Our founding motto, life through service, is a moral beacon that guides us in our daily lives at IMS. It is a motivating principle for our community and program, and is woven into the fabric of our school. While events like our annual All-School Skating Party are fun opportunities to gather and celebrate our community, these traditions have a deeper purpose.

This year, the IMS community laced up their skates to benefit One Planet International School located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Co-advisor of the Community Service program Sheryl Knapp explains, “We look forward to this event every year as an opportunity to bring together all three of our divisions with faculty, parents, and families. Everyone who attended was happy and having fun out on the ice.”

This year, we are proud to announce that the IMS All-School Skating Party raised $415.00, which the Community Service group will send along to One Planet International School with handwritten letters.

One Planet International was founded in 2006 with just over 30 kindergarten students. The school now serves around 450 students from kindergarten through tenth grade, and emphasizes a holistic approach to education with a focus on academic excellence and character development.

The school is driven by the notion that we are all citizens of a common planet. Its philosophy states that “no matter where we were born, what we look like, what language we speak, or what we ate for breakfast…we are all the same people. We not only need to treat each other with dignity and respect, but we need to take care of our home, planet Earth!”

The values of One Planet International are closely aligned with the founding motto and core values of IMS, and we could not think of a more fitting educational institution to support. We believe that it is important for us to continually find ways to deepen our commitment to service, to engage in discussions about the meaning of service, and to expand our environmental sustainability projects in order to protect our natural resources.