Insider News

INSIDER NEWS

Greetings from our nation’s capital where we just celebrated the official building dedication and ribbon cutting for Immanuel Christian High School. It was an incredible event with many friends and supporters in attendance. 

Below you’ll see a brief video Karen Pence recorded for you about the day. After the Building Dedication, Mrs. Pence spoke to our K-8 students during an assembly that focused on the value of service.   

While faculty and staff are busy developing the next generation of leaders, our campaign team is focused on raising the funds needed to film and begin distribution for our innovative Biblical Worldview course. We’ve had some remarkable meetings in the past few days and look forward to sharing more in the days ahead!

Big News

ICHS DEDICATION & RIBBON CUTTING

On September 29, school leaders and supporters gathered at the Immanuel Christian High School campus to cut the ribbon and commemorate the completion of construction! What began as a dream a few years ago is now an innovative academic environment featuring four beautiful floors with college-level labs, sunlit classrooms, multi use spaces for educators and students to collaborate, and a state-of-the-art auditorium that hosts interactive classes and fine arts presentations.

By faith, over the last four years, we have seen the hand of God on the work of Immanuel Christian High School. We have many times walked by faith and not by sight trusting the Lord for the finances to secure this building, trusting the Lord to fund our vision on all four floors, trusting the Lord to provide gifted teachers and staff, and trusting the Lord to send us the right families to build out our K-12 ICS family.

Pioneering a high school is an adventure in trust! We are deeply thankful to the Lord for providing the opportunity to think creatively about how a high school could truly be inspirational. We are grateful that He provided an incredible team to bring ideas, concrete and abstract, into reality. A Christian education at ICS is an investment into eternity. Thank YOU for making it possible through your support, your encouragement, your giving, and your prayers!

Psalm 126:3 reads, “The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad.” As we look excitedly to the future, we want to remember the words to the Getty’s chorus woven throughout the song “By Faith.”

May we [continue to] stand as children of the promise holding fast to the authority of God’s word, with our eyes fixed on Christ our soul’s reward, the Author and Perfector of our faith and the faith of generations of children to come. Since the race is not yet finished and the work is not done, let us keep on walking by faith and not by sight.

ICS National Headquarters

REFLECTIONS FROM A SENIOR

During the Dedication & Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, Senior Hannah L. shared the impact that ICS has had on her.

Good morning, my name is Hannah and I’m really excited to share about the tremendous impact Immanuel Christian School has had on my life. As I was thinking about what I wanted to say today, one word came to mind: faithfulness. God is faithful. He knows the good plans He has set before us, and he will always provide a way for us to walk in them.

My family has been attending Immanuel Bible Church for almost 15 years so I’ve grown up with the idea of a K-12 school in the back of my mind. I vividly remember being in kindergarten when my mom said, “Hannah, did you know that Immanuel is planning to start a high school? Maybe it’ll be open by the time you’re in ninth grade.” So we prayed, and prayed, and prayed, that the Lord would provide the resources, leadership, faculty, staff, and families for a high school. And God was faithful.

Just before I went off to my last first day of middle school, Immanuel Christian High School celebrated its very first, first day of school. Year by year and floor by floor, God has continued to show his faithfulness to our school. He has made Immanuel a place where students can thrive. At ICHS, I have had the opportunity to learn in an academically rigorous environment, to grow in godliness through my relationships with my mentors and peers, and to discover the joy that comes with servant leadership.

The room we’re gathered in right now is called the Heart & Mind Center and I think that perfectly describes the two ways I’ve grown at Immanuel: in my love for the Lord and my knowledge of his creation. My classes have helped me understand the art of language, God’s purpose for governments, and how math and science come together to attest to His sovereignty. The Lord has also used ICHS to work on my heart. Witnessing the genuine faith of our faculty & staff increases my desire to live a life transformed by the Gospel. Now, as I’m looking ahead to graduation, I feel ready to step into the world, equipped to discern and defend truth. 

Immanuel Christian High School is a tree watered by many years of faithful prayer. I pray that in his goodness, the Lord will continue to cause this school to bear good fruit in the lives of its students for many more years to come.

New Head of School

WELCOME DR. NATHAN STEVENS

The ICS School Board is pleased to welcome our new Head of School Dr. Nathan Stevens. Dr. Stevens (right), supported by Head of School Emeritus Mr. Steve Danish (left), is leading ICS through this remarkable time of tremendous growth and influence. As the Head of School, Dr. Stevens will shepherd and lead the institution while Mr. Danish will support Dr. Stevens in the ongoing Capital Campaign efforts.

One of the first steps in the search process was to survey the ICS community for your thoughts. The ICS community said the criteria for the next Head of School should include: demonstrated ability as a school leader, ability to build a team and work collaboratively, and capacity to provide decisive leadership.

Respondents also indicated most importantly, the new Head of School must demonstrate a deep personal faith, a biblical worldview, and a contagious passion for partnering with parents in raising children who know biblical truth and can apply it. The School Board sought only candidates who demonstrated a steadfast commitment to a biblically sound, evangelical perspective that is aligned with the Statement of Faith of Immanuel Bible Church.

Using the search firm JobfitMatters, the school board conducted a rigorous search, analysis, and interview process that led to meetings with final candidates in person on campus. Every step of the way, they acknowledged their dependence on the Lord for wisdom as they prayerfully considered each decision. Finally, they were blessed with several well qualified candidates and the decision was not easy but unanimous.

Nathan and his family family desire to be part of a ministry grounded in the truth of God’s word that will challenge them to grow in sanctification. Dr. Stevens is an inspiring visionary leader who will guide the ICS students, faculty, and parents. This is evident in his approach to leadership. He has a proven track record of leadership in Christian education; he is an experienced collaborative team builder; he is a tested decisive leader committed to building a vision for the future of ICS; and he demonstrates a deep personal faith, a love for God and His unchanging Word, and a passion for partnering with parents to inspire students who will make a difference for Christ.

Award Winning Educators

ICHS TEACHER RECEIVES NATIONAL TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Recognized for his impactful, innovative discussion-based approach, ICHS Biblical Worldview & Apologetics teacher Jacob Kounter was named one of the top Christian Teachers of the Year by the Herzog Foundation at an awards ceremony hosted at the Museum of The Bible.

Jacob received this award for the engaging and in-depth approach he takes in teaching students theology, apologetics, and biblical worldview – guiding them as they wrestle with current cultural issues through the lens of the Bible. He reflected on his approach by saying “…the assumption underlying every single class is: we are doing this to the glory of God.”

Jacob was a keynote speaker to a group of educators invited to attend a series of workshops at the Museum of The Bible. He encouraged those attending by saying, “Your job as a Christian educator is not to make Christianity seem exciting; it’s to show [students] how exciting it actually is…We are teaching these students a True Story…these anxieties and existential fears you have, you can place them all on the shoulders of the God who loves you and calls you his child.”

The ICHS Biblical Worldview & Apologetics class prepares students for adulthood, which entails first and foremost taking ownership of their faith. To help them on this journey, ICHS students undergo four years of training in theology, western culture, comparative worldviews, and apologetics, while wrestling with current cultural trends and what it means to be a Christian in a post-modern age. Students also study a book of the Bible every year as they learn to love the God of the Bible. The goal of this training is for them to love and submit their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to be equipped and prepared to fulfill the Great Commission. Thank you for helping us make this amazing course available to our ICHS students — and we pray, to many others in the days to come! 

Tomorrow’s Leaders

SENIORS RECEIVE NATIONAL RECOGNITION

Seniors Lydia R. and Jacob M. were nationally recognized for their outstanding academic achievements. Lydia received a National Hispanic Recognition Award and was among 72,000 students from across the country to earn academic honors from the College Board’s National Recognition Programs! To be eligible for the National Hispanic Recognition Program, a student must achieve a minimum qualifying PSAT/NMSQT score (qualifying levels vary by region), possess a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher by the middle of their junior year, identify as Hispanic or Latino, and be a permanent resident of the U.S. or a U.S. territory.

Senior Jacob M. was named a Commended Student in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program! Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success and placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2024 competition by taking the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

Congratulations to these outstanding students – and thank you for helping us prepare them for the future! 

College and Career Prep Academics

INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS

Our new fourth floor science lab is in high demand! The 9th grade biology lab was studying enzyme reactions. Students put different organic and inorganic materials in the test tubes to see what kind of reaction would happen as they tested for the presence of the enzyme catalase. The new science lab is designed to provide students with a hands-on learning experience to inspire their curiosity of God’s world.