I love that I can share my faith with the students as I teach them the skills they will need for life. As Colossians 1:16-17 states, "For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth...He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Those verses shape my philosophy of teaching at ICS…
I kept an eye out for open English teacher positions at ICS upon first moving here in 2011, but I found out about the opening after I already had a teaching position with the homeschool Co-op in 2015. After the job was offered, we had to make a quick decision about a major change, but we felt God was leading us to ICS. We are so happy to be a part of the ICS community, and grateful for God's guidance during that time.
“ICS students fulfilled all the roles to operate a Chick-Fil-A, First Security Bank, Merit Medical, and KSL News station, and declared the experience “the best school day ever!’”
“He kept writing, practicing, and competing. By the end of his sophomore year, that stutter had disappeared and, in his senior year, he was a respected and confident contributor in classes. This young man morphed from a quiet and shy freshman with a stuttering problem to a confident young man currently attending college.”
ICS involved me in small groups, mentorships, and Christ-centered community through all twelve years I attended. Coming to college, I realized that this familiarity and solidarity in Christ was what I missed most. I am so thankful that I knew what a healthy body of believers looked like so I could find and create a similar type of uplifting and life giving community in my new home.
Behind the scenes of ICS, faithful women and men labor each school day in loving service to their Savior and the school. The unsung nature of their lives echoes the words of the psalmist,
“Not unto us Lord, not unto us, but to your name be the glory!” Psalm 115:1
These selfless servants play key roles at the school including secretarial, reception, organization, finance, marketing, admissions, maintenance, technology, and special projects.
What do operational team members do? They make it easy for faculty and staff to educate their students. They implement the vision of the principals and head of school. They meet the practical needs of 55 staff members, 340 students, and over 200 families.
But what do they really do?
They tirelessly coordinate hot lunch and parent-teacher conferences, while answering phones, and comforting a sick or injured child, ALL AT ONCE!
They faithfully note the weekly MS and HS student birthdays and ball games, schedule daily subs, and email report cards out on time.
They carefully calculate tuition, needs-based assistance spreadsheets, and bank deposits, then graciously answer any and all monthly billing questions.
They creatively design snazzy MAROON Lion T-shirts and keep the website and school-wide announcements up-to-date and on point.
They joyfully introduce the school to new families and patiently walk with them each step of the way as new students apply and enroll.
They dutifully book soccer fields and basketball gyms, corral the myriad of school activities and events into a usable master calendar, keep score at games, and schedule buses to get all the students safely to their various destinations right on time.
They meticulously set-up Surface Pros and Chromebooks, reconnect printers, align projectors, maintain wireless networks, and troubleshoot equipment errors.
They amazingly pull off memorable events like Annual Fund Celebration and Day of Service, rarely missing a detail.
They humbly plunge clogged toilets, change burnt out light bulbs, and setup and tear down the cafeteria and gym for chapel, lunch, and basketball games.
Whew - it’s a lot of work to help a school operate!
While these servants may often go UNNOTICED, let's hope they never go UNAPPRECIATED.
How thankful we are to God that ICS can offer an exemplary education because of their tireless work, their joyful smiles, and their constant example of faithful lives serving the God they love!
By Matt Parker
