The Beauty of Art at ILS

This is Miss Anastasiya Camp’s second year serving as ILS’ Art Teacher. She works with both Lower School and Upper School students to study Art History as well as develop their drawing and painting skills. ILS students can expand their studies and refine their skills by joining Miss Camp’s afterschool Art Club or by stopping in to visit her in her office in the Upper School Library.

Last May, Miss Camp founded Fine Arts Night at ILS, an exhibition of student artwork. It was one of the highlights of the school year and we look forward to the 2025 Fine Arts Night!

Miss Camp had this to share about the importance of her work as part of a classical education:

“We are very excited to see artistic progress of our ILS students in the Fine Arts. In just one year of implementing a new art curriculum students have grown to appreciate art and seek to recreate God’s beautiful creation using their creative God given talents and intelligence.

 In our program our ILS students not only learn the truth, goodness, and beauty that comes with art, they also learn to connect different famous art works to major historical eras.  The program is designed with each grade level in mind.  For instance, this year in the upper school, we are introducing the Early Christian art and the Renaissance periods on top of last year’s Baroque and French Impressionists.  As students learn about the different eras and mediums of art, we look to provide them the enrichment in imitating the many masterpieces in the same (or equivalent) techniques. The program is designed to equip our students to not only appreciate the works of the great historical masters of art, but also to develop their own skills with which they can then express their vision of God’s created World with all its beauty and wonder.”

Meet Us Monday: Mr. Anthony Kimbrough

Our Meet Us Monday blog series is back with another ILS faculty introduction!

We are delighted to welcome Mr. Anthony Kimbrough to the ILS faculty as our new substitute teacher. Mr. Kimbrough is a retired Air Force officer who started teaching after in Florida before his family returned to the Alexandria area. Mr. Kimbrough and his wife are parents to two daughters at ILS, one in 7th grade and one in Kindergarten, and were previously a part of the Immanuel community when they were last stationed in the area and their older daughter was in the Lower School.

Please join us in welcoming Mr. Kimbrough to the ILS faculty!

Meet Us Monday: Mrs. Meredith Blankenstein

We are one week out from the start of the 2023-2024 school year, so we are continuing our Meet Us Monday blog series to introduce you to the outstanding new and returning teachers and staff who will be working alongside you and your children each day this year.

We are pleased to welcome Mrs. Meredith Blankenstein to ILS as 7th grade homeroom teacher and 6th-8th grade literature and language arts teacher. She has experience teaching in both private and public schools at the middle school age, is fluent in French, and also has taught private piano and voice lessons. Mrs. Blankenstein has most recently been working as an assistant business administrator at Trinity School at Meadow View. Her true love is being in the classroom, and she is delighted to be returning teaching.

Please join us in welcoming Mrs. Blankenstein to ILS!

Meet Us Monday: Mr. Sasha Kandybin

We are one week out from the start of the 2023-2024 school year, so we are continuing our Meet Us Monday blog series to introduce you to the outstanding new and returning teachers and staff who will be working alongside you and your children each day this year.

We are pleased to welcome Mr. Sasha Kandybin as our Music Teacher. He is an accomplished violinist and conductor with a B.M. from the Cleveland Institute of Music and just completed his M.M. from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. He has experience conducting and teaching music in the public schools as well as teaching in private lessons.

Please join us in welcoming Mr. Kandybin ILS!

Meet Us Monday: Mrs. Cheere Helton

We are counting down to the start of the 2023-2024 school year, so we are continuing our Meet Us Monday blog series to introduce you to the outstanding new and returning teachers and staff who will be working alongside you and your children each day this year.

We are pleased to welcome Mrs. Cheere Helton as our 4th Grade Teacher. Mrs. Helton comes to ILS from Providence Christian School of Texas (Dallas). She and her husband are parents to 3 ILS students.

Please join us in welcoming Mrs. Helton to ILS!

Meet Us Monday: Mrs. Crissy Stubbs

We are counting down to the start of the 2023-2024 school year, which means it is time to bring back our Meet Us Monday blog series to introduce you to the outstanding new and returning teachers and staff who will be working alongside you and your children each day this year.

We are pleased to welcome Mrs. Crissy Stubbs to the ILS faculty as our 1st grade teacher. Mrs. Stubbs has been a part of our Immanuel community for many years as a parent, and she
previously taught first grade at Fayetteville Christian School in North Carolina.

Please join us in welcoming Mrs. Stubbs to her new role at ILS!!

Meet Us Monday: Mrs. Kathryn Friddle

We are counting down to the start of the 2023-2024 school year, which means it is time to bring back our Meet Us Monday blog series to introduce you to the outstanding new and returning teachers and staff who will be working alongside you and your children each day this year.

As a parent to two recent ILS graduates, as well as two current ILS students, Mrs. Kathryn Friddle has been a part of the Immanuel community for many years. She now joins the staff serving as Interim Assistant Headmaster.

Please join us in welcoming Mrs. Friddle to her new role at ILS!

Meet Us Monday: Mrs. Karen Gorr

We are counting down to the start of the 2023-2024 school year, which means it is time to bring back our Meet Us Monday blog series to introduce you to the outstanding new and returning teachers and staff who will be working alongside you and your children each day this year.

Mrs. Karen Gorr will be joining the faculty as our 2nd grade teacher. Mrs. Gorr previously taught for 8 years at ILS. She and her husband are parents to two children attending ILS this year.

Please join us in welcoming Mrs. Gorr back to ILS!