Isaac Weander was selected to receive Lutheran Education Association’s 2025 Outstanding New
Lutheran Secondary Educator Award. He is the Director of Choirs and Theology Teacher at Concordia
Lutheran High School in Fort Wayne, Ind. He is the second CLHS teacher to recently receive this award.
Concordia Lutheran High School teacher Brian Loesel was the recipient in 2021.
Mr. Weander graduated from Concordia University Nebraska with a Bachelor of Music, K-12 Vocal and
Instrumental Music education, and a Lutheran Teachers Diploma. At Concordia, he was named the
Outstanding Student in Music Education and was selected as the student director of the Concordia
University Nebraska A Cappella Choir. He also served a summer Director of Christian Education
internship which allowed him to strengthen his skills in interacting with youth and parents, planning
events, preparing curriculum, and sharing the Gospel.
Isaac finds joy working with students. He said, “One of the greatest joys I experience working with high
schoolers is watching students yearn for knowledge, ask intelligent questions, and engage in discourse. I
have the opportunity to lead students through material and concepts that they have not encountered yet
in their education. As they begin to understand these concepts, they begin to ask questions that challenge
my schema as well as their own. We, as a team, manage to dive deeper into things such as Old
Testament translations or enharmonic equivalents in music. Ultimately, their desire to learn is inspiring.”
Teaching in a Lutheran high school is not without its challenges. Isaac said, “One of the greatest
challenges I face is one that all church workers face, being pulled in numerous directions. I truly
appreciate how multi-faceted my ministry position is…but it can be exhausting…it also allows for
mistakes to be made.”
A parent of two of his students supported his nomination, saying, “Mr. Weander is a tremendously
talented director with a gift for training students; he challenges students while putting them each in a
position to succeed. Mr. Weander blesses our Lutheran Schools, because in addition to tremendous talent
and professionalism, Mr. Weander is also a man of immense character and faith. He truly embodies the
definition of servant-leader.”
Isaac’s personal mission statement is short and simple, “Isaac Weander points people to Christ. I
frequently add verbs to the statement to remind myself how I can carry it out in any setting. For example,
Isaac Weander sings to point people to Christ. While content is important, I believe that Lutheran
education has something else at its’ center, Jesus Christ. We, as Lutheran educators, have the unique
opportunity to spread the Gospel message in everything that we do and say to whomever we do or say it
to.”