My first day in December, 2005 I met Carl, the teachers, and office staff. Carl had seen it all at the high school. He was the first teacher called and was there when the doors first opened in 1976.
Just teaching wasn't in the cards for Mr. Schu. At the first Lutheran High in a rented former township high school out on Post Road, Carl was a chemistry and physics teacher who dabbled in electric, plumbing, and general repairs. He served as business manager and knew the schematic details of the building.
In 1991, when the school made the move to its new campus on Arlington Avenue Carl knew it inside and out. By the time I came along, I quickly learned that if I needed a history lesson or information on a former teacher or alumnus, Carl could give it to me.
LuFest is when I really came to appreciate the depth and breadth of Carl's skills and abilities. In my third year at LHSI, responsibility for the school's annual gala dinner-auction landed on my desk. The Lutheran Festival, known as LuFest in the Lutheran community surrounding Indianapolis, is the event that brings members of the community together to celebrate and support Lutheran secondary education. Carl knew the all the details and made everything behind the scenes hum in the weeks leading up to and the night of LuFest. Volunteers make the event special, and Carl was right there with them, spending time before and after school to help pull all the strings together.
Youth gained insight into worlds of science and how the intricate nature of creation shows the power and majesty of a great Creator. The ones who needed help figuring out how all the pieces fit together learned how to put the puzzle together in his classes.I liked getting to school early. I very rarely beat Carl to school. When I walked in he would be tending to the school's vending machines, installing new product and emptying coins and dollar bills. If one didn't work properly during lunch, he was there with a key to make it work again. Computers and auditorium technology was also part of his lengthy job description.
There are many teachers like Carl Schulenburg. You know them yourself, I'm sure. Teachers who inspired you, helped you figure things out, and when you got to college or later in life you realized how much you actually learned in their class.
As a colleague, seeing faithful and humble service each day was a good reminder about why we were serving in the first place. It wasn't about us. It was about our Lord and Savior and the students and families He sent to us each year.
Carl recently announced this is his last year at Lutheran High and he'll put down the chalk for the last time at graduation. Oh yeah, graduation is another thing Carl is deeply involved in coordinating through the years.
A search is already underway to find the next teacher in the Science department, but try as they might they'll be unable to find a replacement.
God only made one of those... Congratulations - God's blessings - and Godspeed to my former colleague, adviser, and friend... Mr. Carl Schulenburg, servant teacher.
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