Student Life
Student life, Friendship, teamwork and gaining new social experiences and interactions are an important part of Grace Lutheran School. Our students become very close as they progress through their daily academic life. By offering Athletics, Extra Curricular Activities and PSIA Competitions, we feel our students will experience a fun and rewarding student life at Grace Lutheran School.
FLAG FOOTBALL
Grace Lutheran Mustang's Flag Football Team is open for students starting in the 3rd Grade. Depending on the team size, we offer a Junior Varsity and Varsity Team. Football players learn life lessons of teamwork and practice. They apply these lessons on the gameday field as well as in school.
VOLLEYBALL
Volleyball season typically coincides with the flag football schedule and consists of an all-girl team of GLS students from 3rd through 8th grade. It’s a competitive, fun atmosphere in which players learn volleyball fundamentals to compete against fellow Christian athletes. Practices and games are typically each once a week.
BASKETBALL
Basketball season begins in the Spring. Boys and girls are allowed to participate, and teams usually consist of a junior and varsity squad. Students learn basketball skills in practices once a week and compete within our fellowship of Christian schools. It’s another competitive, fun time for GLS athletes to participate in a serious sports program maintaining our Christian confession in our actions before God and man.
SPIRIT SQUAD
All of our K-5 girls take part in the GLS Spirit Squad, which consists of the Juniors (K-2) and Seniors (3-5). During their P.E. time once a week, these girls take classes that focus on learning rhythmic chants, basic dance steps, and team building. The Spirit Squad often cheers and dances during home volleyball, flag football, and basketball games. In addition to sporting events, they learn Christmas routines to perform during the school’s Christmas tour around town and dance routines for the school’s Springtime Showcase.
PRIVATE SCHOOL
INTERSCHOLASTIC ASSOCIATION
PSIA (Private Schools Interscholastic Association) is a yearly academic achievement competition for grades 1 through 8 offered to private, parochial, and homeschools throughout Texas. Events include contests in the areas of Language Arts, Social Studies, Technology, and Fine Arts. In 2022 Grace reached a milestone by having three participants earn 4 medals at the State level.
GRACE AT CHRISTMAS
Grace at Christmas is a service written specifically for the students at Grace Lutheran School that focuses on the anticipation and the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All of the students in the school join together to present the Christmas story through Holy Scripture, music, and Nativity scene. From listening to our youngest students sing about Jesus’ love for us to the GLS Handbell Ensemble accompanying moving melodies that foretell the Savior’s birth, this Christmas service is a cherished tradition for many families in our community.
SPRINGTIME SHOWCASE
Grace Lutheran School’s Springtime Showcase is a culmination of the student body’s Performing Arts studies throughout the year. The program features a wide variety of music, several of the pieces oftentimes written and/or arranged specifically for the students at Grace Lutheran School. The Preschool and K-2 students sing songs of the faith and our Spirit Squad performs their dance routines. All of the chime ensembles play timeless hymns and the GLS Handbell Ensemble performs a few of their selections from the year. The percussion ensembles present their fun-filled pieces with Pastor Ogrodowicz (a former professional musician) on drums.
K-2 CHOIR
The K-2 students meet altogether for music once a week. This class concentrates on music fundamentals, pitch matching, rhythm reading, and musical games. The students also learn several songs and hymns which they sing throughout the year at various events oftentimes accompanied by one of our other ensembles.
HANDBELL ENSEMBLE
The GLS Handbell Ensemble is an auditioned group of musicians from the 5-8 grades. These students learn various handbell techniques as they delve into various genres of handbell repertoire. The GLS Handbell Ensemble plays during Grace at Christmas, the Springtime Showcase, as well as during select Chapel and Divine Services throughout the year.
CHIME ENSEMBLE
Students at Grace Lutheran School begin playing melody bells in Kindergarten as they learn about chords and steady beats. Beginning in 1st grade, all students are a part of a chime ensemble. Each student is responsible for 1-4 chimes as they learn to read music rhythms. The chime ensembles are a great way for the students to learn to work together to produce beautiful music.
NASP ARCHERY
Grace Lutheran School implemented an archery program in 2023 through the The National Archery in the Schools Program. This program promotes instruction in international-style target archery as part of in-school curriculum, to improve educational performance and participation in the shooting sports among students in grades 4-12. (NASP Website)
PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
At Grace Lutheran School, students begin learning how to play keyboard percussion instruments in the 1st grade. Mallet technique, steady beat, and listening skills are taught during their music classes. GLS has 5 percussion ensembles that learn several music pieces throughout the year ranging from Christmas hymns to African marimba music to excerpts of classic rock. While the music learned in the fall is more reverent in nature, the spring music is an eclectic mix of genres.
