St. Mark Lutheran Preschool is a ministry of St. Mark Lutheran Church in Elko, Nevada and is located at the eastern most border of the CNH District. The church started in 1957, and the preschool has been serving the Elko community since 1988. Jake Eisinger serves as the pastor at St. Mark. Jake also grew up in Elko as a member of St. Mark. The current preschool director is Charolette Torres, who has been at St. Mark since 2024. This year, the preschool has an enrollment

Zion Lutheran Preschool is a ministry of Zion Lutheran Church in Winnemucca Nevada. Zion Lutheran Church has been a part of the Winnemucca community since 1957. Zion Lutheran Preschool has been serving the families and children of Winnemucca since 1973. Today, the preschool has an enrollment of 61 three- to five-year-olds. In 2024, Zion Lutheran Academy was started by the church with Lauren Iwen as the lead teacher. The academy uses a Lutheran classical model and is a h

Please join us in giving a huge round of applause to Cross Academy (Aiea, HI) middle schoolers who participated in Thursday's 69th Hawaii State Science & Engineering Fair! Tera, Jaxson, & Bennett (6th) - What types of water works best for the Ae’ae plant Luka (7th) - The Relationship between Humor and Death Anxiety James & Reilly (8th) - Seed Darts The students worked hard from 9 am until the closing ceremony at 7 pm. The students did an amazing job and came home with a fe

Each Spring, we recognize Lutheran school educators who are celebrating milestone anniversaries in the teacher ministry, which we refer to as “jubilarians”. We do this by focusing on educators celebrating anniversaries in five-year categories. This year, we recognized educators who were celebrating service from five years to fifty years. Below is a complete list of educators that were recognized at our CNH District Spring In-Service along with how many years they have serv

Room to Grow Preschool is a ministry of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Fallon, Nevada. St. John’s Lutheran Church has been a part of the Fallon community since 1913, first downtown and in their present location since 1985. The preschool was opened in 1996 and has continued to provide quality childcare and early childhood education. The preschool’s current staff of 7 serve 29 students from 12 weeks old through kindergarten. The current preschool director is Tami Bennett.

One hundred and eighty educators from a dozen Lutheran schools in the CNH District gathered on Friday, March 27 at St. Paul Lutheran Church and Bella Vista Academy in Tracy, California for the annual CNH District Spring In-Service. This is a one-day in-service designed to bring teachers in preschool through 8th grade together for a time of professional development, fellowship, connection, and collaboration. The keynote speaker this year was Andrew McPeak from Maxwell Leader

Trinity Lutheran Church (https://www.trinitylutherankids.com) is the oldest Lutheran church in Nevada dating back to it establishment in 1895. The preschool was added in 1983 and currently has an enrollment of 105 children. This includes 18 staff who are teaching toddlers (18 months) up to Transitional Kindergarten students. The center also includes a before and after school care program that currently has 18 enrolled. Trinity’s pastor, Jonathan Zoch has been at Trinity s

Our Savior Lutheran School is a vital ministry of Our Savior Lutheran Ministries. The church has been serving the Livermore community since 1954. Our Savior Lutheran School started over 60 years ago as a preschool, then an elementary school and has grown to a Preschool through 8th grade ministry with over 425 students in elementary, 101 in preschool, and a staff of over 51. Pastor Joe Robb has been at Our Savior since 2024. The principal, Julie Knight has served at Our Sa

In 1962, Concordia University Portland started to host a Lutheran Elementary School Tournament (LEST). At the beginning, it was basically a boys basketball tournament for just a few schools. Over the years it grew into a much bigger event with over 20 schools from around the Northwest and Northern California participating in a wider variety of events. When Concordia Portland closed in 2020, the schools in the northwest continued the tournament in Tacoma at various venues.

Littlest Angels Preschool is a ministry of Bethany Lutheran Church in Menlo Park, California. Bethany has been a congregation in the Menlo Park community since 1950, and the preschool began in 1996. The school currently serves 33 students, ages 2-5. Katie O’Malley has been teaching at Littlest Angels since 2009 and has been the director since 2018. The preschool has a total of 8 staff members that serve and minister to students and families in the surrounding community.

Forming Christ-Like Character Colossians 3:12-14 All CNH District educators are invited to gather for our annual Spring In-Service on Friday, March 27 at Bella Vista Academy in Tracy from 8:30am to 2:30pm . This day is an opportunity to step away from the usual routine, spend time with fellow educators, and be encouraged in the work God has given us. This year’s keynote speaker is Andrew McPeak from Growing Leaders and the Maxwell Leadership Foundation. He will lead a conv

Trinity Lutheran Preschool is a ministry of Trinity Lutheran Church in Burlingame, CA. The original church was established in 1922, and the preschool was started in 2012. The preschool has an enrollment of 54 students, ages 2-5, and this year, they began an after school program, with a current enrollment of 12 students. Jam Eyvazov, who has been at Trinity since 2017, became the Director in 2020. The school is served by 12 staff members and has developed a Mandarin and Spanis

On February 5-6, the CNH District had its annual CNH District ECE Directors Conference here at the CNH Ministry Center. Directors from around the district participated in two days of spiritual growth, learning, and fellowship. Our primary speaker and presenter was Dr. Drew Gerdes, who is from Concordia University Nebraska. Dr. Gerdes leads the early childhood education department at Concordia. He led keynotes on “Children of Today and Tomorrow”, “Effective Parent Communic

On February 3-5, the CNH District held a School Administrators Conference. School leaders from around the CNH District came to the CNH Ministry Center for three days of spiritual growth, learning, and fellowship. There were great speakers on various topics. Dr. Eugene Kim from Concordia Irvine came and spoke on “Faithfulness in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” Dr. Tara Rolle from CAPSO (California Association of Private School Organizations) spoke on the challenges we

Schools throughout the CNH District recently celebrated the 2026 National Lutheran Schools Week from January 25-31. The LCMS has nearly 1800 Lutheran schools in the U.S. and Asia served by 22,000 educators. Over 160,000 students and their families hear the Gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ on a daily basis. In the CNH District, we have 67 schools: preschools, elementary schools, and a high school.  We thank God for the blessing of our Lutheran schools and the

Across the CNH District, the year was shaped by a shared theme of connection—between congregations, schools, leaders, and communities—as God’s people gathered, were sent, and served together. Mission was lived out through presence, compassion, and creativity, as ministries sought to meet real needs, build trust, and form authentic relationships that reflect Christ’s love across cultures and generations. Leadership and calling were central throughout the year. Ordinations, ins

Reaching students can take many different forms and include partnership with the church, positive reinforcement and making learning fun. Lisa Jackson, principal of Bella Vista Academy, launched a Disney-themed Positive Office Referral Program where students earn “tickets to Disneyland” for positive behavior and personal goal-setting. When nominated, students are celebrated in front of their peers and taken to her “Disneyland” office for a special recognition experience that b

CNH District Educator of the Year – Bethany Bogle The 2025 Educator of the Year for the CNH District is Mrs. Bethany Bogle. Bethany is the only Called teacher on her faculty, and she carries the sacred responsibility of ensuring the youngest students build a strong faith foundation rooted in the truth that we are saved by grace through Jesus Christ. In her 11 years at St. Paul Lutheran School in Merced, California teaching kindergarten, she has combined academic excellence wi

Mike Newton, 5th grade teacher at St. John's in Napa, is celebrating his 50th year of teaching at St. John's Lutheran School. He was recognized at the CNH and PSD Lutheran Elementary Conference in Phoenix, Arizona on November 23. There were seven current Lutheran teachers in the CNH District who were students in his 5th grade class. Mike, who also attended St. John's Lutheran School as a student, will retire at the end of this current school year.

Each year, our CNH District teachers are invited to join educators from the Pacific Southwest District for a Lutheran Educator Conference (LEC). This year's conference was held in Phoenix, Arizona and included over 700 educators. Teachers and administrators had the opportunity to spend time in spiritual growth, professional learning, and the valuable opportunity for fellowship with other Lutheran educators. This year's conference theme was "Lift High the Cross" based on Roman