CUNE houses Seward’s only Christian, classical high school

Trinity Academy is located on the north side of campus, near Link Library and the Borland Center for Music and Theatre.

Photo credit: Natalie Guske

By Natalie Guske

This article is featured in the November print edition of the Sower newspaper. 

Trinity Academy at Concordia University, Nebraska, is in its third year and, as the only Christian high school in Seward, it draws students from a variety of educational backgrounds, including other higher schools and home learning environments.

An institute of Concordia University, Trinity offers a classical, Christ-centered education that founder and Concordia professor of English Dr. Gabriel Haley said tries to deliver “a college preparatory education.”

“We’re right here on campus and we have professors involved teaching individual classes [aside from] our full-time lead teacher, Mr. Andrew Bloch,” Haley said.

Bloch teaches theology, history, Latin, physics, algebra and pre-calculus. Members of Concordia’s faculty teach additional classes. Dr. Kurt von Kampen, chair of Concordia’s Music Department, this year is starting a choir for Trinity students, and Dr. Elizabeth Grimpo, also in the Music Department, is teaching music appreciation.

“It’s just a really neat experience for a small school [like Trinity], to have the resources of Concordia, [and it’s something we’re] very excited about,” Haley said.

The exact definition of a “classical education” can vary depending on the school, but Haley described it as teaching a traditional curriculum with an emphasis on content knowledge and learning so that students learn to “love the things that are truly worth loving and learn to understand the foundations of things.”

He said classical education includes foundational learning and requires “a particular disposition that pursues what is good, true and beautiful in education.”

Theology is an important part of the curriculum. Bloch has a master’s degree from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and is working on his doctorate.

“[My favorite class is] theology because Mr. Bloch is really good at explaining the Bible, which has helped me understand it more and helped to grow my faith more too,” said senior Lovelyn Whittington. “Since at Trinity we’re not all LCMS [Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod] we learn from our differences [in] beliefs and [learn to] understand what they mean.”

Junior Vesper Haley, Dr. Haley’s daughter, said while homeschooling was nice, she is very social, so she was excited to be with friends each day.

“I just love what we learn here,” she said. “In a way, it’s kind of similar to the foundation that I had from homeschooling [and so] it’s been really nice [to] build on that.”

With 16 students, Trinity’s enrollment has increased from its inaugural class of four students and has a goal of 40 students.

“We would love to be [increasingly] recognized as the Lutheran High School in the area, and so we do have this plan of [growing] to a school of 40,” Haley said. “That’s kind of our goal in sight, which would include new hires.”

The plan includes continuing to bring in professors for single classes in addition to Bloch, but Haley said another full-time teacher would be added as enrollment increases.

Trinity Academy has a unique role as an institute of Concordia. Deb Jurchen, who graduated from Concordia in 2006 and is the new director of university institutes, said the academy is meant to “provide outreach service and educational efforts that align and advance the university’s mission and vision” as well as “serving as a resource to the church at large.”

“With Trinity Academy, we’re engaging audiences beyond our campus through and providing a Lutheran education to these high school students in a micro-school format, something that is not in Seward County right now,” Jurchen said.

Trinity offers an environment that allows students to grow academically and spiritually to help them prepare for college and beyond.

“Coming from a non-Christian school to a Christian school has definitely strengthened my faith a lot,” said senior Naomi Jones. “I have a much better relationship with God now and a much better understanding of the Bible.”