CASSONDRA GONDER
Cassondra attended ICS from 1992-2001. She received her BMSc from Western University in 2005 and currently lives in Belmont with her husband Brian and their three children Ella, Myles, and Ariana.
I have many fond memories of my time at ICS, from being a member of school “families” which involved students across the grades coming together, and participating in an afternoon of activities, to Christmas Concert Performances, to team athletic and school band events. The staff poured into the students to create an environment where students felt loved, and were encouraged to fulfill our potential and be all that God created us to be.
As a student at ICS, we were taught to give back to the community, and were given opportunities to do so. I remember being a “Change Bandit” and collecting change to raise money for the London Children’s Hospital. I also remember Compassion coming to the school and doing a presentation about poverty across the globe. My friends and I together, sponsored a child because we wanted to make a difference. We as kids didn’t have much money but were moved to give what little we had. I am thankful that we were taught to look beyond our own lives and see the pain and suffering in the world, and that we could make a difference to share the love of Christ.
As a parent now, I can see how the daily, seemingly mundane moments have a teachable component to them where we can point our children toward God, and the grace that he has given each one of us. Children are watching and listening and will follow the example set before them. I am thankful to have had a foundation set in school to learn the Biblical truths, and to have seen them modelled in my life by parents and teachers.
I am in the stage of teaching my kids to pray, to study the Bible, and to walk with God. This is no easy task in the world we live in, but God is faithful to those who call on Him. Romans 1:16a says “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” Raising kids to be servants of God, and spreaders of the gospel is the most important calling of a parent, and we all play a role in raising up a mighty generation of Christ-followers.
ALUMNI FEATURE
NATHAN SAARLOOS
Nathan attended ICS from 1988-1997. He received his B. Sc in Environmental Studies and Political Science at Redeemer University College, a certificate in Land Resource Management from Au Sable Institute and holds a Certified Crop Advisor designation with a specialty in 4R Nutrient Management. He is currently employed by FS Partners as a certified crop specialist serving farmers in Elgin, Norfolk and Oxford counties. His lives and farms in the Aylmer area with his wife Beth and their three children, Eleanor, Cecilia and Gideon.
“Being born and raised in the area and then returning to Aylmer to raise a family gives me a profound appreciation for the education I’ve received at ICS. There is something special about having your children educated in the very same classrooms I once sat in and even more special is that they have even had some of the same teachers I had growing up. In fact, my children are the third generation of Saarloos’ to attend Immanuel Christian School since its inception over 65 years ago.
As I reflect on ICS, the words of Psalm 100:5 come to mind: For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations. ICS has been a part of my family’s history for generations and is a tangible sign of God’s covenant promise made to our children in baptism. The ICS community has endured the test of time and has been such a powerful example of the Christian community instructing our children in the Christian faith, leading them into a life of Christian discipleship through Christ centered education.
I can think of multiple examples of the Christian community I’ve experienced during my time as a student at ICS. I can remember an older student helping me pull out a loose tooth in grade one and then helping me find Ms. Pieters, who then created a hand made card for me to take home. Or the time our class made a quilt for the GST auction that raised over $1000 for the school and the pure joy we felt after we heard about it the next day. That is the embodiment of a Christian community that still exists at ICS today.
And even now as a parent, I have had the opportunity to see first-hand the countless hours put in by the staff and many volunteers that make our school such a great place to send our children. It gives me confidence that through God’s grace, ICS will continue for many more generations, helping our children be a salt and a light to the world around them. What a blessing that is.”
ALUMNI FEATURE
MELISSA KUIPERS
Melissa attended ICS from 1988-1997. She received her BA at Redeemer University College, BEd at Western University, and Masters at University of Toronto. She currently serves as Director of Family Ministries at Central Presbyterian Church in Hamilton, where she lives with her husband and toddler. She writes fiction and creative non-fiction.
"In these past few years as I’ve had the privilege to work with children, I’ve been thinking a lot about my childhood and the communities that formed me. I’ve been thinking about the seemingly small, sensory moments that represent a large-scale investment from adults who made us feel cared for day by day.
I remember the skits our teachers did at graduation each year, celebrating each one of the graduating students in a silly song. Ours was “The Grade 8 Bunch,” and from time to time I sing the Brady Bunch theme song melody with these lyrics.
I remember our Grade 1 teacher introducing us to the blue French puppet with the long arms, and how even in Grade 7, when she pulled him out at an assembly, we were delighted to see our old friend.
I remember our principal asking me to read a poem for Lent. I remember her allowing herself to be moved to tears by what I wrote, feeling empowered that an adult would let a child’s words minister to her.
Now, as Director of Family Ministries at a church, I’m thinking a lot about those teachers as I discern how to provide a place of spiritual growth for children. Now I’m pulling out puppets and looking for fun ways to celebrate each child. Now I’m the one moved to tears by the words of children.
I lead kids in Bible memorization and am grateful for teachers who taught me this skill at a young age. I lead children in worship and am grateful for teachers who taught us these same songs I’m singing. I tell the children about how God provided manna in the wilderness, and I bring out rice cakes the way my Grade 2 teacher did.
I want to build a community of faith among children the way my teachers did so long ago, to pass along what I gained from them. I am so grateful for their example of teaching the gospel through creativity, through building a caring community, and for demonstrating Christ’s love to us first hand. Their service continues to have a ripple effect through those of us so deeply impacted by their witness."
