 There's a moment every science teacher lives for — when a student stops doing an experiment for a grade and starts doing it because they can't not know the answer. At LHSSA, that moment has a way of becoming a legacy. This summer, we got to see it stretch across four remarkable young women: Mia, Lexi, Sierra, and Mollie. Mia was one of the first LHSSA students to make our science fair program something to watch. That early curiosity carried on to her college career. Now continuing her research at Trinity University, Mia recently presented at the Trinity Summer Research Symposium, and by every account, she crushed it. Her research examined clinical wound wash and its effects on cell proliferation — the kind of work that sits right at the intersection of rigorous science and real human healing. It's hard to overstate what it means to watch a student go from a science fair table in our own halls to a research symposium podium. Mia didn't just learn science at LHS, she learned to think like a scientist, and she's been building on that foundation ever since.  Between Mia and the next generation stand two more Voelcker Fellows who've kept the momentum going. Sierra, heading into her junior year at LHSSA, is currently deep in her Voelcker research this very summer — putting in the lab hours that will one day be somebody else's "remember when" story. Lexi just wrapped up her time at LHSSA and is headed to UTSA this fall on a full-ride scholarship from the Terry Foundation. From Voelcker research to a fully-funded college launchpad, Lexi's trajectory is exactly the kind of impact we pray for over every student who walks through our science labs. And now the torch passes again. Mollie, our newest Voelcker Fellow, just finished her freshman year at LHSSA — and she's already presenting research posters most upperclassmen would find intimidating. Mollie shared her poster on the research she'll begin next summer: working alongside her mentor to study prostate cancer, specifically how to determine whether a cancer has a high likelihood of recurrence, and what can be done to prevent it. Think about that for a second. A freshman, planning cancer research a full year out, with a level of clarity and purpose that would be impressive at any age. Mia, Lexi, Sierra, and Mollie aren't an anomaly — they're evidence of what happens when serious science education is paired with mentors who believe students are capable of more than they think. Mrs. Rikard and Mr. Schuetze have poured years into building a science program at LHSSA that doesn't just teach content; it forms scientists — and more than that, it forms young men and women who see their gifts as something to steward for the good of others. These students are pursuing excellence not for the trophy or the transcript line, but because they've caught a vision of what it looks like to use their minds well — to the glory of Jesus Christ and for the good of their neighbors, whether that neighbor is a wound-care patient or a family facing a cancer diagnosis.
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 As our campus gears up to welcome students back for another year, one sign of that preparation isn't in a classroom — it's in the garage. This summer, our Classic Car Restoration Innovation Lab said goodbye to the 1967 Pontiac LeMans that students have spent the past year bringing back to life. In its place, we're welcoming something even older: the parts and pieces of a 1930 Model A Panel Truck, which will become the next restoration project for our students this year. What is Innovation Lab?Innovation Lab is one of the things that makes an LHS education distinct. It's a hands-on elective period built into the school day, giving students real-world, project-based experience outside the traditional classroom setting. And the range of what that looks like is part of what makes it special. On any given day, Innovation Lab might mean a student designing custom projects on a Cricut, programming a robotics build, working with their hands in woodshop, or training their body in the weight room. It might mean heading just up the road to The Bee Hive, a senior living community near campus, where students spend time in fellowship with residents — building relationships across generations. And for a group of our students, it means grease-stained hands and a torque wrench, learning the craft of classic car restoration from the ground up. Living Out the Portrait of a Graduate Innovation Lab isn't just about the skills students walk away with — it's about the character being built along the way. Our Portrait of a Graduate calls students toward our six pillars: Integrity, Love, Respect, Involved, Servant Heart, and Perseverance. Innovation Lab puts all six on display. A student sitting with a resident at The Bee Hive is exercising their Servant Heart and showing Love for someone simply because they're valued, not because it's required. A student getting Involved in something as unconventional as classic car restoration is stepping outside their comfort zone to try, build, and contribute. And a restoration project that stretches across an entire school year — full of stripped bolts, stubborn parts, and slow progress — is a daily lesson in Perseverance, echoing 1 Corinthians 16:13–14: "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love." The Model A won't be finished quickly. But that's exactly the point — some of the best character is built in projects and years that take time. Why a Model A? The Classic Car Restoration program has become one of the most hands-on examples of what Innovation Lab is all about. Students don't just learn to change oil or swap parts — they learn patience, problem-solving, and craftsmanship on a project that takes an entire school year (or more) to complete. They learn to work through frustration when a part doesn't fit, to celebrate small wins, and to take pride in a finished product built with their own hands. The 1930 Model A Panel Truck will be this year's canvas for those lessons. It's older, rarer, and — like most great restoration projects — will need plenty of work before it turns heads. We can't wait to see what this year's students do with it, and how it shapes them along the way.  Last week, seven members of the Lutheran High School of San Antonio faculty attended the Herzog Institute's Academics and Student Success training — and they returned with more than notes and handouts. They came back with clarity, fellowship, and a renewed vision for what's ahead in 2026-27. At the center of everything we do at LHSSA is a simple but powerful mission: to nurture faith and pursue excellence, so that our students have a firm foundation of faith, character, and knowledge on which to lead lives of impact to the glory of Jesus Christ. It's the kind of statement that's easy to print on a letterhead. The harder — and far more important — work is making sure it actually shapes what happens in every classroom, every lesson plan, and every decision a teacher makes during the course of a school year. Redefining Success Rather than measuring success primarily through grades, test scores, or college admissions, the training pushed our faculty to ask a deeper question: What does it actually mean for an LHS student to succeed? Not succeed by the world's metrics alone, but succeed in a way that reflects who God created them to be. That question led our team toward a philosophy of education as formation — the idea that our job isn't simply to deliver information, but to help students realize they are unique children of God, with gifts and a calling all their own. Beginning with the End in Mind A central idea from the training was this: if you want to know how to teach, you first have to know who you're trying to form. Before you can build a curriculum, plan a lesson, or design an assessment, you have to know what you're aiming for. So our team did exactly that. Together, they created the Portrait of an LHS Graduate — a clear picture of the young men and women LHSSA is committed to forming. It describes a graduate who:
 From Vision to Practice
With that portrait as a compass, our faculty were equipped to begin with the end in mind — asking at every turn: does this lesson, this assessment, this classroom practice actually move our students toward this picture of who we want them to become? The training emphasized authentic, student-centered learning and performance-based assessments that ask students to demonstrate real understanding and transferable skills, not just recall facts for a test. It also gave our team practical tools for asking the big questions that tie the daily work of teaching back to mission — questions our faculty will keep returning to throughout the year as they plan curriculum, design lessons, and disciple students in and out of the classroom. Fellowship That Fuels the Mission Beyond the frameworks and planning tools, this training was a gift of fellowship. Seven LHSSA educators spent focused time together, praying, dreaming, and wrestling with hard questions about what faithful Christian education looks like. That kind of shared vision doesn't happen by accident — it takes intentional time set apart, and our team is grateful for the chance to invest in it together. Looking Ahead to 2026-27 Our faculty return with more than a training certificate. They return with a shared language, a clarified mission, and a concrete tool — the Portrait of an LHS Graduate — that will shape how we teach, plan, and lead in the year ahead. We can't wait to see this vision come to life in our classrooms this fall. Please join us in praying for our faculty as they prepare for a school year rooted deeply in mission — one where every lesson points toward students with a firm foundation of faith, character, and knowledge, ready to lead lives of impact to the glory of Jesus Christ.Acad |
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