“I view technology as something that enhances the curriculum, but I don’t ever want it to be the curriculum,” said St. Paul Principal Barb Kozisek.

The students use the computers at school, but don’t take them home.

Kozisek is in her second year at the helm for St. Paul. While she got her start as an educator in public schools, she enjoys the Christian atmosphere at St. Paul.

“I really value the fact that we educate the whole child, so we’re getting the spirituality piece in,” she said. “You can’t separate somebody’s spirituality out of who they are.”

Enrollment at St. Paul has risen slightly over the past year, she said.

“We went from 65 to 72 students, and that’s for (kindergarten through eighth grade),” Kozisek said. “And we have a 3- and 4-year-old preschool with about 50 students.”

The school has also worked on extending its afterschool care for its preschool students who spend half a day in school.

St. Paul prides itself on its small class sizes, Kozisek said.

“Our average student-to-teacher ratio is probably 1 to 12,” she said. “There’s more one-on-one. The teachers know their students, they care about their students, they’re invested in the students. It’s kind of a small family atmosphere.”

Several of the school’s teachers have gone to conferences and training sessions on science, technology and math, otherwise known as STEM, the principal said.

“So we’re adding more STEM, which is really hands-on stuff,” she said. “Hands-on helps kids learn.”

Currently, St. Paul offers band and choir during the school day, and basketball, volleyball and LEGO League after school. They will be adding a robotics club for older students next school year, Kozisek said.

During the past year, St. Paul students have scored “above average” on state assessment tests, Kozisek said. To enhance those successes, this year, the school has changed up its testing.

“We went to MAP testing this year, which is measures of academic progress,” she said. “So we test three times a year and the whole purpose is to see growth for kids.”

The goal is to see what progress is being made for the students and identify problem areas quickly and more often to better help students learn and achieve at the levels they should.

While there are no big infrastructure projects on the horizon for St. Paul, Kozisek said she’d like to see the school add a daycare component for younger kids, but right now there is a space issue.