Connections for a Lifetime

In honor of National Lutheran Schools week, I’ve asked my friend, Immanuel Admissions Director Karen Sandusky, to share her experiences and thoughts about Immanuel Lutheran School…

Often when I am giving people a tour of the school, I tell them that I used to work in corporate America as an accountant.  Inevitably, I am then asked how I ended up as the admissions director for Immanuel.  My husband and I moved to the area 11 years ago and began our search for a church home.  At that point, neither of us were Lutheran nor even frequent church-goers for that matter.  We thought it was important to make some connections, as our first child was on his way.  While we were visiting Immanuel, we ran into a longtime friend, Tim Laabs.  He made us feel welcome and introduced us to some people at Immanuel.

The connections we made at Immanuel grew when we found ourselves volunteering.  Soon our second son was born, and then we were looking for a preschool.  Immanuel was a natural fit because we knew many people there, and many people knew our kids.  We had assumed that we would leave to go to public school after kindergarten, as my husband and I both went through public schools and thought our kids would do the same.

We did not anticipate how quickly and deeply our family would be connected to Immanuel.  Preschool and kindergarten were wonderful experiences for both boys.  The boys still talk about the imaginary trips to the moon and the real trips to the pumpkin farm.  More than that though, they talk about their friends who have been through thick and thin with them.  Just a couple of days ago, one of my younger son’s friends declared my son to be his brother.  To the casual observer that may appear to be merely cute, but seeing the connections between the 8th graders has convinced me that the friendships that my kids make at Immanuel will not be fleeting.  The small school environment at Immanuel has given my kids an extended family that supports them through their trials and triumphs.

About a year and a half ago, it occurred to me that my backgrounds in education — I had since gone back to school to work on a Master’s Degree in Education — and business might be a good fit for the position as Admissions Director.  I sat down and wrote a list of what I would tell people about the school and how I would get the message out.  When I got to the 3rd page in less than 20 minutes, I stopped and looked at all the things that I love about Immanuel.  At that point, I knew that I wanted to be even more a part of it, and to tell others what I have learned.  I started working at Immanuel a little over a year ago, and I very much enjoy what I do, admissions and teaching.

When I run into alumni from Immanuel, I usually ask them who they went to school with.  An enthusiastic list of the person’s classmates is the usual response.  I typically hear that they recently saw their Immanuel friends at an event or gathering.  The students who graduate from Immanuel have connections and friends that last a lifetime.  Last year when I was giving a family a tour of the school, we stopped to talk to a student who had just transferred to Immanuel for 8th grade.  I went out on a limb and asked him unprompted what he thought.  He said that before he had a lot of acquaintances, now he has a lot of friends.

In Christ,
Karen Sandusky
Admissions Director, Immanuel Lutheran School
sandusky@ilcp.org

www.ImmanuelPalatine.org