Cover by Braden
Chef Mike and Mr. Rahm By: Shelby Chef Mike and Mr. Rahm were both great men who worked at our school. Even though God has called them to Him, they still live on in our memories. They were both kind and showed Christ’s love to everyone in their lives. Abiding Savior was extremely lucky to have such wonderful men who did such wonderful things. Chef Mike always loved to cook. Before he worked at ASLS he was a chef at Cardwell’s. He decided he wanted to become the chef at our school so he could help improve the lunch program. Every day around eleven o’clock students could smell his delicious food all over the school. Everyone loved his food almost as much as he loved to cook it. He was a strong believer and inspired people no matter how hard life was. He helped out with many things and was a role model for many people. Some of his most popular meals included grilled cheese, fettuccini alfredo, toasted ravioli, and spaghetti tacos. We were very grateful to have such an amazing cook. Mr. Rahm was the gym teacher here at ASLS. Before he got this job he was a swimming coach and a math teacher. After he retired, he decided he wanted to teach gym at our school. He was a nice funloving man, and he brought the sport of cup stacking to our school. He loved working with
all of the children and teaching them how to play many fun games. One of his granddaughters attended preschool here. He was a wonderful teacher and he touched the lives of many of his students. Mrs Montgomery told me some other things that these men did. “Chef Mike would sometimes wear his army hat while cooking… He was once on the front cover of the The St. Louis PostDispatch and on Newschannel 5 KSDK.” She also said, “Mr. Rahm traveled to Europe many times because one of his daughters lives in Germany.” These men both gave so much to our school and we will always remember them for all of the kind things they did.
Former Teachers By: Kara Abiding Savior has had many teachers come and go. Abiding Savior has been running since 1984, and there’s been lots of teachers here over that time. Some moved to a new state after they left, some went to new schools, and some retire after they leave. Ms. Halter was a 3rd grade teacher here at ASLS. She taught here for 23 years, she taught 3rd grade for 21 years and 1st3rd grade science and 4th8th grade art for her last 2 years here. When Ms. Halter was first here the school was known as Washington Lutheran School. It was down the street from where ASLS is now. Ms. Halter currently teaches in Bismarck, North Dakota. Mrs. Halter said, “ When I first came to ASLS, it was called WLS and we were located down the street in an older building that is no longer there. Then later the new school was built. We made time capsules to bury on the new school grounds. We all celebrated the new building with central air!” Mrs. Haake was another teacher at Abiding Savior. She taught for 29 years here as a first grade teacher and a volunteer aid. She still comes to church at ASLS and is in touch with former students she taught. She worked at the school the year it opened in 1984 at WLS and she stayed when the school moved. Another former teacher at Abiding Savior is Mrs. Hankemeir. She was a 4th grade teacher here for 5 years. She was in charge of the After School Program (CIA), and was married at the church here in July of 2007. She moved so her husband could
work at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Giddings, Texas. She is still in contact with some of her old students on Facebook. She said, “ The biggest change for the school since I left has been new staff added and several teachers changed the grade level that they taught while I was there.”
ASLS Sports Through the Years By: Tyler Abiding Savior is having its 30th anniversary this year. ASLS has had lots of sports through the years. They have soccer, basketball, quiz bowl, volleyball, track, and crosscountry. ASLS has very good teams in everything. There has been many coaches for every team and they have given lots of great information about the sports through the years. I would like to thank Mr.Schaefer, Parker VanNest, Mrs.Blevins, and Mrs. Beining for giving me this information. The soccer, basketball, and volleyball teams have an A team and a B team. A team is 7th and 8th grade and B team is 5th and 6th grade. Quiz bowl is 6th through 8th grade. Track is 4th through 8th grade. Crosscountry is Kindergarten8th grade. In 2010, ASLS had a great basketball team. There team was so good that they won the state championship. They beat all the Lutheran school’s basketball teams. The coaches were Roy Arthur and Mike Kistner. Mr.Schaefer said “The players were Parker VanNest, Aaron Hohenstein, Avery Hohenstein, Brandon Downey, Austin Kistner, Noah Harnacke, Austin Maise, Jacob Moore, Chris OltroggeAugusto, Matt Reinsel, Matt Reisner, and Austin Schutte.” In their final game, they beat St. Johns Ellisville. After they won the state championship, they went into a national tournament. A Wisconsin
team beat them 4236. After getting beaten by Wisconsin, they ended up getting 6th place overall and they won the consolation championship. After Wisconsin beat ASLS, they went on to win the national tournament. ASLS has a quiz bowl team. The team consists of 6th through 8th grade boys and girls. In the spring, the 2014 quiz bowl team won the state competition. That team consisted of the following students, Lucas, Lyle, Saffron, Alyssa, and Ben. To win the state championship, ASLS competed and won against Immanuel St Charles, St Paul Des Peres and Saint Paul Jackson. ASLS did play in a city tournament prior to advancing to state and received first in the consolation bracket. ASLS has a soccer team. The soccer team has always been good, but has never won a state championship. ASLS has a volleyball team that hasn’t won the state championship either, but they made it to the the state tournament for the first time ever in the fall of 2014. The players were: Peyton, Natalie, Elena, Kaity, Maddy, Trinity, Stephanie, Mikayla, and Olivia. During the state tournament, they lost to CCLS. It was their only loss of the entire tournament, but the loss took away their chances for 1st place. They still got to play in a game versus Green Park and they won to get 3rd place. ASLS has also had many track and crosscountry teams. Every year some runners make state and some even made nationals. ASLS has always had great teams and even if they don’t make it to state, they always are great competitors.
The 30th Anniversary of Abiding Savior By:Kyle There have been 29 other anniversaries but this is the 30th anniversary of Abiding Savior (ASLS). Mrs. Robertson is our secretary and was involved in the 30th anniversary planning committee. Others that helped plan and decorate were Mr. and Mrs. Miller. Mrs. Miller had a cake idea as a surprise for Pastor McBurney. Mrs. Robertson had the same idea but for the students. So they combined their ideas and put the cake in the lobby. The cake was made by Mr. Miller, a graphic artist. Decorations were limited because motion detectors can be set off by things hanging from the ceiling. They are celebrating the 30th anniversary the whole year and are using this as an opportunity to promote their mission to people that may not know about them. They haven’t officially named a theme, but in the Bible “The 30th year signifies the beginning of ministry for many important people including John the Baptist and Jesus” says Mrs. Robertson. Because of this she thinks that this signifies that they’re just getting started.
Church and School Connection By: Braden Abiding Savior is having their big 30th anniversary this year! There are many connections between the church and school at Abiding Savior Lutheran School and Church (ASLS). The church and school work together and are alike in many ways. The first year of ASLS was in 1983 when they purchased Washington Lutheran. The first worship service was held by Rev. Ed Lang. In the fall of 1984 Washington Lutheran had their first school class. The principal was Joe Bordeaux. The first pastor was Perry Kopatz. June 27th, 1985 was a big day for ASLS because they were officially received as a member of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. In 1992 the church and school moved to Abiding Savior Lutheran School where it is now held. In August of 1998 ASLS purchased 5.5 acres of land. From 19942000 Abiding Savior gained 400 new people to come and worship. In October of 2000 construction began in the family worship and Family Life Center. In August of 2007 Pastor David McBurney came to ASLS. He became an associate pastor in 2008.
The church changed the Saturday night service to a Wednesday night service so
people have an easier chance of going to worship because people usually are busy on the weekends. Some church workers are also involved in helping the school like in helping students with homework and just saying hi in the hall. Shawn Hecksel says that “Helping the 7th and 8th graders in confirmation is a big role from the pastors to students”. This is how the church and school have been connected since 1984.
The Mentzels By: Seth Abiding Savior is celebrating their 30th anniversary and the Mentzels have been there from the start. Mr. and Mrs. Mentzel were 2 of the 54 who started Washington Lutheran School ( now Abiding Savior Lutheran School). He served on the school board and when asked, he accepted the job of maintenance manager. He joined a group of guys called “The Monday Morning Guys”, They made improvements to the school. Now all of the other “Monday Morning Guys” have died. He is the only one remaining. Now he has a group of 3 that help him. Mr. Mentzel says that “I am the last original member.” They found a Baptist church for sale. Him and others bought the property which is now the stronghold and offices. The congregation got too big for the building, so they built a new sanctuary and school building. He says that he likes working on the school so the school will last another 30 years.
ASLS Alumni By: Abbie Many students have come and gone at Abiding Savior (ASLS). The students had ups and downs. Some students have been through many strange events. They had many fantastic years at ASLS. The former ASLS students had some funny times. They made a musical to help train the seventh graders to do carline, planned a big April Fools prank that backfired, broke a sink, and even got a concussion in the bathroom. Eighth grade pranks were some of the funniest days of school. There were sticky notes, balloons, rearranged desks, even live goldfish pools! They also learned some lessons, like how to write papers, the homework load, be respectful, be yourself, how fun learning could be, and how to connect faith to everyday life. “I learned many basic but essential things. Respect is one thing that stands out”, says a 2012 graduate. Most of the alumni still keep in touch via Facebook and Twitter. Most of them go to the same high school. Even though they have left, we will always remember every one of them.
Comparing WLS and ASL By: Jake What are some of the things that happened back at Washington Lutheran School (WLS)? What may or may not have happened? Did they wear uniforms? No they did not. At that time they didn’t have iPads or Chromebooks. They did have chalkboards and old dinosaur computers. They also had the same amount of students as WLS as we have now. Maybe even a couple less. We did have a computer lab when the our current Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Clements taught 2nd grade at at WLS. They even had a series of parties; Valentines, Christmas, and Fall. WLS even had something we didn’t have, a parade through the neighborhoods. They supported National Lutheran Schools Week and had a Christmas program for all the kids. The teachers there were also Christian and made prayer a very important, much like today. “The old building had much character.” said Mrs. Clements. Her classroom at WLS was about the same size as the other one here at ASLS. The Washington Lutheran building will be missed. However, the history remains; Even though the future has whisked us away to a time of ipads and hightech chromebooks, WLS will long be remembered. What will the History of ASLS be? We might have busses that fly or giant rooms for the students and teachers to lounge in! And best of all, a solar powered rickshaw runner robot! Big thanks to Mrs. Clements for providing all of the information for this article.
The Future of Abiding Savior By: Jakob The future of Abiding Savior Lutheran School (ASLS) depends on our money and what we will do with that money. Mr.Klug and Mr.Bieshir gave me pretty good answers and comments on what might happen .Mr. Bieshir also said "Our school might have an outdoor classroom." The future of ASLS is not going to change much but some things will be changed and improved to help our school and church. I’m really excited on the future. The future of ASLS will be bright and might be different like an outdoor classroom. The school might have some changes to make our school better and improve it. Our school will face different challenges and problems at our school but we know that God will help us he will try to get us to tis to improve our learning and and way of teaching the students. he right stage to get us going again. We will strengthen our school with the help of all the parents of the students. Our school doesn’t need a lot of changes but if we do it is to help us teach us better and to help the students of ASLS learn in a better and improved
way .
The Big Move By: Jacob The big move from Washington to Abiding Savior Lutheran School happened in 2004 and was hard work and it took a lot of people. They moved because the old building needed to be updated and the repairs were going to be expensive. Washington then moved to the Abiding Savior campus because they had the room and wanted a school to move into their building. “The move was crazy and exciting!” Mrs. Robertson said. They put many things in storage, and had a huge sale for stuff they weren't going to keep. They had a big celebration at the old school and were excited for the new school. Moving day was the hardest getting everything coordinated and having enough people to help. It took lots of people to do it, everybody helped, moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, students, and little brothers and sisters all helped to get the things and design the building. Moving out of the building took a day or two and moving in took one day, lots of people were helping, overall, it probably took a year or two to completely move in.
Abiding Savior Principals By: Carson Abiding Savior (ASLS) is having a huge thirtieth anniversary. Seven principals have served ASLS over the years. Dr.Joseph Bordeaux was the first principal. All of our school’s principals were awesome and helped make our school a better place to learn. Now our principal is Mr. Zachary Klug. Principals have come and go a lot since 1984 but their love for our will never change our school will never change. Zack Klug, Joe Bordeaux Laura Montgomery, Betty Poore, Warren Frank, Doreen, Heinemann, and Warren Paul have all be a great help to our school and church.
Dr. Bordeaux was not just a principal he was a teacher. He taught for the first 6 years at ASLS. His first year he taught three grades: 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade. He also taught 6th and 7th grade one year, and 7th and 8th grade another year. He coached the girls basketball team and was principal for seven years from 1984 to 1991. He also returned to the school in 1992 to 2002. Dr. Bordeaux said he really loved being principal he thought it was a good opportunity to get to know students and teachers better. Dr. Bordeaux came back for the 20132014 year as an interim principal. Dr. Bordeaux says ‘’ I believe that ASLS has a great set of teachers and students and that God has helped this school grow.’’
Dr. Bordeaux and Mrs. Bordeaux came to STL in 1984 when they were asked to help and teach at the school. He is now retired and is not a principal, he loves to spend a lot of time with is grandchildren. Dr. Bordeaux will always be one of the best principals in ASLS history. Dr. Bordeaux’s last year being principal was in 20132014 at ASLS because he was asked to be an interim because we couldn’t find a permanent principal then.
Abiding Savior ECM By:Ben Abiding Savior is having their 30th anniversary and so is its Early Childhood Ministry (ECM). Abiding Savior’s early childhood program is amazing and helps all kids learn early in life. This program helps find all talents in kids. I did not go to ECM here but I would have loved it. It would have been fun to know my friends before kindergarten. I would like to thank Mrs.Gruenwald for helping with this project. Abiding Savior’s ECM has so many wonderful people working together. This is not just waiting for “real school”, they put so much effort to fix times for the families so the kids can learn. Teachers and the kids in these three classes learn so many new things in a year. They serve 25 year olds in 3 grade levels: Children's Day Out, Preschool, and PreKindergarten. Young children learn best by "doing" so we have many handson activities throughout the day. They explore, create, and discover. All ages have Group Times when they have stories, songs, show & tell,group discussions, etc. Center Time involves creative art and skill building. Developing skills like writing doesn't happen quickly so they help build up the fine motor coordination, and small muscles strength throughout the years. Thier Jesus time is an important part of everyday. Mrs. Clements served as a Preschool teacher for many years. Mrs. Aho and Mrs. Schmid were in Children's Day Out classes for a short while. Dr. Bordeaux's wife started the Early Childhood program 30 years ago and taught here for 18 years. Her and Mrs.Gruenwald
have been the only Directors. Mrs.Gruenwald said the biggest change for them is probably the use of technology. They have Smartboards in 3 rooms, individual, computers or laptops, and they sometimes borrow the IPADS. ” Many of the families there do not have church homes so they are happy to get to share the joy of Jesus with every child, no matter how small.”Mrs.Gruenwald.
Current Teachers By:Olivia We know them as our teachers, but sometimes we want to know more about them. In the 30 years, there have been many teachers that have taught Abiding Savior students. So right now at ASLS we have some teachers who have been here for a long time and we have had some other teachers who are new. Mr. Schaefer has been here the least amount of time, she has been teaching at ASLS for 4 years. The teacher who taught here at ASLS the longest is... Mrs. Mezinis. She have been here ever since this school opened. One teacher who has been here a long time is Mrs. Clements. Right now she teaches kindergarten. She has been with us for 16 years and she loves teaching, reading the most, especially cooking. she has two kids who go to this school, Benjamin and Emily. She is the Oasis Coordinator for ASLS. She just loves to spend time with her kids which is in my opinion sweet. She didn’t have smartboards when she started teaching or iPads to use for work. Now she uses them a lot more than she did back then and she used to have only one computer in her classroom. “I love these servant
hearts” said from Mrs. Clements.
30 Years of Special Occasions By: Megan Abiding Savior is having it’s 30th anniversary. Abiding Savior has had many special occasions. Some include Santa’s Workshop, Father Daughter Dance, Lutheran Schools Week, Journey to the Cross, and the 8th Grade Prank . All these occasions were for the funness, funniness, and for the memories they have when they do these things. Some specifics for the Father Daughter Dance is Frozen, Candyland, Under the Sea, and Enchanted Forest.
The Father Daughter Dance is a time for dad’s and daughter’s to just hand out a have quality time with each other. Mrs. Beishir and Mrs.Willingham were responsible for the Father Daughter Dance. here will be another Father Daughter Dance this year. Its theme is cowboy themed. Some other 30th anniversaries is the future of ASLS, ASLS sports, and ASLS alumni. Thanks to Mrs. Beishir for giving me most of this information. I really appreciate it. Thank you!
Technology Over the Years By: Jackson Technology is growing and advancing, and Abiding Savior (ASLS) tries to keep up so the students can learn better. Mr. Reinsel helps ASLS keep up with the times. ASLS is turning 30 years old this year, and it’s technology has changed a lot. The school has IPads, Chromebooks, and more. “The computer lab at ASLS started at the Washington Lutheran School building in 1999, which was able to happen because of the parent volunteers led by Mr. and Mrs. Waldo. That summer it was in a dedicated classroom much like it is today. Every computer was the same, with 64GB of memory, a 4GB hard drive, an AMD CPU, and a 14” CRT monitor.” Chromebooks and IPads are the two main devices used at ASLS. The school also has it’s own wifi and internet. Another good thing is that there is a rule stating that it is OK to bring a personal device from home. Meaning that if all the devices are being used, that personal device can be used. BUT it has to be for school uses only whether it is in the morning, or during car line. THE END
30th Cake By:Julia Abiding Savior Lutheran School has been around 30 years. One way we are celebrating is by making a cake. It was made by a very talented man named Mr. Miller. He put this cake together very carefully so it wouldn't break. “The cake down stairs was made out of cardboard,” Mr. Miller said . The words on it say TO KNOW CHRIST TO MAKE HIM KNOWN. It also has ASL 30 on it. That shows that we have been around for thirty years. The ASLS cake took 3 weeks to build. He worked on 2 ½ hours per day but that’s still a lot. In the three weeks it took 52 and a half 52.5 total hours. He got the materials from Hobby Lobby and craft stores. Thats cool!! “The cake is not heavy but you have to carry it carefully,” Mr.Miller said.
30 Years to Celebrate Alumni at ASLS By: Peyton There have been many students that have gone to Abiding Savior Lutheran School (ASLS) and graduated from the eighth grade. These students are now called alumni. An alumni is a graduate or a former student of a certain school. Often times an alumni student will come back to visit and say hello to their favorite teachers that they had while they attended school! The alumni of ASLS have many funny moments. One of their funniest moments were when they did a car line video to teach 7th grade how to do car line. They have had many field trips. The Chicago trip was one of them, and they were in 8th grade when they went to Chicago. Their favorite was the Chicago trip. Almost everyone remembers the formal teachers right now, also some old teachers that have either left ASLS or have retired. The alumni students have learned many things over the years that they went to ASLS. Some of them are, to listen and try your hardest, to not get in trouble and just be yourself and never ever change. Many of the alumni have played sports at ASLS. Some favorite sports were soccer, volleyball, basketball, and track. Volleyball was very popular.
The alumni high schoolers say that they have better study habits, organization habits, and are used to the homework amounts. Many alumni have graduated from a variety of years. The alumni students variety of their favorite subject was science, and english. An alumni responded, “That you should be yourself. You don’t want people remembering you for someone you aren’t.”
Life Back in 1984 By:Caleb Abiding Savior is having a 30th anniversary, which means it started in 1984. Lots of things happened in 1984 and cool new styles. Clothing was an interesting part of culture in 1984. Some trends were parachute pants and capezio jazz shoes. In the summer neon shirts, pants, and graphic print clothes were a must have. White blazers and pants were a popular men’s fashion. Many big sporting events happened in the 80’s. Ross, a teacher in New Jersey, said that the Celtics beating the Lakers was a big deal. In the year 1982 the Cardinals won the World Series. Some stars on that team were Ozzie Smith and Keith Hernandez.In the Olympics, some standouts were Carl Lewis and Mary Lou Retton. Movies were popular in the 80’s. A good list of movies is: A Never Ending Story, Gremlins, Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones, Terminator, and Beverly Hills Cop. Television provided entertainment as well. The Bill Cosby show was just getting popular. Some other good TV shows were Miami Vice, Family Ties, Airwolf, Night Rider, Silver Spoons, and Different Strokes.