GPLHS Monthly Update
December 2020
Prayer for Great Plains Lutheran High School
Lord God, as we celebrate your coming to us in the person of your Son, Jesus Christ, and as we look forward to his coming again, we thank you for opportunities to teach and learn your Word – in our homes, in our congregations, and through the ministry of Great Plains Lutheran High School. Bless the faculty and students as they get involved in winter activities, as they navigate the final weeks of the semester, and, above all, as they seek to do all things to your glory. May our Christian education efforts lead many to join us in saying, “Come, Lord Jesus!” Amen.
Christmas Concert: NOTE the Time - 2:30pm
The GPL students in the freshman, honor, and celebration choirs will be joined by our school band and orchestra to perform the songs of Christmas for our enjoyment and edification. We will have an abbreviated concert (45 min) live onsite on Sunday, December 6 at 2:30pm as scheduled. Those who attend in person will be asked to wear face coverings and be considerate of social distancing. Those who attend in person should also be in good health to the best of their knowledge. We will do our best to stream the concert well for those watching online. (Please note the 2:30pm time is different from our past concert time.)
Unto Us a Child is Born
Fall Awards Ceremony- Now Online Only
Due to the current Covid situation, our Fall Awards Ceremony to acknowledge the achievements of this past fall activities season will be prerecorded and made available on the GPL YouTube page. Once the recording is complete, an announcement will be made and a link to the video will be made available.
Panther Wear Online Store and Christmas
The Panther Wear Online Store through Roy’s Sports Shop in Watertown is available CLICK HERE. The deadline to place an order to have it ready by Christmas is December 6th. Happy shopping!
Fall Festival - Thank you for your Support!!
Our first-ever online auction concluded on Saturday, November 21st. Thank you for the tremendous outpouring of generosity and participation in support of the GPL Fine Arts programs. After expenses, over $37,000 were raised! We can't wait to see how this will work next year when we can also have our live auction component. Thank you!
Facility Expansion and Funding
Our facility expansion is progressing, with a few delays due to the weather and COVID-19 within the construction crew. Footing/foundation work for the fine arts addition (west) is well on its way. The same work for the kitchen/cafeteria addition (east) is now underway. Soon we will be able to see construction above the ground!

Our United in Praise campaign now has two areas of focus: Finishing Touches and Bridging the Gap... READ MORE

To see the full facility expansion picture, Click Here.
GSI Christmas Shop
For the months of November and December, GSI has opened a satellite store at 15 1st St NW in Watertown. This space allows for the display of the large stock of holiday items available. Come and find items for all of your Christmas decorating needs!
A Thank You
Many times during the year we note that our printed items are donated by Borns Group of Watertown. We take this opportunity to thank them for their generosity in enabling us to produce attractive and professionally printed materials. Thank you again to Borns Group Inc.!
Scrip Promotions
Have you ever missed the Monday morning order deadline for Scrip gift cards? Now, on the new RaiseRight app for Scrip, you have the ability to order physical gift cards Monday-Friday and have them delivered directly to your house for a small fee. Download the RaiseRight app from The App Store or Google Play Store. If you use Scrip online, enter the same username and password to access RaiseRight. If not, sign up. To join the GPL Scrip program enter the enrollment code: 8D9895164717
New Wish List Item
It is time to update the GPL camcorder. This equipment is used for recording various sporting events and for other video and streaming needs. Your gifts of $350 will cover the cost of this upgrade including a new memory card, charger and tripod. You can donate by clicking HERE and designating your gift to “Wish List: Athletic Camera” or by calling the office and asking for Liz – 605-886-0672.
Fine Arts Happenings
The team of 17 competitors, coached by Eric Martens and Tyler Goens, recorded competition videos for 5 meets and participated in 2 virtual live meets. Despite this new form of competition, the Oral Interpretation team saw lots of growth and success, including once again being named the Eastern Coteau Conference Champions. They have completed their regular season and are now in postseason competition. The top speakers in each of the seven categories competed at Districts with all categories and participants advancing to Regions and 6 of the 7 categories advancing to State.  
Finding the Christmas Spirit
What a year 2020 has been! From a human standpoint there may not be much positive going on to get us into the Christmas spirit. From Covid-19 hitting our nation, to disagreements over schools going “virtual,” to discontent abounding in the streets of many of our country’s major cities, to continual clashing of rival candidates, to threats of further unrest pending the outcome of the elections, the negatives seem to go on and on. With these unsettling conflicts constantly going on around us, how can anyone possibly get into the Christmas spirit?

Thankfully, as believers in our Savior, Jesus, our Christmas spirit...
Dates to Note

  • Dec. 6 - Christmas Concert (2:30 p.m.) NOTE the Change in Time
  • Fall Awards Ceremony will be online only - prerecorded video to be released
  • Dec. 10 - First home basketball game for boys and girls- This game will be affected by Covid restrictions. Please READ THIS before attending.
  • Dec. 16 - 18 - Exam Schedule
  • Dec. 19- Jan. 3 - Christmas Break
  • Jan. 4 - Classes Resume
OUR MISSION
Great Plains Lutheran High School provides a Christ-centered education to assist families in nurturing students as lifelong disciples of Christ.