Walk through the front doors of Hope Lutheran School and a prominent display of freshly won trophies will likely be the first to catch attention. But it's on the walls, where framed pictures of academic and sports teams hang, that have captured the school's pride in the faces of the students who've participated in the Lutheran Elementary School Tournament.

In February, students helped to keep a 35-year tradition alive when they competed in events like swimming, music, dance, math, basketball and cheerleading at the Portland tournament over President's Day weekend. The tournament began in 1962 and is hosted every year at Concordia University, a Portland Christian university.

Hope Lutheran's fifth and sixth grade Dance/Drill Team took first place for the second year in a row.

"Our team really did a great job and had tons of fun," said fifth-grade team member Meredith Lang. Winning was great, she said, but her favorite part was the school pizza party after the tournament.

The team started practice in late October to prepare for the competition, said coach Mary Norton who choreographed the team's routine.

"They were excited from day one," said Norton. "It takes a while to teach the girls because most have them have never done anything like it before."

Madison Jones, a fifth grader on the dance team, said the experience reminded her of the movie "Remember the Titans" because the teams learned so much from each other.

"It felt great!" she said.

"This really teaches them about accountability, and it's a huge boost of confidence for them to be in front of at least 1,000 people and for 5 minutes every one watches them," said Norton who also teaches third grade at Hope. "I'm really proud of them. The look on their faces - it's definitely worth it."

Eleana Stevens is a member of the winning dance/drill team but also participated in the piano competition. She's been playing piano for four years and won second place in her division for her rendition of "Sonatina," by pianist Muzio Clementi.

"We worked very hard--two days of hard practice out of our week," she said. "I have a really proud feeling of working so hard and having it pay off."

Hope's math team walked away with a team win for first place.

Sixth grader Becky Leslie and seventh grader Michala Watford each won math competitions in their grades, securing spots on the school's four-person team. Leslie and Watford said the competition experience made them more self confident and proud of their accomplishments.

"I might not have gotten first place but I still did something important," said Leslie.

" I think it definitely builds confidence because you're putting yourself out there and you learn how to have fun in competition even though you might not be good at it," said Watford.

Eighth-grade cheerleaders Victoria Kelly and Katie Terry helped their team bring home second place in the AAA cheer division.

"It's so exciting to be on stage and have people clap for you - it makes you feel appreciated," said Terry.

At the start of the season, Kelly and Terry were worried that their team lacked the unity to work together. But after a few weeks at cheer camp, the girls learned appreciation for each other, forming a bond that helped them win at the tournament, said Kelly.

"We learned how to intertwine with people who are different than us and accept them," said Terry. "We all cooperate much better now and work as a team."

Back in 1962, the competition started small with only a few Portland area Lutheran elementary schools participating. But as word spread, the tournament now hosts more than 1,000 participants and their families from as many as 21 Lutheran elementary schools from Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho and Nevada.

That tradition and history has made participating in the tournament like a right of passage for many Hope Lutheran students, said Peter Renn, the school's principal.

"Watching the students succeed and shine when they do their best is the fun part of being a principal," said Renn, who also attended Hope Lutheran Elementary and participated in the chess and spelling competitions of the tournament. "Competition isn't the major focus. No one ever says, 'I remember the time I won.' That's the best part of my job, saying how proud I am."

Rebekah Schilperoort can be reached at wseditor@robinsonnews.com