Band
Martin Luther High School provides a licensed music instructor to deliver instrumental lessons and conduct band. Mr. Phil Schult gives individual lessons once a week to students. Students are encouraged to find opportunities to perform. A mass band concert is given in the spring. The band is comprised of Mr. Schult’s students from area Lutheran elementary schools.
A Fine Arts Festival is held each spring. Instrumental music students perform individually and as ensembles.
Choir
All children in grades K-8 participate in choir. Practices are held after chapel service. Children are encouraged to use their voices for praise, worship, and enjoyment regardless of ability. All children take part in the school Advent service, and our school musical.
Other singing opportunities include Sunday morning services at St. James and Zion churches. All students are encouraged to attend and sing at the regional Lutheran schools Fine Arts Festival held at Martin Luther High School in the spring.
Hand Chimes
A hand chime choir is offered at various times during the school year. Selections are presented at the school Advent service, at area assisted living facilities, the regional Lutheran elementary schools Fine Arts Festival, and Lutheran Schools’ Week services.
Fine Arts Festival
The Fine Arts Festival allows students to showcase their talents in vocal and instrumental performance, piano, and dramatic reading. Students receive judges’ critiques and ribbons. Every child at every grade also has a visual art project of his choice on display. Participation ribbons are given to the youngest artist, while the visual art projects of the older students are judged.
Creative writing prose and poetry are collected by classroom teachers in February and submitted for judging before the festival. The student pieces and their ribbons are on display during the festival.
Weeks of student work culminates in science projects in engineering and the scientific method. These are set up and judged the night before the festival. Parents and students may browse these displays in the Science Fair Project classrooms while awaiting the concert.
The culmination of the Fine Arts Festival are the choir concerts by the various participating schools.
Sports
St. James strives to provide opportunities for our students to engage in team sports.We provide a season of play, dependent on the level of commitment that we have from students. We offer volleyball, soccer, basketball, softball. Each year we host the Martin County Lutheran Invitational basketball tournament.
Our junior high students are eligible to practice and play at the Minnesota Sports High School League level at Martin Luther High School (MLHS) through a participation agreement we have with MLHS.
Chess
Chess is becoming a popular student activity in the area. Children are taught the basics during school. Tournaments are hosted periodically at area Lutheran schools. Students may choose to participate.
Service
Chapel offerings are designated to a project to help others. We go on a virtual Mission trip during National Lutheran Schools Week in January.
Children participate in a variety of service projects throughout the year. St. James Lutheran School believes that each child needs guidance in developing their understanding of stewardship and service. Often we see financial charity modeled in offerings and encourage for charitable donations, but a true understanding of stewardship includes using and sharing our talents and our time to not only nourish us and our families, but also care for the “least of our bretherans” as Christ has encouraged us.
