Saxony Lutheran High School freshman Trey Maevers took special care getting ready for school Monday morning.

First came the blue hair gel, which he used to flattened hair on one side of his head. Then came the gold hair gel, which he used to make hair on the other side of his head stand up.

Maevers didn't look out of place among the other pink-, blue- and green-haired members of his class who began their celebration of National Lutheran Schools Week with Wacky Hair Day.

"It's a great way to recognize Lutheran schools," said the 14-year-old Maevers, who also painted his eyebrows blue and gold.

Local Lutheran schools have a variety of activities planned for the week, including a school spirit day, pizza parties, a pajama day, a grandparents' day and special lesson plans.

"It's not really about wacky hair and all that other stuff, it's about promoting Lutheran education," said Tom Keeney, principal at Saxony Lutheran.

St. Paul Lutheran School in Jackson kicked off its weeklong activities with a combined Hat Day and Thank-you Day.

"This week's events let people know we're here and that we're an alternative to public education," said St. Paul principal Alan Lipke. "We're the second-largest parochial school system in the country after Catholic schools, but most people don't know too much about Lutheran education."

The theme of this year's celebration is "Lutheran Education: Come Grow With Us." Lutheran officials say that's exactly what local Lutheran schools have been doing in recent years -- growing.

"When I first came to St. Paul in 1980, we had 180 students," said Lipke. "Now we have 314 students, and we've added a preschool and kindergarten program."

In 2000, St. Paul opened a new facility for kindergarten through fourth grades, and still maintains the old facility for fifth through eighth grades.

Cape Girardeau's Saxony Lutheran High School formed in 2000. According to Keeney, the school has grown from eight students the first year to 29 this year.

Classes are held in facilities donated by St. Andrews Lutheran Church on Cape Rock Road, but Keeney said the school has plans to build its own facilities in the near future.

"Education is very important to the Lutheran church," said Becky Wichern, math teacher at Saxony Lutheran. "This week is a celebration of the church's ability to provide education. The kids get very excited, it's a chance for them to be different."

cclark@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128