JACKSON -- From its humble beginning 100 years ago, with seven students, St. Paul Lutheran School has committed to providing religious training and education for the youth of St. Paul's church.

Now with 203 students, including two sections of first and fourth grades and a teaching staff of 10, the school this year will celebrate its centennial with many special events and activities.

St. Paul Lutheran School was opened on Jan. 1, 1894, a year after the church was founded.

St. Paul principal and language arts teacher Al Lipke said the entire congregation will take part in the activities planned this year to commemorate the school's founding.

"To help in planning and preparing for our 100th birthday celebration at St. Paul Lutheran School, a 100-year anniversary committee was formed last year," said Lipke. "They have already finalized a number of activities and are working on several more."

The first event of the year is today's 100th birthday party for students, staff, and guests.

"For whatever reason, they decided to open the new school on New Year's Day 1894," Lipke said. "Obviously, we could not hold our birthday party on Jan. 1, so the committee decided to observe it on (today) instead."

An all-school assembly will feature two former St. Paul students, Becky Mangels and Anita Schubert, who will relate their recollections of the school and why they chose vocations in Christian education.

"Both of them are currently attending Concordia Teacher's College at Seward, Neb., to become Lutheran teachers," Lipke said. "Later, everyone will have a serving of our 100th anniversary cake and punch."

Lipke said that during National Lutheran Schools Week, March 7-10, students and faculty will create a replica 18th century, one-room, parochial school.

"We will have selected students from each of our eight grades who will be grouped in the one-room school," Lipke said. "We've asked our teachers develop an 1894 math curriculum that will be taught in the one-room school, with the students using the same type of small chalk boards that would have been used 100 years ago."

In addition, Lipke said teachers and students who taught or attended one-room schools will explain to the rest of the students and faculty what it was like.

"They'll talk about the one-room class routine, textbooks that were used then, visual aids, popular games that were played at recess, school discipline, and special responsibilities that were assigned to students," he said.

In April, the school will hold an open house and reunion for former students of St. Paul. Lipke said other activities that still are being planned include a field trip to Missouri Synod Lutheran historical sites in east Perry County.

The first St. Paul school was situated adjacent to the original church on the east side of Russell Street. The present school building is across the street.

Lipke said the school's first teachers were the church's two pastors, Rev. Gassner and Rev. Langehennig.

"The morning classes at school were in German, while the afternoon classes were in English," he said. "Luther's Small Catechism was taught in both German and English.

"English was the predominate language of the playground at recess time. Often at recess Pastor Langehennig would get out his violin and lead the children in singing both hymns and songs."

By 1905-1906, enrollment was 44 students and the school had outgrown its facilities in the basement of the church parsonage. At that time, the old frame of the first church was converted into a parsonage, the day school and a Sunday school.

The first building erected specifically to serve as a Christian day school was built in 1935 for $18,000. It was dedicated Sept. 15, 1935. By March of 1950, more classroom space was needed, and a new school was built on the west side of Russell Street at a cost of $106,637. It was dedicated Oct. 21, 1951. School enrollment at that time was 94 students.

An expansion of the building was dedicated April 5, 1970. The new gym and Lutheran Activity Center, situated across the street from the present school building, was built for $236,058 and dedicated Oct. 16, 1977.