April 9 Following conversations between Ken Ellwein, Executive Director of Orange Lutheran High School and Bill Bartlett, Pastor at Lutheran Church of the Cross, Laguna Hills (south Orange County), an initial "Interest Meeting" is held in South Orange County - at Lutheran Church of the Cross, Laguna Hills, CA. Eight were in attendance. Interest is expressed, but no concrete action results.
2004
April 20 After the sale of the 4000 acre El Toro Marine Base to Lennar Homes, it becomes apparent to many that never again in So. Calif. history will 4000 acres be open for development. Therefore, the second round of interest meetings begins - with overwhelmingly large responses. Meeting #1 at Lutheran Church of the Cross, Tuesday, April 20. Invited participants included: Dan Olson, Donna Bussey, Kathy Hutchins, Leann Karr, Rick Needham, Mike Allen, David Walters, Jeff Blaalid, Larry Schuler, Cindy Bartlett, and Bill Bartlett.
John & Donna Crean donate $350,000 as seed money for a Lutheran high school in south Orange County.
July 27, Seven Directors are appointed by the ad hoc community interested in the establishment of a Lutheran high school in south Orange County: Donna Bussey, Ken Ellwein, Rachel Klitzing, Rick Needham, Jack Preus, Carolyn Sims, Bill Bartlett.
August 31 Initial Governing Board is appointed: Janie Andrich, Donna Bussey, Ken Ellwein, Alan Feddersen, Bill Hemenway, Rachel Klitzing, Rick Needham, Jack Preus, Tom Rogers, Carolyn Sims, Dave Velasquez, Rob Warren, Bill Bartlett.
October 28 Mission and Vision Statements are drafted by Dave Velasquez and Rob Warren. They are adopted by the Governing Board.
2005
January 27 Officers are elected: President Rick Needham, Vice-President Bill Hemenway, Secretary Carolyn Sims, Treasurer Donna Bussey
February 22 Rick Needham reports on conversations with Lennar Homes, after they purchased the 4000 acre former El Toro Marine Base. Rick begins preparing a "letter of Intent" as he continued dialog with Lennar.
April 5 Meet with Capital Funding Services (LCEF) to discuss a capital funding feasibility study.
May Pastor Bill Bartlett is hired as Executive Director.
June The board takes a field trip looking at about 10 possible sites in south Orange County.
November 14 Lutheran South High - Orange County incorporates as a non-profit California corporation
July 15 First Annual Corporation Meeting. Jim Hale, Loren Kramer, and Ray Veldman are elected to our Board.
August 31 St. Paul's Greek Orthodox Church's brand new, 2-story, 31,000 sf classroom building is proposed as an interim site for LHS-OC. LHS-OC announces that it will open for classes for the 2007-2008 academic year.
October 4 Board contracts with Kairos for is first Capital Funding Appeal.
October 26 Board recommends name change from LHS-OC (same initials as Lutheran High School of Orange County), to Lutheran South High School. Board meets Mr. Jeffrey Beavers, candidate for principal, for the first time.
November Jeffrey Beavers is Called as Founding Principal
2007
January Brian Underwood is hired as Assistant Principal (Admissions, Athletic Director, Marketing) Gina Hylton is hired as Office Administrator.
February After interviewing 12 architectural firms, LPA is hired as Crean Lutheran's architect.
April The John and Donna Crean Foundation pledge $10 million to Lutheran South High School.
March-July After approximately 150 interviews, Crean Lutheran's inaugural teaching and coaching staff are contracted:
Rob Blaney, Music and Performing Arts teacher-pt
Tim Brink, Coach-Cross Country (girls and boys)-pt
Carl Butz, Dir. Of Informational & Instructional Technology
Steve Hobus, science
Rhonda Jackson, Coach-boys & girls volleyball-pt
Danica Kooiman, Coach-Cross Country (girls and boys)-pt
Monica Lara, Learning Success and Spanish teacher
Bethany Lepe, History, French, English teacher
Jeannie Mooney, Visual Art-pt
Janet Mowry, math
Eric Olson, health and life, volleyball coach (girls and boys)
Dave Sleighter, Coach boys basketball-pt
Conni Schramm, theology and English
Kelci Walker, Coach girls basketball-pt
May- Acknowledging John and Donna's generosity and Christian commitments to Lutheran education, tithing, self-perception of being "blessed to be a blessing," entrepreneurial and fair business ethic, and making a difference in the community, Lutheran South High School changes its name to Crean Lutheran High School.
After interviewing 12 contracting firms, McCarthy is hired as Crean Lutheran's builder.
Bill Godbey is hired as part-time Owner's Representative for phase one of our building project.
July 16- Second Annual Corporation Meeting. The following new board members are elected: Frank Beniche, Bart McHenry, John Randall, Marlin Schulz.
August 26- First inaugural Convocation Worship Celebration is held at St. Paul's Greek Orthodox Church. Approximately 350-400 people in attendance.
A full academic and extracurricular program engaged the 100 students, families, and staff of Crean Lutheran.
Wireless campus, laptop school. All the students were furnished with laptops; our books all had companion CDs, so the students did not need to carry their heavy books to and from school.
Through a value-added relationship with the Princeton Review and our own Jeremiah 29 Student Personal Profile Planning Page, our students, from their freshmen year on, are active in their college planning.
All of our first year athletic programs were successful: Cross Country, Volleyball, Basketball, and Track and Field.
An innovative collaboration with Concordia University and the community was designed, named, and launched -- C4PBI (Crean-Concordia-Community Collaboration Project Based Initiatives) for real world, local/global, project based learning.
The securing of two letters of intent for two local parcels of land which, God-willing, will become Crean Lutheran's permanent campus in the 2010 year.
The year culminated with the joyous announcement that WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges -- the accrediting agency of the western United States for public and private schools) granted Crean Lutheran South FULL, THREE YEAR accreditation. This is unheard of in the educational world, and at the same time testimony to the excellence of Lutheran schools and our motto: "Decidedly Christian! Distinctively Excellent!"
Crean Lutheran's second academic year anticipates 200+ students -- 100 incoming freshmen, 70 continuing sophomores, and 30 continuing juniors.
We have added soccer, baseball, golf, tennis, competitive cheer to our distinctive sports available.
The addition of several music and drama opportunities with the full-time employment of Mr. Rob Blaney.
A pilot online course (New Testament 201) -- which, God-willing, will pave the way for a number of other language-based online course offerings which will enhance Crean Lutheran's academic and 21st century education.
The Opening of our International Department with over 20 students.
Creation of Student and Staff mentoring program.
Aug. 26, 2008
Crean Lutheran started its second academic year with 205 students.
Nov. 29, 2008
Junior, Alexandra Sciarra, became the first "ALL STATE" Crean Lutheran athlete by taking 9th in the State High School Cross Country Championships in Fresno, CA, with a time of 19:42 for a 5K race. Alli posted the fasted time for any Div. 5 runner in OC.
Dec. 2, 2008
The Girls' Basketball Team, coached by Mrs. Kelsi Walker, won Crean Lutheran's FIRST EVER Varsity game by beating Tarbut H.S., 42 to 36, on Monday, Nov. 1.
Feb. 19, 2009
Girls' Basketball plays Crean Lutheran's first post-season CIF Tournament Play against Saddleback Valley High School.
Crean Lutheran's third academic year anticipates approximately 100 incoming freshmen, 100 sophomores, 70 juniors, and 40 seniors.
A projected student body of 316 students in 2009-10 places Crean Lutheran's enrollment 33 percent higher than last year and in the top ten percent of enrollment for all Lutheran high schools across the United States - in Year Three...
In support of its ongoing commitment to small class sizes and to offering high quality student services, Crean Lutheran has hired 11 new faculty and staff members for the 09-10 school year...
Crean Lutheran is excited to add additional student services by welcoming our first full-time credentialed counselor to our faculty. Students will now be supported by three credentialed counselors in 2009-10...
Crean Lutheran is thrilled to educate its first senior class next year, accompanied by all the social accouterments that come with seniority, such as class rings, grad night, a senior retreat, senior prom, and more...
In the fall, Crean Lutheran will launch an educational partnership with Irvine Valley College to offer UC / CSU transferable college courses on the Crean Lutheran campus as part of its Early College Courses. Dual credit courses will include college level - Chemistry, Biology, American Government & Economics, and US History...
To complement the Early College Courses, Crean Lutheran will continue to grow its Advanced Placement program. In 2009-10, CLS will offer AP Calculus, AP English Literature, and AP World History, along with a host of additional honors courses...
Crean Lutheran’s entire academic program will be hosted on Moodle, a collegiate web-based course management system used by Stanford and many University of California schools...
Beginning next year, Crean Lutheran will employ three faculty members in the Visual & Performing Arts area. Together, they will support a dozen course offerings for students interested in the arts...
Crean Lutheran will begin competing in the Academy League in 16 varsity sports, including the first varsity football team and the first softball team in school history...
Saints Athletics will welcome its first full-time, certified athletic trainer and its first certified strength & conditioning coach as part of a multi-year plan to advance the school's training and conditioning resources to the upper echelon in Orange County. As part of this initiative, Crean Lutheran will be investing sufficient resources this summer to purchase strength & conditioning equipment to create the school's own on-campus strength & conditioning facility.
February 2010
By God's grace, financing is approved -- in a three way loan with Lutheran Church Extension Fund, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, and Farmers & Merchants Bank.
March 3, 2010
Closed on land purchase of 17 acres at Sand Canyon & Portola Parkway -- with an option to buy an additional nearby 11acres - with a lease to use during the option.
March 7, 2010
Ground-Blessing -Breaking Festivities at the New Site -- Sand Canyon and Portola Parkway, Irvine.
Moved onto our permanent campus! "Thus far the Lord has brought us!" I Samuel 7:12. The campus includes the following:
18 acres on Sand Canyon, with 12 additional acres currently leased with a 5-year purchase option;
a 34,000 sf Academic & Administrative Classroom Building, which includes 22 classrooms, a conference room, all WIFI, offices, a 2-story lobby, and support rooms
20,000 sf Event Center which includes a large gym.
sufficient for not only feature basketball court and volleyball court, but also sideways orientation for 2 basketball courts and 3 volleyball courts; a dance room, a band room, a choir room, a lunch serving room, 2 locker rooms, a training room. The Event Center has theater lights, a PA system, scoreboards, and video projectors.
June 11, 2011
Graduation of First full 4-year Class -- 80 graduates.
July, 2011
Completion of Track & Field -- 9-lane, Atlas artificial track; natural turf field, full complement of track facilities including hurdles, high jump, long jump, pole vault, shot, discus, etc.
Crean Lutheran High School purchased a 25-foot state of the art scoreboard that was installed before the first football game.
Crean Lutheran High School Football team celebrated our first winning season.
Boys Cross Country advanced to the CIF finals.
Girls Volleyball advanced to the CIF Semifinals for the first time.
Fall 2011 Achievements include OC Varsity Athletes of the Week, Riley Tooker for Football and Kayla Scheevel for Volleyball.
The first phase of the Saints Stadium was completed, features a 9-lane Track and natural-turf field. August 29, 2011
Start of 5th Academic Year, approx. 550 students.
September 2, 2011
First home football game in our own stadium! Crean Lutheran 36, Silver Valley 6! First win on home field!
February, 2012
Crean Lutheran High School received a 6-year WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) accreditation term (the longest term granted by WASC).
Crean Lutheran High School Servant Leadership Team (SLT) received the Outstanding Activities Program Award from the California Association of Directors of Activities/California Association of Student Leaders (CADA/CASL) for the 2011-2012 school year
Crean Lutheran celebrated it's commencement of 114 students! First Class to graduate after four-years of attending CLHS.
Crean Lutheran High School students scored an average of 1648 on the SAT.
The top 25% of Crean Lutheran High School students scored an average of 1860 on the SAT.
Over the past three years, over 98% of Crean Lutheran High School graduates were accepted into colleges and universities.
For the seventh straight year, Crean Lutheran High School has been blessed to be the fasted growing Lutheran high school in the United States. It also continues to be the fastest starting Lutheran high school in Church history.
Crean Lutheran High School is currently the seventh largest Lutheran high school in the lauded LCMS school system.
Dancer Alyssa Hebbard was accepted to the prestigious Claire Trevor School of the Arts Dance Department at UCI.
The Crean Lutheran High School Dance Department raised over $1,300 for the Free Wheelchair Mission Project in conjunction with the fall contemporary dance concert. This event was featured on the front page of the OC Register Varsity Arts Section.
The Concert Choir had seven members attend the Concordia University Musical Arts Day festival in Seward, Nebraska.
The Orchestra and Concert Choir collaborated on "A Crean Lutheran Christmas," a service of lessons and carols, performed at Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in Lake Forest, California.
Boys and Girls Cross Country Teams captured Academy League Championships and advanced to the CIF finals.
Football had ten players named to the all-league team, and by winning the Academy League Sportsmanship Award.
Girls Volleyball tied for the league champion title and advanced to the quarter finals of the state tournament.
Boys Tennis finished second in league and tenth in CIF. Seven players made the all-league team, one of whom was also named league MVP and has verbally committed to play at UCLA.
Girls Soccer finished second place in league, and advanced to CIF.
Girls Softball went undefeated in league to earn its first CIF playoff berth. Leading the way was the program's first D-1 scholarship athlete.
Boys Baseball won its first league championship and advanced to the quarter finals of CIF playoffs.
Girls Swimming and Diving earned the school's first CIF title.
August 28, 2012
6th Academic Year: 605 students!
September 2012
Crean Lutheran was nominated as an "Exemplary School" by the National Lutheran School Accreditation association (NLSA). This is a great honor -- and responsibility. Out of just over 1,000 Lutheran schools across our nation, we are among a very few being singled out in the category of "Exemplary School."
November 2013
The Chamber Choir performed at the Lutheran Educators Conference in Palm Springs, marking the first time that the Crean Lutheran High School Chamber Choir was invited to perform at this event.
Crean Lutheran celebrated its 5th graduating class, bringing its alumni total to almost 450 Saints in the mission field.
Taehyung Kim, Class of 2014, was selected by the National Merit Scholarship Program as a National Merit Finalist out of 1.5 million candidates based upon his overall academic record and his PSAT score. Earning Commended Scholars status for the Class of 2015 were Cassidy Bauer, Jenny Kim, Matthew Kwak, and Krishna Pakalapati.
Crean Lutheran launched its highly anticipated cohort program and successfully debuted its Medical and Engineering Cohorts.
On September 2, 2014 Crean Lutheran was honored to recognize and thank Budge and Carol Collins for their longstanding support, by naming the Event Center floor Collins Court during a special ceremony prior to the season opening match for the girls' volleyball program.
The Concert Choir took its first-ever choir tour in March, performing at St. John's Lutheran School in Bakersfield, Bethany Lutheran school in Vacaville, Sunny View Christian Retirement Home in Cupertino, and Trinity Lutheran Church in San Francisco.
In April, members of the Dance Department visited and took part in dance classes at the renowned Broadway Dance Center, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and the Steps on Broadway Premier Dance Studio in New York City.
A video production team including Jenny Kim, Kevin Kim, Tyler Koski, and Chase Masters coalesced their collective talents to win the 2014 Toyota Teen Driving Video Challenge, a national competition designed to promote driver safety among teenagers.
Violinists David Chang and Hasun Yoo were accepted into Julliard and the New England Conservatory of music, respectively. Additionally, Yoo was selected as a finalist for the OC Varsity Arts Instrumental Musician of the Year competition, sponsored by the Orange County Register.
The Crean Lutheran Dance Department hosted its annual benefit concert on behalf of Comfort Zone, a bereavement camp that provides healing for those who have experienced the loss of a parent, sibling, or caregiver.
Students from the school's Art Department won first prize at the inaugural 2014 Pumpkin Glow Sculpture Carving Contest, sponsored by FivePoint Communities.
Crean Lutheran became the fourth largest Lutheran high school in the lauded LC-MS school system with 750 students.
For the eighth straight year Crean Lutheran was blessed to be acknowledged as the fastest starting Lutheran high school in Church history.
The Crean Lutheran Athletic Department captured the coveted Academy League Cup for overall excellence in competition and performance. Nine teams won league titles and ten teams made strong runs in the CIF playoffs during the 2013-14 school year.
Eight members of the Class of 2014 committed to competing on the 4-year college level.
Boys Baseball won its second straight league championship and advanced to the semifinals of the CIF playoffs.
Boys Tennis earned its first Academy League title and reached the semifinals of the CIF Division II team tournament. Individually, Niko Ramadan and Justin Zhang advanced to the Round of 20 in the CIF Individual Open Championship Sectional.
Boys and Girls Track & Field each won league titles, resulting in 20 athletes who qualified for CIF Prelims and 1 athlete advancing to the CIF Track & Field Championships.
Girls Swimming & Diving won its second straight CIF Division III title, which also helped clinch the boys and girls combined title.
Five members of the girls' swim team earned all-county honors, including senior Lindsey Engel, who was also named the Orange County Register's Girls Small School Athlete of the Year.
Spring Academy All-League Selections included 2- MVP's, 36-1st team honorees, 21-2nd team honorees and 4-Honorable Mention recipients.
Swim Coach Craig Brown was named the Orange County Register's Swim Coach of the Year.
Girls Cross Country captured its third straight Academy League Championships and advanced to the CIF Prelims.
Crean Lutheran celebrated its first season of water polo with a co-ed team that greatly improved with each match.
Football enjoyed a breakout year by clinching third place in the Academy League to earn its first CIF playoff berth in school history.
Fall Academy League All-League Selections included 15-1st team honorees, 10-2nd team honorees and 2- Honorable Mention recipients.
Over the past three years, 99 percent of Crean Lutheran graduates have been accepted into colleges and universities. Eighty percent of the Class of 2015 went on to attend a four-year college or university.
The Class of 2015 also featured 61 members of the National Honor Society (NHS), 75 members of the California Scholarship Federation (CSF), and it accumulated $4.4 million in scholarship offers, which averaged $26,000 per student.
Crean Lutheran became the third largest Lutheran high school in the lauded LCMS school system with 795 students.
This year Crean Lutheran was blessed to be named one of the Most Challenging Private High Schools in America by the Washington Post based on Advanced Placement (AP) results from the prior year.
Schoolwide Advanced Placement results from the 2014-15 academic year saw Crean Lutheran students receive an average score of 3.5 on a 5-point scale, representing an average passing score for Crean Lutheran test takers.
For the 2014-15 academic year, Crean Lutheran students scored an average of 1706 on the SAT, exceeding the state average by 214 points and the national average by 216 points. The top 25 percent scored an average of 1910 on the SAT, surpassing the national average by 418 and 420 points, respectively.
For the ninth straight year Crean Lutheran was blessed to be acknowledged as the fastest starting Lutheran high school in Church history.
Choir - Complementing a year of breathtaking performances before family and friends, the choir program also shared its gifts beyond the campus community. Noteworthy among its many appearances were the Concert Choir’s San Diego Tour in spring and the Chamber Choir’s invitation to perform at the Irvine Prayer Breakfast in November.
Dance - The CLHS Dance program hosted a Broadway review entitled New York ,New York last spring, followed by its fall benefit concert on behalf of the Halo Foundation, a non-profit organization that utilizes the art of dance to promote awareness, knowledge, and funding to families affected by Autism. The dance program ended the year with a special performance with the Young Americans in December.
Drama - The Crean Lutheran community was treated to wonderful dramatic performances over the past year, courtesy of the burgeoning Crean Lutheran Drama program. Feature performances included the spring production of Twelve Angry Jurors and the Advent production of A Christmas Carol.
Instrumental Music - The immensely talented Instrumental Music program captivated audiences across different genres of music, which were magnificently on display at the Spring Instrumental Music Concert, at the year-end Music Department Honors Recital, and at the Fall JazzFest at Concordia University.
Visual Art - Art student, Tiffany Chung, was named the Orange County Register’s Visual Artist of the Year for her powerful artistic expression of the natural world and what happens when the natural world intersects with the artificial world. Tiffany is now studying Communications at Carnegie Mellon University.
The Crean Lutheran Athletic Department captured its second consecutive Academy League Cup, which is awarded annually to the league’s top athletic program based on the highest aggregate level of success in league competition.
Eight Crean Lutheran teams won league titles, and sixteen teams made strong runs in the CIF playoffs during the 2014-15 school year.
The Saints Athletic Department honored 287 student-athletes who achieved a 3.5 grade point average, or higher, at its annual Scholar-Athlete Banquet last spring.
Girls Swimming/Diving recorded its third consecutive CIF title and finished No. 2 in the state of California in May.
Over the past year, twelve student-athletes have signed National Letters-of-Intent to compete in intercollegiate sports.
Crean Lutheran continued to impact the world through Operation Christmas Child and through two mission trips in 2015 to El Salvador and Mexico involving 36 students and seven faculty and staff. CLHS is planning trips to El Salvador, Hungary, and Mexico next summer.
Crean Lutheran’s 6th graduating class of 169 students brought the school’s alumni total to 648 Saints in the mission field.
Over the past three years, 99% of Crean Lutheran graduates have been accepted into colleges and universities. Of the Class of 2016, 86% went on to attend a four-year college or university.
The Class of 2016 also featured 65 members of the National Honor Society (NHS), 103 members of the California Scholarship Federation (CSF), and it accumulated $9 million in scholarship offers, which averaged over $45,000 per student.
Crean Lutheran was again blessed to be named one of the Most Challenging Private High Schools in America by the Washington Post on Advanced Placement (AP) results from the prior year.
In a schoolwide Advanced Placement results from the 2015-16 academic year, Crean Lutheran students received an average score of 3.4 on a 5-point scale, representing an average passing score for Crean Lutheran test takers.
For the 2015-16 academic year, Crean Lutheran students scored an average of 1679 on the SAT, exceeding the state average by 203 points and the national average by 195 points. The top 25 percent scored an average of 1910 on the SAT, surpassing the national and state averages by 434 and 426 points, respectively. Seven students received a perfect score on the Math section of the SAT.
Five Crean Lutheran students earned Commended Scholar status through their superior achievement on the PSAT. Two students earned perfect scores on the ACT.
The business, engineering and medical cohort groups participated in various outings, including watching and receiving instruction on live surgeries, a combined trip to Disneyland, and an engineering trip to Tower Jazz.
Crean Lutheran shepherded numerous mission and outreach projects, including mission trips to Mexico, Hungary and El Salvador.
On-campus missions and service projects such as Operation Christmas Child, Make-a-Wish Foundation, and Jessie Rees Foundation’s Joy Jars, to name a few, helped students to learn they can help others across the globe from here in Southern California.
Choral Music - The choirs performed A Service of lessons and Carols in December and the Spring Choral Concert in April.
Dance - the Crean Lutheran Dance Program performed a Halo Benefit Concert for Autism in January, and a Dance for Joy performance in November, benefiting the Jessie Rees Foundation. In February, Saints Dance Company received 1st place in the Jazz and Open Divisions at the Fellowship of Christian Cheer and Dance West Coast Championships.
Drama - The Crean Lutheran community was treated to wonderful dramatic performances, including Laughing Matters, the Comedy of Neil Simon, in April, and Shakespeare and Friends in December.
Instrumental Music - The Crean Lutheran Music Program held multiple performances throughout the year across various genres of music, including Jazz and Orchestra performances at Concordia University.
Visual Art - Crean Lutheran students Hesoo Jo, Chae Young Park and Songwoo Park were each selected as one of the Orange County Register’s Varsity Arts Top 10 Artists of the Year. Art students also displayed their works at the Irvine Art Show in May in which Danielle Benson received 3rd place for her art titled Blind Sight.
Athletics - Crean Lutheran won the Academy League Cup for the third straight year.
Eight Crean Lutheran sports teams won league titles, and all eight teams made strong runs in the CIF playoffs. Five teams advanced to the CIF finals during the 2015-16 school year. Girls Swimming/Diving recorded its fourth consecutive CIF Title and finished No. 1 in the state of California.
Crean Lutheran’s seventh graduating class of 199 students brought the school’s alumni total to 857 Saints in the mission field.
In October, the City of Irvine Planning Commission approved the school’s North Campus Expansion Project, which, over the next two years will add 25,000 square feet of academic, performing arts, strength and conditioning space, and synthetic turf and lights for Saints Stadium.
Crean Lutheran High School celebrates its 10th year anniversary, 2007-2017!
In 2017, 97% of Crean Lutheran graduates went on to attend a college or university.
The Class of 2017 also featured 43 members of the National Honor Society (NHS), 178 members of the California Scholarship Federation (CSF), and it accumulated $7.2 million in scholarship offers were reported by the Class of 2017, an average award of $53,333 per student.
In a schoolwide Advanced Placement results from the 2016-17 academic year, CLHS students received an average score of 3.68 on a 5-point scale, representing an average passing score for Crean Lutheran test takers.
For the 2016-17 academic year, Crean Lutheran students scored an average of 1679 on the SAT, exceeding the state average by 203 points and the national average by 195 points. The top 25 percent scored an average of 1910 on the SAT, surpassing the national and state averages by 426 and 434 points, respectively.
Crean Lutheran students earned an average composite score of 25.2 on the ACT; this compares to state average of 22.6 and national average of 20.8.
The business, engineering and medical cohort groups participated in various outings, including hands-on experience at St. Jude hospital , Physics day at Knott’s Berry Farm, an engineering trip to Tower Jazz semiconductors, and a business trip to IMA Design.
Crean Lutheran shepherded numerous mission and outreach projects, including mission trips to Mexico and El Salvador.
On-campus missions and service projects such as Operation Christmas Child, Make-a-Wish Foundation, and Jessie Rees Foundation’s Joy Jars, to name a few, helped students to learn they can help others across the globe from here in Southern California.
Choral Music - The choirs performed A Service of lessons and Carols in December and the Spring Choral Concert in April.
Dance - the Crean Lutheran Dance Program performed a Halo Benefit Concert for Autism in January, and a Dance for Joy performance in November, benefiting the Jessie Rees Foundation, and a Spring Dance Showcase in June.
Drama - The Crean Lutheran community was treated to wonderful dramatic performances, including Annie, in April, and Shakespeare and Friends in December.
Instrumental Music - The Crean Lutheran Music Program held multiple performances throughout the year across various genres of music, including Jazz and Orchestra performances at Concordia University.
Visual Art - Two CLHS Students received the 2017 Orange County Register Artist of the Year Award for 2017: Zoe Zhou - 3D Visual Art, and Aileen Chung - Instrumental Music.
Seven Crean Lutheran sports teams won league titles, and all seven teams made strong runs in the CIF playoffs. Five teams advanced to the CIF finals during the 2015-16 school year. Girls Swimming/Diving recorded its fifth consecutive CIF Title and finished No. 1 in the state of California.
Crean Lutheran’s eighth graduating class of 201 students brought the school’s alumni total to 1,058 Saints in the mission field.
CLHS North Campus Expansion Project broke ground early summer, 2017. Over the next two years this expansion will add 25,000 square feet of academic, performing arts, strength and conditioning space, and synthetic turf and lights for Saints Stadium.
Crean Lutheran’s eleventh graduating class brought the school’s alumni total to 1,058 Saints in the mission field.
The Class of 2017 also featured 43 members of the National Honor Society (NHS), 102 members of the California Scholarship Federation (CSF), and it accumulated $7.2 million in scholarship offers, $5.5 million of which was accepted by students.
A ground blessing ceremony was held in April for the the North Campus Expansion Project, which will add 25,000 square feet of academic, art, and athletic space, spread over an acre and half on the northeast side of campus. The project is slated for completion during spring, 2018.
Athletics
Seven Crean Lutheran sports teams won league titles, and 12 teams made strong runs in the CIF playoffs.
Coach Robby Cherry was selected as “Rookie Head Coach of the Year” by the California Coaches Association for the Southern Section for cross country, and Steven Jennings was selected as “Coach of the Year” by the Orange County Register for girls’ soccer.
Girls Swimming/Diving recorded its fifth consecutive CIF title.
17 student-athletes signed National Letters-of-Intent to compete in intercollegiate sports.
The school named Ryan Brent and Jackie Craycraft as founding head coaches for the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams.
A spring vote of Orange County principals moved Crean Lutheran to large school status through membership in the Empire League, effective fall, 2018.
Visual & Performing Arts
Mrs. Alyssa Jones is named the school’s Performing Arts Department Chair at the start of the 2017-18 academic year.
In a move designed to provide enhanced teaching specificity within the Performing Arts, the school hired Jordan Kirby as a full-time Choral Music Director
A phenomenally talented group of students led by a collaborative effort among the Performing Arts faculty permitted Crean Lutheran to produce its first musical, Annie, last spring.
Seniors, Tivoli Treloar and Anna Ellwein, were named “Artists of the Week” by the Orange County Register last summer.
Zoe Zhou (Class of 2017) and Aileen Chung (Class of 2017) were named “OC Register Artists of the Year” for their excellence in 3D Visual Art and Instrumental Music, respectively.
Crean Lutheran’s ninth graduating class, with 188 students, brought the school’s alumni total to 1,246 Saints in the mission field.
The Class of 2019 also featured 69 members of the National Honor Society (NHS), 115 members of the California Scholarship Federation (CSF), and boasted a scholarship average of $45,000 per student. 98% of the Class of 2019 went to a college or university.
Thanks to our wonderful donors, the Saints Stadium was completed with new turf, stadium lights, and a new track.
Athletics
The OC Register named senior Tyler Guo the Boys Golf Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year. He went on to play golf at USC.
10 student-athletes from the Class of 2019 signed National Letters-of-Intent to compete in intercollegiate sports.
Boys Track & Field, Boys Golf, and Girls Golf won the Empire League Title.
Girls Basketball was named CIF Academic Champions for the second consecutive year.
Senior Mandy Brenner was named CIF Champion for Girls Swimming in the 50 and 100 Freestyle.
Senior Jack Johnson was named CIF Champion for Boys Track & Field in the 110 meter hurdles.
Visual & Performing Arts
The OC Register named Junior Irene Kim the Dance artist of the Year.
Five Crean Lutheran students were named Orange County Register's 2019 Artist of the Year Semi-Finalists for Visual Arts, Dance, Vocal Music, and Instrumental Music.
The Drama department put on two successful performances, All Shook Up, and Peter and the Star catcher in the Black Box Theater.
Missions & Outreach
Crean Lutheran led 3 international mission trips to Jamaica, Mexica, and El Salvador. 46 students and 9 chaperones participated.
106 students and 10 faculty/staff participated in local service projects: The Compton Initiative and Bethesda Lutheran Communities.
Crean Lutheran’s entire campus (faculty, staff, and students) marked over 1,000 Bibles, sharing the Gospel message and writing notes of encouragement. These Bibles were then sent to two different prison facilities in Southern California.
Crean Lutheran’s tenth graduating class, with 205 students, brought the school’s alumni total to 1,451 Saints in the mission field.
The Class of 2020 also featured 67 members of the National Honor Society (NHS), 142 members of the California Scholarship Federation (CSF), and boasted a scholarship average of $49,000 per student. 88% of the Class of 2020 went to a college or university.
Crean Lutheran launched the Law Cohort with 16 students enrolled. The Law Cohort provides a launch point for students interested in pursuing careers in law, elected office, and/or government.
Crean Lutheran students and their teachers were successfully able to continue their studies online during the mandated quarantine period due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
Athletics
13 students from the Class of 2020 signed their National Letters of Intent to play collegiate-level athletics.
59% of our student-athletes had a GPA of 3.5 and above.
64% of our students were involved in athletics.
Girls Golf was named the 2019-2020 Empire League Champions.
Visual & Performing Arts
Four Crean Lutheran students were named Orange County Register's 2019 Artist of the Year Semi-Finalists for Dance and Instrumental Music.
The Drama Department put on a phenomenal performance of the Diary of Anne Frank in October. Our students had the opportunity to listen and learn from Doris Goldsmith Melnick, the daughter of Holocaust survivors. In addition, a local senior center brought some of their tenants, who are Holocaust survivors, to share stories and meet the student cast members.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, the Drama Department put on a fabulous virtual performance of Beauty and the Beast.
Missions & Outreach
23 students and 6 chaperones went to Bishop, California to serve alongside Orange Lutheran High School and the Bishop Piaute Native American Tribe within their community.
On the second annual Schoolwide Service Day, 950 students/faculty/staff served at 36 organizations throughout Orange County.
600 students and 100 faculty/staff served 4 local organizations: Charity on Wheels, Operation Christmas Child, Compton Initiative, and Nursing Home Outreach.
Crean Lutheran’s eleventh graduating class, with 232 students, brought the school’s alumni total to 1,854 Saints in the mission field.
The Class of 2021 also featured 74 members of the National Honor Society (NHS), 174 members of the California Scholarship Federation (CSF), and boasted a scholarship average of $35,000 per student. 96% of the Class of 2021 went to a college or university.
Crean Lutheran launched the Law Cohort with 15 students enrolled. The Law Cohort provides a launch point for students interested in pursuing careers in law, elected office, and/or government.
Crean Lutheran students and their teachers were successfully able to continue their studies online during the mandated quarantine period due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
6 All CIF athletes (Taylor Feldman - Girls Basketball, Nolan Folsom - Lacrosse, Michael Paniche - Baseball, Justin Lee - Boys Soccer, Koat Keat - Boys Basketball, Michael Birket - Boys Basketball)
1 CIF Player of the Year (Koat Keat - Boys Basketball)
1 CIF Coach of the Year (Nate Klitzing - Boys Basketball)
3 League MVP's (Koat Keat - Boys Basketball, Mia McNulty - Softball, Jack Fairchild - Track and Field)
Visual & Performing Arts
The Worship Team and Dance Department filmed the Praise Night with Music and Dance. During the premiere of the Virtual Night of Praise, donations were taken for the OC Rescue Mission.
The Choral, Dance, and Instrumental departments came together for the Christmas on the Green performance.
The Spring Musical was Godspell
The Dance Department’s annual Spring Dance Showcase Across America featured songs and dances from various states.
Crean Lutheran’s twelfth graduating class, with 203 students, brought the school’s alumni total to 2,057 Saints in the mission field.
The Class of 2022 also featured 45 members of the National Honor Society (NHS), 129 members of the California Scholarship Federation (CSF), and boasted a scholarship average of $46,000 per student. 98% of the Class of 2022 went to a college or university.
Athletics
5 League Titles (Girls Basketball, Boys Basketball, Girls Volleyball, Girls Golf, Girls Beach Volleyball)
1 CIF Title (Boys Water Polo - 6)
64% of student-athletes had a 3.5 or higher GPA
593 total students involved in sports
14 students sign their national letter of intent
8 All CIF Athletes (Austin Griffin - Boys Water Polo, Mark DiPinto - Boys Water Polo, Jonathan DiPinto - Boys Water Polo, Tate Fitzgerald - Boys Water Polo, Madison Moore - Girls Volleyball, Vyctorius Miller - Boys Basketball, Koat Keat - Boys Basketball, Taylor Feldman - Girls Basketball)
1 CIF Player of the Year (Tate Fitzgerald - Boys Water Polo)
1 CIF Coach of the Year (Ed Carrera)
OC Boys Basketball Player of the Year - Koat Keat
6 All Orange County athletes (Parker Tuttle - Boys Basketball 4th, Darrell Morris - Boys Basketball 2nd, Vyctorius Miller - Boys Basketball 1st, Taylor Feldman - Girls Basketball 1st, Brooklynn Acevedo - Girls Soccer 1st, Jack Fairchild - Track and Field 1st)
Male Empire League Athlete of the Year - Koat Keat
8 League MVP's (Madison Moore - Girls Volleyball, Koat Keat - Boys Basketball, Vyctorius Miller - Boys Basketball, Taylor Feldman - Girls Basketball, Ethan Yang - Boys Golf, Jack Fairchild - Track and Field, Kaela Brenner - Track and Field, Daniel Choi - Boys Tennis
(updates in progress)
Visual & Performing Arts
Instrumental and Choral performed concerts at local community churches
Anastasia The Musical
Thus Far - Celebrating 15 Year of Crean Lutheran High School featuring an original composition by Dr. Elliott Bark our resident composer.
Dance: Music Legends at the Irvine Barclay Theatre
Missions & Outreach
28 students, 4 chaperones, and 3 parent volunteers returned to El Salvador to serve with Sus Hijos, an organization serving orphaned and foster care children in San Salvador and the surrounding areas.
41 students and 8 chaperones returned to Mexico to serve with Baja Christian Ministries, building a house for a family in Girasoles, Mexico.
On the third annual School Wide Service Day, 950 students/faculty/staff served at 36 organizations throughout Orange County.
Crean Lutheran’s thirteenth graduating class, with 249 students, brought the school’s alumni total to 2,306 Saints in the mission field.
The Class of 2023 also featured 40 members of the National Honor Society (NHS), 176 members of the California Scholarship Federation (CSF), and boasted a scholarship average of $42,000 per student. 99% of the Class of 2023 went to a college or university.
Athletics
4 League Titles (Boys Basketball, Boys Swim, Boys Water Polo, Boys Golf)
23 students sign national letter of intent to play in college
18 All CIF Athletes (Tate Fitzgerald - Boys Water Polo, Gavin Rogers - Football, Graham Austin - Football, Andrew Duberow - Football, Ty Benefield - Football, Malania Duro - Girls Soccer, Hannah Montford - Girls Soccer, Mary Kate Duberow - Girls Soccer, Brooklynn Acevedo - Girls Soccer, Wyatt Nichol - Baseball, Alex Iida - Baseball, James Derflinger - Baseball, Jack O'Malley - Baseball, Jordan Warners - Lacrosse, Trey Kelly - Lacrosse, Curren Wallace - Lacrosse, Macy Smith - Softball, Sicily Windham - Softball)
1 CIF Player of the Year - Brooklynn Acevedo Girls Soccer
1 CIF Coach of the Year - Stephen Jennings Girls Soccer
7 All Orange County athletes (Ty Benefield - Football 2nd, Kaiden Bailey - Boys Basketball 1st, Dylan Gomez - Boys Basketball 4th, Brooklynn Acevedo - Girls Soccer 2nd, Jack O'Malley 2nd, Nathan Sok - Boys Golf 2nd, AJ Bevacqua - Lacrosse 2nd)
7 League MVP's (Elise Lee - Girls Golf, Tate Fitzgerald - Boys Water Polo, Ty Benefield - Football, Kaiden Bailey - Boys Basketball, Andrew Teh - Swim and Dive, Gabriel Aguilera and Jack Fedro - Doubles Tennis Boys)
Visual & Performing Arts
Drama: The Miracle Worker Fall Play and Spring Musical Footloose!
Our Worship Teams started the tradition of Night of Worship
The Borland Music Center opened in February 2023
Windy City Choral Festival in Chicago, Illinois. Mixed (SATB) choirs joined together to sing in one of the world’s great concert halls – Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center.
Boston Instrumental Festival in Boston, Massachusetts. Students performed in the Boston Symphony Hall, where the Boston Symphony Orchestra performs. The hall was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1999. Symphony Hall remains, acoustically, among the top three concert halls in the world and is considered the finest facility in the United States. Dr. Elliott Bark composed an original piece The Last Battle featuring Grammy Award Winning Trumpeter Terry Everson.
Dance: A Night At The Movies, Spring Dance Showcase at The Irvine Barclay Center
Missions & Outreach
38 students, 6 chaperones returned to El Salvador to serve with Sus Hijos, an organization serving orphaned and foster care children in San Salvador and the surrounding areas.
37 students and 8 chaperones returned to Mexico to serve with Baja Christian Ministries, building a house for a family in Girasoles, Mexico.
On the fourth annual School Wide Service Day, 1050 students/faculty/staff served at 35+ organizations throughout Orange County.
