Thursday, October 30, 2025
Lutheran West is pleased to announce the launch of its newest Center of Excellence: The Jochum Fine Arts Conservatory.
Centers of Excellence are curricular areas in which Lutheran West students can choose to focus their educational experiences according to their own emerging interests, talents, and goals.
The Jochum Fine Arts Conservatory joins three established Centers of Excellence: The Senney Honors Academy (est. 2011), The Senney Enterprises Business & Entrepreneurship Academy (est. 2022), and Longhorn Athletics (est. 1958). Coming soon to Lutheran West is a fifth Center of Excellence: The STEM Academy.
Vice Principal of Curriculum & Instruction, Mrs. Christy Spiegel, says that students who choose to focus their Lutheran West experiences within a Center of Excellence will be uniquely positioned for success in future endeavors.
“The reality is that the most common major at the college level is ‘undecided.’ Our goal in launching all of the Centers of Excellence is that whatever major our kids decide on, their decision is an educated one,” says Spiegel. “For students in the new Jochum Fine Arts Conservatory, this will mean growing exponentially as an artist, performer, or creative thinker prior to choosing their collegiate or career path – with many choosing to continue pursuing their art at the next level and/or throughout their lives.”
The Jochum Fine Arts Conservatory is more than an arts program—it’s a launchpad.
“The Jochum Fine Arts Conservatory empowers students to grow creatively, refine their skills, and build a standout portfolio while preparing to take their artistic passions to the next level—whether in college, as a career, or within their community,” says Caroline Pangrace, Director of the Conservatory.
Students in The Jochum Fine Arts Conservatory can choose their arts trajectories from 5 dedicated pathways: Visual Arts, Vocal Performance, Instrumental Performance, Theater Arts, and Dance.
In each of those pathways, students will receive unparalleled opportunity and guidance to excel within their chosen discipline.
Students in The Jochum Fine Arts Conservatory will receive elevated, personalized instruction to prepare them to succeed at the collegiate and professional level. They’ll participate in masterclasses from current Lutheran West faculty and visiting artists. They’ll grow as artists themselves by participating in adjudicated events. They’ll have the opportunity to network with professionals in the arts and gain experience in professional arts settings. The Jochum Fine Arts Conservatory will even enable students to travel as a cohort to New York City and explore performance and career opportunities.
Lutheran West has long been blessed with exceptional arts facilities, talented faculty and directors in the arts disciplines, and a community that supports our arts programs. The launch of The Jochum Fine Arts Conservatory enables Lutheran West to further deepen and expand the arts experiences of our students.
“The arts are so important for our young people today,” says Director of The Jochum Fine Arts Conservatory, Mrs. Caroline Pangrace. “The arts give them a chance to really be present with one another, to grow together, to have real-world conversations, and to build skills that they just can’t learn behind a screen. When students explore the arts at Lutheran West, they grow in creative skills, confidence, and their personal relationship with Christ.”
In speaking with students, the same sentiment rings true.
Peyton Wenz, Class of 2025 graduate, says that “Being in art classes really impacted my experience at West. It helped me get prepared for my future career. I think participation in the arts teaches young people a lot about creativity, and enhances their thinking ability – they learn to actually enjoy learning.”
Alongside giving students the opportunity to grow creatively, build their portfolios, and make informed choices for their future, the Lutheran West Centers of Excellence aim to develop Christian leaders in growing and important fields within our society.
The arts is a field that will continue to influence culture, drive thought, and allow us to express the journey of being human. Lutheran West is committed to ensuring that our students who graduate and pursue artistic careers are becoming the Christ-centered leaders and thinkers that our world needs.
Recent graduate and theater participant Jalynn Saunders ‘25 draws the parallel between her faith and her pursuit of the arts: “I read in Isaiah, there’s a verse that says, ‘God, use me. I am not ashamed.’ That’s what we do in the arts, and that’s what we’ll have to do in life – say, ‘God, use me.’”
To learn more about The Jochum Fine Arts Conservatory, visit LutheranWest.com/Arts.
Application information will be made available to current students next month, with applications going live in January.