“Teaching Science class through Distance Learning is definitely a challenge, especially when we are studying plant growth!”
1st grade science: He is still in charge
Elementary School Highlight: JA City
“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!’”
GIVING UPDATE 2020
Our educators, administrators, staff, and volunteers invest day in and day out to lift up, encourage, push, and reach for each individual student who becomes an ICS Lion.
I AM CONFIDENT: SPEECH AND DEBATE
“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.”
I AM STRONG: KENADIE JACKSON AND MSLT
“She came to me in early October to ask if MSLT could start a middle school Worship Night at ICS once a month. To be honest, I was a little reluctant about this at first because that would mean two events per month (instead of one).”
THE PRACTICE OF SABBATH
What does it look like to practice Sabbath today? While I encourage every reader to consider incorporating a full 24-hour period of Sabbath into his or her weekly rhythm, I honor the freedom Christ gives to interpret the discipline differently. As you ponder how to orient your life around three-fold communion, here are some ideas that have inspired me.
COURAGE TO RUN THE (STATE) RACE
International Student Program: Homestay Family
God is bringing more and more international students to study in the United States every year and you have an incredible opportunity to impact a students' life.
WHAT WE DO HERE IS IMPORTANT
We want our students to do everything wholeheartedly, for God’s glory. We want them to take joy in hard work done well. Tess Tally is modeling this through the stage, our teachers are teaching this in the classroom, and our coaches expect this on the courts and fields.
SPEECH AND DEBATE TEAM REGION CHAMPS FOR 3RD YEAR IN A ROW!
The success of the Speech and Debate program is not necessarily about the high intelligence of the students (although that doesn’t hurt), but it is the way each student is valued as an individual.
I AM COURAGEOUS: WORLD RACE GAP YEAR
ELEMENTARY ENRICHMENT: FOR THE LOVE OF LEGO
ICS did so much for me socially, academically and spiritually, but it also developed in me a love for math and science.
ICS CAPTIVATES PRESTIGIOUS COMPOSER
In December of 2007, I took a group of high school band students to Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, CO. There was a relatively new event for select high school musicians called Best of the West. One of the special components of Best of the West is that CMU commissions a composer each year to write a piece of music for the university’s Wind Symphony to perform. This composer is in residence during the event and works with the high school musicians as they perform one of his pieces for the Best of the West finale concert. It is truly a highlight for our students each year.
This past December during the Best of the West, I was having a conversation with Benjamin Taylor, the commissioned composer for the year. As we talked about various things that directors and composers talk about, Benjamin became more and more intrigued with ICS and the band program here. He then said, “Nathan, can we talk about maybe working together on something soon?!” The following week we spent a little over an hour on the phone talking further about the ICS band program and how it has been able to offer unique opportunities to our students. We went on to talk about the possibility of a direct commission for ICS. After speaking with various supporters of the ICS Music Department, the funds were lined up and we were able to commission a piece to be written for the ICS Symphonic Band. To the average person, a commissioned band piece doesn’t sound like a very big deal. On the contrary, it is a huge deal! When I mentioned to Leon Chodos (Utah Symphony bassoonist), Graeme Mutchler (Utah Symphony bass trombonist), and Josh Reimann (Eastmont Middle School Instrumental Director) that we were commissioning a work for the band they each reacted with great excitement. Leon stated, “Most music students never experience being part of a commissioned work throughout their schooling and even through the university level!” This year, the ICS band students in 5th through 12th grades get to be part of a once in a lifetime experience! One very special aspect of this commission is how Dr. Taylor is going to work through this with our students.
Often, when a band work is commissioned, the composer is paid and then writes the piece of music and sends it to the group to be performed. Not so with this piece! Dr. Taylor is going to do a couple of Skype sessions with our band students during class time this fall to introduce them to the process and give them an idea of how he goes about composing a piece of music. Throughout the fall he will keep us up to date with the progress of the piece. Then, in January, we will have a final Skype session where he will present us with the finished product. Our students will be able to have input on portions of the piece as well as naming the work. We will begin rehearsing the music in January in preparation for our Spring Instrumental Concert on April 30, where we will perform the world premiere of the work. Dr. Taylor will be coming to ICS to work with students on final touches and then be presented for the premiere concert. To learn more about Dr. Benjamin Taylor, visit his website at benjamintaylormusic.com.
By Nathan Hope, ICS Music Director
Big Canyon Ranch HS Retreat: A mama's perspective
He washed me with His grace as I entered into a knowing that He’s used ICS, this community, these friends, mentors, and teachers to come alongside him.
I AM INSPIRED (even though I may not be musically gifted)
My experiences on music tour were the guiding factor in choosing to now be a double major in International Studies and Christian Ministries.
TRUSTING THROUGH TRAGEDY
“This past week our family experienced an emotional and unexpected journey. Our oldest son, who is an ICS Alum (c/o 2016), is a Cadet at West Point Military Academy in New York. He was home for our youngest son’s 2019 graduation from ICS and headed back to WP for field training.”
TOP 5 REASONS WHY BEING A MULTI-SPORT ATHLETE IS IMPORTANT
“…college coaches are actually more interested in players who play multiple sports because they have more of a tendency to always compete.”
WHAT DOES WOMEN'S SOCCER HAVE TO DO WITH BUILDING GOOD CHARACTER?
I learned (as I furiously jotted notes down) about the vision they have for the team and I was left thinking, “man alive, I wish my former soccer coaches had vision like these guys!”
TOP 4 WAYS TO BEAT THE SUMMER SLUMP
“As a busy parent, who hopes to create a reading culture for your family, you might need to multi-task while read-aloud is happening. Instead of being the voice reading the story, allow an audible device (car, Audible App or CD player) to play that part. While prepping for dinner, folding laundry or driving to dance class, you, along with your children, will have the opportunity to hear exceptional vocabulary and the templates of beautiful language patterns.”
TOP 3 WAYS TO SURVIVE HIGH SCHOOL PARENTING
Well, the time has finally arrived and my baby is about to fly the coop. She will graduate this week and head to a land far away...Alabama. My husband and I are incredibly proud of her. It has been a long road from the days when she would throw her shoes at the back of my head in our minivan, buck so I couldn’t buckle her into her car seat, and pitch fits monumental enough that visitors at Old Faithful begged me to take her back to the hotel. True Story. So what changed and how did we arrive here at this point with all three children still alive and relatively normal? How did we make it through the 12 total years of raising high school students?
Here are the top 3 ways we survived high school parenting:
1. OFFERING THEM UP
I distinctly remember the day that I was studying God’s Word and reading about Abraham offering Isaac up to the altar of the Lord. I was so struck and realized that God was asking me to do the exact same thing with my then high school aged son. We were having a rough time. He was wanting to do his own thing. He thought he knew more than we did...about everything. We weren’t thrilled with the choices he was making, and yet the Lord clearly told me, “Offer him up. Leave him to me. Put him on my altar. I’ve got him. I love him far more than you ever could.” It was tough and I struggled but did what I felt God was leading me to do.
Did things change dramatically? No. Did everything end up sunshine and roses? No. But I trust God implicitly and He showed me through that experience that He is faithful and good. We are now 8 years post high school graduation and we have continued to encounter bumps, lots of them. But I am sure that God has the BEST plan for our son.
2. BEING AVAILABLE AND FLEXIBLE
With our youngest, I can remember driving down the road when she was a toddler. We were having a particularly bad day. She had ripped the matching bow from her hair and threw it at me. She was talking incessantly in gibberish which I could not understand and I sat at a stoplight and just cried. I thought about how much longer I would have to endure this child and I would I count the days, the months, the years, but now I would give anything to have that time back. As we near the end of our baby’s high school career, I am more and more aware of time and I have literally put other things on hold so that I can spend time with her. And I’m talking stupid bits of time...running to the grocery store at all hours of the night with her so I can just talk with her, laugh with her and be with her. When she wants to just sit and watch Netflix, I do it. When she snuggles with me on the couch, I savor it. Time is passing quickly and it won’t slow down, so treasure every moment.
3. LOVING THROUGH DISAPPOINTMENTS
Little kids, little problems; big kids, big problems. Truer words have never been spoken. As a toddler, problems are pretty insignificant. They can be exhausting for the parent, but they’re usually pretty innocuous and as our children reached high school age, it was pretty apparent that their issues were becoming more important, with more opportunity for character-building. How would our child’s character grow when he had a sport-ending injury? How could we help him see the big picture and the plan God may have for him? How could we love him well? Heart-wrenching events such as this make a Mama’s heart ache and yet, pointing the child to Christ, the Sustainer of our faith, is a good start. Hearing their disappointment and helping them to see the bigger picture and loving them and being available to listen goes a long way. Disappointments will happen. God’s Word promises it. How we walk through the disappointment develops our child’s character, and ultimately our child’s character should be one of our prime concerns.
The Clement Family
My husband and I have done none of this perfectly. As a matter of fact, as I look back, I think we messed up a lot. I wish we could have some do-overs. And yet, in this beautiful mess of life, I think God uses it all...the bumps, the bruises, the mistakes. He takes our broken parenting and holds our children in the palm of his hand and walks the journey with them. So, don’t stress, don’t beat yourself up...God’s got you and he’s got your child.
And one additional blessing...although our baby is graduating, we have the incredible honor and privilege to be guardians of a fourth child, a junior in high school. So as much as I am sad about our baby graduating, I get to do this one more year! God truly is good!
By Leslie Clement, Mom of a Senior at Intermountain Christian School