In 1970, Our Savior Lutheran Church began a preschool and daycare. We opened our elementary division in 1973. Our Savior joined three other existing Hawaii Lutheran LCMS schools; the oldest was founded in 1948. Our school accommodated 100 kindergartens through 6th graders, served by four synodically-trained teachers and one full-time secretary/bookkeeper. Grade 7 was added in 1976 and grade 8 in 1977. Between 1975 and 1977 a two-classroom frame building and a three-story, 10 classrooms, concrete, and block building were added. Presently, OSLS has approximately 110 PreSchool-8th grade students, with 11 full-time faculty, part-time assistants, office manager, principal, part-time bookkeeper, youth director, and a pastor.
Our Savior Lutheran Church was founded in 1961, by the Messiah Church congregation, ‘Ewa Beach. ‘Aiea’s local families gathered for worship in Alvah Scott Elementary, a nearby public school beginning in 1959. After purchasing a piece of the AmFac, Inc., farmland abutting a creek, our church building was constructed. Our Savior is one of the largest Lutheran worshiping communities in the state; we have approximately 280 members. We average 180 in church attendance. We have 2 worship services each Sunday, 8:15 a.m. and 10:43 a.m. While we have a good mix of ages, the congregation has a large number of military families, giving its attendance a young-family characteristic, but the military presence makes it very transient. The Bible determines our doctrines. Our pastor and youth director emphasize serving the families by continuing a vibrant Sunday School, a high school youth group, and middle-school mid-week classes and activities, all of which are open to non-church members.
Additionally, while our school has served our congregational members as a priority, we have enrolled people of other faiths, including the non-Christian families, since our opening in 1970; we enjoy and value our abilities to share our faith.
Our ministry function and our staffing policy require we use the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod’s calling process. This calling process means that the school board gives a divine call to certified and synodically-rostered Lutheran-trained teachers to serve our church and school community. With a deepening Lutheran-certified-teacher shortage, we often reach out to the O’ahu community for qualified teachers whose qualifications, experience, attitudes, and philosophies maintain our level of quality. Our staff members need Christian commitment and quality characteristics to serve Our Savior Lutheran School.
Our school is known for its academic program. Many of our graduates attend private and public high schools on Oahu. While we are not equipped for special-needs children, we help parents find the best resources and placement for students with learning disabilities. Our Savior Lutheran School has a supportive environment due to our outreach mission and being blessed with many talents and capabilities.
When Our Savior Lutheran School began, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod’s, California-Nevada-Hawaii District subsidized our mission congregation.
Parents are pleased with our quality, while they recognize how we have kept our tuition low, compared to other O’ahu independent schools. The SAT-10 standardized achievement test, given annually, places our students consistently in the national top quartile. Our teachers tutor our students and students from other schools. We have strong Computer, Band, Choir, Japanese, and Physical Education, in addition to our strong academic preparation. Our annual events/programs include Grade 4-8 interscholastic volleyball, basketball, cross country, track & field teams, Interact Club, Lutheran Junior Honor Association, National History Day, and Science Fair. Our Savior’s athletic teams compete in the O’ahu Lutheran Schools’ Sports League. Girls and boys participate in 4th–8th Grade volleyball and basketball, cross-country meet, and track meet. Our after-school opportunities include piano lessons, eSports team, and intramural sports. Our student council has spearheaded many community outreach programs, fundraising, and teaming with Loliana Family Shelter, Leeward Women’s Shelter, the Waianae Lutheran Mission, and various service organizations.
We’re a small school on a very dynamic campus; we provide activities, programs, community, and growth for our families.