Schools: Stella Maris Academy High School — a year in reflection and a glance to the future

By Chris Lemke 
Guest columnist 

“In Sinu Jesu” is the journal of a Benedictine monk and priest in Eucharistic prayer. He shared his conversations of the heart with our Lord and our Lady. I would like to share an excerpt from this book: “Great graces are in store for you, but to receive them you must be very little, like children who have limitless confidence in the love of their papa. When you seek to reason out everything ahead of time, to control everything by human means, you keep Me from acting as the God of love that I am. I ask neither for ability nor great preparations on your part; I ask only for confidence, your confidence in Me, in the love of My open Heart for each one of you.” 

This is a beautiful truth to reflect and live by in all aspects of our lives. It is so comforting to know that all we really need to do is get out of the way and allow him to take care of us. 

So, how does this relate to Stella Maris Academy High School and my reflection of the inaugural year? How does this guide us going forward into this coming year? 

It can be difficult to see his hand at work while it is underneath you, lifting you up — hidden from your field of vision. But in reflection, it is easy to see how so many things were accomplished at the high school — not with human reasoning, control, and superb planning but with faithful trust in and cooperation with God, our “Papa.” 

The purchase and fundraising for a 100,000-square-foot building with 134 acres of beautiful land and a large gymnasium located a stone’s throw from an existing Stella Maris Academy campus was unanticipated and unplanned. “Providential” was the word that kept creeping into the Stella Maris Academy vocabulary to try to describe what happened. 

During the past school year, our freshman utilized six different rooms. Now with phase one of construction nearing completion, this beautiful campus will be offering 16 rooms to grades 7-10. Here are some additional highlights regarding Stella Maris Academy High School progression: 

• Hired five new teachers in anticipation of the 2023-24 school year. 

• Accepted into the Minnesota State High School League, allowing SMA activities to compete in regular season, sectional, and even state competitions. 

• Received registrations for a freshman class of two sections. 

• Added 14 new SMA activities to our existing list of sports, clubs, and organizations. 

• Restructured with a new SMA grade configuration which is bringing seventh and eighth graders from our St. James and St. John’s campus into the building — making it a junior-senior high school. 

• Going forward — phase two is set to begin with two new science classrooms and phase three an addition of another six classrooms. 

Looking forward into next year and beyond, prudent planning cannot be absent from our daily work at Stella Maris Academy, but confidence in the love that he has for all of us has to fill our hearts and our minds — leaving us with a childlike take on the future. 

In the end, we don’t have the ability to create this high school educational opportunity, we only have the will to trust with confidence in the One who created us. May his kingdom come, may his will be done. 

Chris Lemke is principal and activities director of Stella Maris Academy Junior and Senior High School.