On Sunday, April 17, Immanuel Lutheran School broke ground on a five-classroom addition to the school building. After several years of planning for this renovation and expansion project, the community was thrilled to come together to celebrate the official groundbreaking.

Current ILS families, alumni, and members of Immanuel Lutheran Church joined with representatives of the project partners, including Rust Orling Architects, Chamberlain Construction, and the Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) for the ceremonial ground breaking. Construction is scheduled to begin this spring and continue until January 2017. Students are expected to move into the new space during the 2016-2017 school year.

Immanuel Lutheran School was originally established in Old Town Alexandria by German immigrants in 1870. After closing during WWI, the school was reopened in its current location off of Russell Road in 1944, where it continues to serve students in Jr. Kindergarten through 8th grade.

As well as adding five new classrooms to the school building, the existing classrooms will be renovated with new floorings, ceilings and millwork, additional bathrooms will be built, the HVAC system will be updated, and an elevator will be added to the school as a part of this project. Work is also planned for the church building, including improvements to the kitchens, the addition of more bathrooms, the construction of an elevator.

"This is a significant moment in Immanuel’s history,” said ILS School Board Chairman Jason Kunik. “For more than 70 years, this school has stood in this location, serving students and families from throughout our community. We have been so blessed with the continued growth of the school, and we need this additional space and the improvements to our facility to be able to continue to serve families for generations to come.”