Building on 25 Years of Belonging

For the past several months, International Community School has had the privilege of partnering with three MBA fellows from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.

As part of a spring semester project, these emerging leaders immersed themselves in the life of ICS. They toured our campus, attended board and committee meetings, met with our leadership team, learned our history, and studied the opportunities and challenges facing ICS as we look toward the future.

What they delivered exceeded our expectations.

The fellows gathered and analyzed a tremendous amount of information about philanthropy, fundraising, and capital campaigns. More importantly, they translated that research into practical tools and a roadmap that can help guide ICS into its next chapter.

As I reflected on their findings, one theme continued to rise to the surface: ICS is deeply rooted here.

For 25 years, ICS has been a place where children from around the world find belonging. Today, our students represent dozens of countries, languages, cultures, and experiences. They learn together, grow together, and build a community that reflects the very best of what our world can be.

What struck the fellows, and what we sometimes forget when we are focused on the work in front of us, is just how unique this community truly is.

They saw a school that has spent a quarter century helping students and families put down roots. They saw a community built on relationships, trust, and opportunity. They saw something that has already proven it can last.

Recently, we experienced a powerful reminder of that impact when 23 former ICS students returned to our campus as graduating high school seniors. They walked the same hallways they once navigated as children, greeted by cheering students, proud teachers, and a community eager to celebrate all they had accomplished.

What made the moment especially meaningful was seeing how much of that community remains rooted here. Many of the educators who taught these students years ago are still serving ICS today, including Htwe Htwe, Felicite Acho, and Tam Nguyen, who were recently recognized for 21 years of service to our school.
As I watched these young adults return wearing caps and gowns adorned with honors and medals, I was reminded that permanence is about much more than a building.

Permanence is found in the relationships that endure. It is found in teachers who dedicate decades of their lives to helping children learn and grow. It is found in students who return years later and still recognize the people, values, and sense of belonging that helped shape who they have become.

For 25 years, students and families from around the world have found that sense of belonging at ICS. They have formed friendships across cultures, learned from dedicated educators, and become part of a community that extends far beyond the classroom.

That is why this next chapter matters.
The future of ICS is not ultimately about constructing a building. It is about creating a permanent home that reflects the strength of the community we have already built. It is about ensuring that future generations of students and families have a place where they can put down roots, find belonging, and build a future together.

Our current facilities have carried us through years of growth, and we are grateful for every classroom, hallway, and shared space that has supported our journey. But as our community continues to thrive, we know we must prepare for what comes next.

The opportunity before us is not simply to construct a building. It is to invest in the next 25 years of belonging, learning, and community impact.

The MBA fellows helped us see that more clearly. Their research affirmed what many of us have felt for years: ICS has built something extraordinary. Now we have the opportunity to create a home that reflects what this community has become and supports what it is destined to achieve.

If this vision inspires you, I invite you to join us in building the next chapter of ICS.
Together, we can create a permanent home for belonging in an area where most of our families already live. Together, we can ensure that future generations of students continue to find opportunity, community, and hope at ICS. Together, we can help this remarkable school remain rooted here for many decades to come.