Mr. Russ' Office

Preparations for the school year are in full force -- my office is evidence of all that's been going on lately! Take a peek:

It may not be the neatest office in the school, but there's no doubt I can always find what I'm looking for.

It's important to have fun, too, right?


I'm a huge Packers fan and have my own thoughts about the Brett Farve rumors... I'll fill you in another day.

Here's another angle...


Did you know that in addition to serving as the director of the Middle School, I'm also the High School golf coach? There's a few bags lined up in the corner of this shot.

Side bar: Can I just brag for a minute about the teams' accomplishments? The girls had an impressive eight-member squad and wrapped up the program's first year second in the conference and fourth in the section. The 12-member boys team finished fifth in the conference and seventh in sectionals. The guys team even had one student who competed at the state level. Way to go Crusaders!


If you look really closely, you can see the team picture on this bulletin board!

Hope you all are enjoying the beautiful day. More to come before the end of the week.

A Beautiful (Hot!) Day in West St. Paul

It is a gorgeous day here in West St. Paul -- bright, sunny and hot -- so I snapped a few quick pix on my way into the office.

Here's the view from the parking lot, where you and your parents will park before coming in for your visit:

And a view of our chapel on the walk up to the building.

And, lastly -- hot! The bank down the road said 84 degrees and it wasn't even mid-morning yet.

As always, feel free to get in touch with me if you'd like to see St. Croix for yourself!

Crusaders!

Well, we just put the finishing touches on our new middle school athletic icon, and I thought I'd post it so you could take a look.

What do you think? Striking, isn't it! Go, Crusaders!

Reason #19 -- Chapel

I thought it was time we re-visit the many reasons to attend St. Croix Lutheran Middle School.

Reason #19 -- Chapel. 

Take a look at the pictures below and you'll see why the chapel is truly one of the most beautiful spaces on campus. Heck, it's probably one of the most beautiful spaces in West St. Paul!

Dedicated in 2005, our chapel is the most prominent building on campus. The worship space features a "chapel in the round" design, fostering a greater sense of community and ensuring that every seat in the house is a "good" seat. Another interesting design element is the copper cladding that covers the exterior and lines some of the interior walls.

There's a lot of really neat symbolism behind the design of the space, and I could go on and on about it's beauty, but perhaps the most important thing for you to know is that our faith-based curriculum is rooted in the daily study of God's Word. Middle School students begin each and every day in prayer. Monday through Friday students attend Bible class, and on Friday, we have a chapel service designed especially for Middle School youth.

Rest assured -- regardless of where your child is at in his or her faith journey, the teachers and staff at St. Croix are prepared to disciple them in the ways of Christ.

Our Students ROCK!

You know this well -- people make all the difference.

At St. Croix Lutheran Middle School, we are very blessed. We've got talented teachers and we've got awesome students. Leah (pictured below) is one of the first students we met. Here's a bit about her:

Leah Likes:
- Running Track
- Rollerblading
- Pickles
- Scary Movies
- Science
- Yellow
- Giraffes

Leah Dislikes:
- Raisins
- Golf (Except Mini-golf!)
- Purple
- Bees

We'll introduce you to more students in the days to come. In the meantime, enjoy the outdoors.

Only Three More Months!

Yep, only three more months until we officially open our doors! I know, I know... the last thing you want to think about here at the beginning of summer is the idea of going back to school. But still... we can't help getting a little bit excited about the prospect of seeing students in our classrooms!

Speaking of classrooms, for those of you who haven't yet seen the inside of the school, here are a few pictures to give you an idea of what our space looks like. As always, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with me!

Oh, for you Facebook users, check out our fan page for a few more images... click the link to check it out: http://tinyurl.com/stcroixfanpage.

Here a look at our chapel :  

Here's where we eat lunch: 

Here's one of the hallways: 

Here's the theater: 

Here's a look at the new lockers: