Looking Ahead: Immanuel Christian High School

Written by Steve Danish, Head of School and Chris Gleason, ICS Chairman.

Many of you are aware that Immanuel Christian School is expanding to the high school level.  We now plan to open with 9th and 10th grade in the first year, and it is our expectation that ICHS will be a powerful, transformational experience for those who attend.  We are very excited about the progress that has been made by our High School Planning Committee finalizing curriculum, recruiting faculty, evaluating facility options, and working with our accrediting association for the full accreditation of ICHS the very first year it opens. Our program will include opportunities for real-world internships and “winterim” international trips every year for all our high school students. In our launch year students will have the opportunity to travel to Europe and visit historic locations of the Protestant Reformation. In following years, they will be able to travel to Greece, Rome, Africa and Israel.

In recent months we have visited other high schools, met with school administrators and personnel, communicated with many consultants, and have refined our vision for the specific kind of high school we believe God is moving us toward. All this has led to some revisions along the way.  Our original goal to rent classroom space from Word of Life Church nearby has changed. The program we envision will require greater flexibility for classrooms, labs, and common space than we are able to achieve by renting from Word of Life. We are now in the process of selecting a suitable building that we can acquire and build out to the specifications of our own instructional design.

This has changed the timeline for the launch of ICHS. We are no longer simply trying to rent space, but are actively engaged in the process to identify and to buy a facility where we can design the space that will meet our needs. While we do not have the exact opening date settled, we know that the earliest would be the fall of 2019. The new timeline will be influenced by the response we receive from friends and supporters who join with us in this effort. We are greatly encouraged by the inquiries we continue to receive and are glad the word is getting out about our plans. Our enthusiasm and vision for ICHS is greater than ever, but there are important details that must be worked out before we can define the new timeline. While we know that the High School program will not begin next fall, we continue to see God’s steady hand upon this endeavor, giving us an even bigger and bolder vision for what He wants to accomplish in the lives of our students.

Please continue to pray for Immanuel Christian High School, for refinement of our facility options, for the selection of a world-class team of Christian educators and staff, and for God’s clear confirmation in the hearts of parents and students whom He will call to be the pioneer families of Immanuel Christian High School. Continue to spread the word about the future of ICHS and contact us if you have thoughts to share. We will keep you informed of updates, information meetings, and opportunities to help.