There aren't any teachers hired yet for classes at Saxony Lutheran High School, but Administrator Gerald Deardorff doesn't see that as a problem.

A lot of people waited to see how the school was developing and once definite plans were announced, interest grew, he said.

They "just waited to see if we were going to really exist or not," Deardorff said. He has received student inquiries and dozens of applications from people seeking teaching jobs.

The board of regents will meet next week to review the applications and select candidates for Deardorff to interview.

The number of teachers needed for the new high school will depend on student enrollment, but Deardorff is planning to fill five jobs. Early estimates expect 35 to 50 students to enroll the first year.

Deardorff said he expects students to enroll within the coming months. Classes will begin in August at St. Andrew Lutheran Church, which was chosen as a temporary site until a permanent building is constructed.

Parents waited to find out more about tuition costs and curriculum and "then at the final quarter and end of the school year, I suspect there will be several people that want to enroll," Deardorff said.

He plans to speak to seventh- and eighth-grade students in coming weeks to talk about the new high school. He will tell them about the classes and opportunities available at the first Lutheran High School in Southeast Missouri.

"They will get to a establish a whole new tradition for a school that is not yet in existence. That is an exciting thing. They can choose a school motto and colors and a mascot," Deardorff said. "They'll be in on the very first of everything."

Area Lutheran students will be busy with activities for National Lutheran Schools Week, which begins Sunday with a day of worship. The theme is "Shine like stars."

There are five Lutheran elementary schools in the region, and each will plan activities for the week.

Activities for the week at Trinity Lutheran School include joint chapel services with students from St. Paul Lutheran in Jackson and devotions before school each day.

Lutheran Schools Week is a means "to emphasize the opportunity we have to share the word and the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ with each other every day," said Bill Unzicker, principal at Trinity School. "You can get your reading, writing and arithmetic at any educational institution, but we are adding religion to all of that."

The school will conduct business as usual, allowing visitors to see how classrooms function and to let the students have fun, Unzicker said.

Sometimes schools do an excellent job of teaching children and providing them with a great education but don't always tell anyone about it. Lutheran Schools Week is their opportunity to say "parochial schools do an excellent job," Unzicker said.