Partner School Profile: Denver Lutheran

As of the first Fall Term of this year, OLO is now partnering with eight schools throughout various parts of the country. These schools are taking advantage of the many benefits offered by the OLO program to enhance their local offerings. Many are smaller private schools, and among them is Denver Lutheran.

Denver Lutheran was established 52 years ago and currently enrolls 220 students. The curriculum is primarily college preparatory but serves the needs of all its students, according to Assistant Principal Dave Renquest. Denver Lutheran's then principal Loren Otte had met representatives from Orange Lutheran Online at last year's Western Alliance gathering, and both parties recognized an opportunity to work together in offering a robust online program to Denver Lutheran's students. Plus, Renquest had taught and coached at LHSOC for five years and graduated from Concordia University in Irvine.

The school was using a video-conference based distance learning program that offered their students the opportunity for college credit. However, the program was comparatively expensive, and they were looking for an alternative. One of the things that attracted them to the OLO program was its link with the Axia College of University of Phoenix associate's degree program. Under this program, students participating in the OLO system can earn credits toward high school graduation as well as Axia College degree requirements.

In addition, as a small school, Denver Lutheran sometimes finds itself with only eight or nine students in a class. By utilizing the OLO system, these students can take the courses they need while the school can optimize its resources. Other students, like one who is a basketball player, can adapt their OLO coursework to the demands of their extracurricular activities. Students at Denver Lutheran are currently taking online classes in world cultural and the arts, persuasive writing, cultural diversity, and critical thinking.

"The Orange Lutheran Online approach has worked very well for us, and all our students have been successful," Renquest observed. "It has been a huge benefit for the kids. And they like the flexibility it offers. Plus, it's very cost effective."


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