Dear High School Community,

This year our faculty is reading David I. Smith's Everyday Christian Teaching, and one line keeps returning to me: "Learning to think faith and teaching together is a pilgrim road" (Smith, 2025, p. 6). That road is not walked only in classrooms. It runs through hallways and lunch tables, onto the court, and up the mountain to retreat. This is why Student Life is not an add-on to education but essential to it. Paul writes that Christ gives leaders "to equip the saints for the work of ministry... until we all attain... a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ's full stature" (Ephesians 4:12–13). That maturity is formed in community, in competition, and in quiet reflection- so that students are no longer "tossed back and forth by waves" but anchored in truth, goodness, and beauty (Ephesians 4:14).

That formation is already underway this month. Clubs have begun, and it has been a joy to watch students commit themselves to robotics, worship band, debate, service teams, and more: each one a place where interests become callings and friendships become discipleship. Next week, our Grade 9 students will gather for the annual Oxygen Retreat , a time set apart to breathe deeply, build community, and begin high school with intention. Students will reflect on their identity in Christ, connect with peers and mentors, and practice spiritual disciplines away from distraction. This retreat is more than an outing; it is an invitation to be formed. Please pray for our Grade 9 students and the staff walking alongside them. 

Later in September, we are excited to host our second annual ICS Volleyball Invitational on September 25-26th . Athletics, at its best, is a school of virtue: on the court, students learn discipline, humility, teamwork, perseverance, and respect. As Roger Erdvig reminds us, biblical truth is meant to shape not only our thinking but our affections, choices, habits, and relationships (Erdvig, 2020, pp. 24–25). We invite families to come out, cheer on our teams, and experience the energy and community of this event. You can find more information on the ICS Warriors Schoology page. 

Whether in a club meeting, on a retreat, or on the court, the same pilgrim road runs beneath it all. We travel together as students, teachers, & families. There is a deep joy in growing together, in being formed together, and in watching one another become more like Christ with each passing season. May this year be one marked by that joy, and may we continue to walk it faithfully, side by side.