarity of posters and students' ability to articulate their scientific understanding, demonstrate independence in their work, recognize broader impacts, and envision future research directions.

Students were available at their poster stations from 6:00 to 8:30 PM, with each project evaluated by at least three judges who provided scores and constructive feedback to help refine projects for the next competition level.

The Science Fair represents months of dedication, curiosity, and hard work from our students. We are grateful to the judges who volunteered their time and expertise to mentor the next generation of scientists, and we look forward to seeing how our students' projects develop as they advance through regional and state competitions.
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Congratulations to all participants on their outstanding work, and a special thank you to Mrs. Rikard and Mr. Schuetze for all their work making this event possible!

Making an Impact Beyond Our Campus!
We're incredibly proud to share that students from Lutheran High School were invited by LCMS Youth Ministry to participate in a significant milestone for Lutheran youth across the nation: helping to shape the theme for the 2028 National Youth Gathering in San Antonio!

The LCMS Youth Gathering brings together tens of thousands of Lutheran youth from across the country every three years for worship, learning, and community. The theme selection process is a carefully considered, prayerful undertaking centered on God's Word and focused on communicating the Gospel of Jesus Christ and God's truth to the young people and adults who will attend.

LCMS Youth Ministry has a rich tradition of including the voices of high school students and young adults in this discernment process. Each theme selection meeting has been blessed by the presence and participation of young people who share their insights, faith perspectives, and understanding of what Gospel messages resonate most deeply with their generation.

On January 5-6, 2026, our LHS students joined youth ministry leaders, pastors, and other stakeholders for two intensive days of prayer, discussion, and collaborative planning. These students represented Lutheran High School with insight, wisdom, and grace as they contributed to finalizing the Gathering's theme.
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The meeting process was thoughtfully designed to draw on multiple sources of wisdom:

• Research data from the 2025 Lutheran Youth Poll, which surveyed over 1,200 youth at the most recent Gathering
• The "7 Practices of Healthy Youth Ministry" framework developed by LCMS Youth Ministry
• The "40 End Goals" that articulate what LCMS youth should know and personalize by high school graduation
• The lived experiences and spiritual insights of current high school students

Our students helped answer crucial questions: What Gospel messages do today's high schoolers need to hear most? What challenges are youth facing that the Church needs to address? How can the 2028 Gathering speak truth and hope into the lives of Lutheran teenagers?

These LHS students, graduates of Shepherd of the Hills and Concordia Lutheran, have done an outstanding job putting our mission into action: students making an impact in their community to the glory of Jesus Christ!

Their participation in this process demonstrates that Lutheran High students are not just being prepared for future leadership—they are leading right now. They are contributing their voices to shape how the Gospel will be proclaimed to tens of thousands of their peers in 2028.

We're deeply grateful for how all of our association churches—including Shepherd of the Hills and Concordia—are faithfully raising up the next generation of faith leaders. When our students are invited to participate at this level, it reflects the strong foundation of faith formation happening in our Lutheran schools and congregations.

The investment our churches make in youth ministry, confirmation instruction, Bible study, and discipleship is bearing fruit. Our students are prepared not only to articulate their faith but to think critically and theologically about how to communicate timeless Gospel truths to their generation.

The 2028 LCMS Youth Gathering will return to San Antonio, a city that has hosted several memorable Gatherings over the decades. As the theme is finalized and planning continues, we can be proud that Lutheran High students played a meaningful role in shaping this important event.

We look forward to seeing how God will use the 2028 Gathering to strengthen the faith of Lutheran youth, equip them for lives of service, and send them out as witnesses to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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Thank you to our students for representing LHS so well, and thank you to LCMS Youth Ministry for recognizing the valuable perspectives our young people bring to the Church!