#ThisIsICSAddis

A new feature on our Facebook page is #ThisIsICSAddis. Each month we profile one of our support staff members, learning more about their work, their interests and their view of ICS. Our support staff, from security to maintenance to office staff, are the backbone of this community and they exemplify the ICS Way as they take care of others and this place. We want you to have a chance to get to know them through this new feature and will post a few of these profiles here on the Alumni News page, for your enjoyment.

September 2017

We are fortunate to be able to profile Ato Addisu Gebre Shikur. He has been working at ICS for more than 30 years, in a variety of positions. He currently works as a carpenter in our maintenance department and you can see his work throughout the campus - just look for the "Made in the ICS Workshop" label. He is also a talented dancer and singer, and his dance skills are always a highlight of every staff party. For many years, Addisu has been a key part of the Meskel celebration at ICS and you will see him tomorrow singing the traditional Meskel song "Eyoha Abebaye", adding to the celebratory atmosphere around the holiday.

In the early 2000s, then ES Principal Dianne Zemichael asked Addisu to share his knowledge of the Meskel holiday with our elementary school students, including lessons on Ethiopian dancing and singing.

He also demonstrated how to make the demera (bonfire), how to cut the difo dabo (bread) and of course the singing of "Eyoha Abebaye" while the demera is burning.

In more recent years, Addisu sang "Eyoha Abebaye" with the elementary students as they welcomed their parents with Meskel flowers to the amphitheater for the Meskel play.

After the lighting of the demera, the support staff dance through the crowds of parents, students and staff, with Addisu serenading individuals for contributions toward their evening feast. This photo is from 2001, with then director Paul Olson in the center of the singers, and this tradition still continues, so make sure to have some cash on you on Meskel!

In quieter times, Addisu can be found in the workshop, creating items to be used around campus.

"ICS is a second home for me", says Addisu. He enjoys coming to work every day and spending time with his colleagues, who are like a family to him.

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