TfT Continues at ICS!

By ICS Director of Curriculum and Instruction Denise Buckley

This summer, I was asked to speak at one of our alumni events, and it was such a challenge to decide what to share! I have so many great memories of ICS, from a variety of perspectives. As a parent, I am incredibly grateful that my kids have attended (or still attend!) ICS; to have them at a place with excellent teachers who also pray for them has been priceless. As an employee, I have loved working at ICS. As the guidance counselor I basked in the joys of helping kids make plans for their futures — both the years when the graduating class was 10 and the years when we had big classes of 26. Each one was special. As an administrator, I have been blessed to lead an excellent team of teachers. I am in awe of the gifted, committed professionals God brings to our staff.

After pondering so many excellent memories, I decided that what best sums up my memories is my Deep Hope for Intermountain Christian School.

For the past several years, we have been preparing to bring Teaching for Transformation (TfT) to our school. We began by testing the waters of this program theoretically; then we invited some teachers to try it out as our early adopters. This year, all of our faculty will be involved with TfT. In a nutshell, TfT combines intentional biblical integration with educational best practices. In full transparency, I started as a skeptic: I have been an educator for 20+ years and have seen so many programs come and go. I am no longer apt to trust the latest new idea. But I have become a huge fan of TfT; it is rich with biblical integration and strong educational protocols. TfT is going to add great things to our school.

As part of Teaching for Transformation, each person on staff is asked to construct a written Deep Hope for our work at ICS. This Deep Hope is our guiding principle of sorts — the “why” of what we do. Our Deep Hope represents why we each followed the call to work in a Christian school.

My Deep Hope for ICS is to be a school where — in all areas — learners are challenged to see themselves as part of God’s Great Story. May we, as the ICS community, see our own part in that story and know deeply how much He cares for, equips, and calls us to His purpose.

Though written for this coming school year, these lines represent what I have always desired for ICS: to be a place where seeking God’s purpose and plan is paramount. As a parent, and as an educator, I want ICS to be strong in what we offer academically and equally as strong in what we offer spiritually. We need to be a place where — in addition to math, science, and humanities — students learn about God, His story, and how each of us fits into His grand, purposeful plans.

God’s Great Story involves creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. Over the past 40 years our school has seen evidence of each of these steps. ICS was created with a dream and a vision and God’s blessing. Through the years we have experienced moments of “falling,” then relying on Christ’s redemption to restore us. Over and over again, we embrace that cycle — trusting in His forgiveness, His presence, and His gracious reminder that we are indeed a part of His story.

So, as I look back and look forward, my Deep Hope for ICS remains the same. In a fallen world where confusion reigns, may we be a place where our students can know that God is real and that He has called each of them to be a part of His Great Story. Here’s to another 40 years, ICS!