St. Paul’s Lutheran School began in 1883 in Sedalia, MO, at the church's first location on 517 South Lafayette. The first school building was an addition to the rear of the church and was dedicated on September 3, 1899.
The pastors who first served St. Paul's congregation were required to teach school. In 1885, Rev. C.F. Graebner, taught the 35 students that attended, and by 1898, the first official teacher, H.F.W. Koch, was hired.
The growth of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and the congregation’s desire for a better location soon made way for the purchase of property located at the corner of Broadway and Massachusetts. The new church was built and dedicated in 1928. The old church was razed and a new school building was erected. Unfortunately, the financial hardships of the Great Depression lead to the school closing its doors in 1931.
In the early 1950’s, the church congregation purchased additional property for the expansion of their educational facilities. By 1953, plans were in place for building the Christian Day School, which was completed and dedicated in 1955.
Starting with only a kindergarten class, the Christian Day School reopened in the fall of 1957 with Miss Carol Steege of Springfield, IL, as the teacher for 17 students. Grades 1 and 2 were added to the school in 1959 and subsequent grades were added thereafter.
In 1965, additions were made to the existing facility, which included four more classrooms, the principal’s office, and a gymnasium. In 1973, the school added a preschool program.
St. Paul's school mascot is a panther and the school colors are blue and gold.
Below are the school principals since 1959:
- Loren Brakenhoff: 1959-1961
- Paul Sturm: 1962-1964
- Clifford Koenig: 1964-1971
- Lee Schluckebier: 1971-1976
- Duane Grasz: 1976-1979
- James Hutter: 1980-1982
- Harold Schimke: 1983-1987
- Wil Meyer: 1987-2000
- John Nail: 2001-2016
- Rhonda Tull: 2016-2020
- Mary Walters: 2020-2022
- Tina Sutherland: 2022-present
*This information was gathered and collected from the 75th and 125th Anniversary booklets about St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Sedalia, MO.
