Alumni Highlights

This month we are pleased to highlight Marjorie Machen (nee Brouwer), class of 1984, as our ICS alumni highlight.  In addition to this, Marjorie will be speaking at chapel at ICSS on May 6 at 8:45 am, where she will share her story of being struck by a car while training for an Ironman in 2008, causing a severe spinal cord injury and with no feeling from the chest down and with limited use of her arms and hands.  Since then, Marjorie has gone on to leading spin classes at the YWCA, creating and selling amazing art and telling others her story, advocating for individuals with limitations and disabilities.

"Thank you, for the honour and opportunity to be featured as an alumni graduate of Immanuel Christian School.

Having been chosen and adopted at three weeks old to my most wonderful and Faith filled loving parents Luke, and Jeanette Brouwer, I had the privilege of attending this private Christian school. In fact, while my parents, and other siblings were living in Nordic Alberta, my father, upon hearing that a Christian school was going to be built down in Lethbridge, was the reason that our family moved here. It was extremely important to my parents that we all received a Christian education. All five of my siblings attended ICS. I was the youngest of five siblings, and my older sister Patricia Faith, who was also lovingly, chosen and adopted, attended ICS, from kindergarten to grade 12.

There were so many meaningful experiences that shaped my time and life at ICS. In particular, as a lover of sports, team sports, such as basketball, volleyball, and track and field, allowed not only team spirit and teamwork, it also came with dedication, commitment, and a lot of fun. Track and field, however, became the sport, where I was able to shine and excel. I joined a local track club in the 8/9th grade, and participated in the events of 100, 200 m sprints, hurdles, and long jump. At the age of 15/16, I had the honour and privilege of being ranked third in Canada in long jump competitions. These commitments and opportunities not only shaped my life as an athlete, but more importantly, as a believer and representative in and for Christ.

There were many fond and great memories attending ICS, such as singing in spring and Christmas concerts, Hot Dog Days, school, bazaars, Spirit dress up weeks, and high school Art classes. Overall, looking back over the years, having attended Immanuel, I can most definitely see the impact and providence of our Lord and Saviour. It came with some challenges and adversities as well, but they become training grounds and lessons to make one grow, as well as refine and purify our character for the kingdom of God. It also involved a process of forgiveness, which is oh, so freeing.

God’s ultimate faithfulness, His promises and His divine design and intervention in our lives, makes me extremely grateful, blessed, and thankful for being a child, woman, mother of 4 gifted, and talented, beautiful children, along with being a grandmother to 5 very special & uniquely, gifted grandchildren, from our Heavenly Father.  Like a grade school spring program, “Kids of the kingdom, that’s who we are, We love Jesus, we love the Lord! My name is Marjorie, and I love the Lord!”

Brandon Guthmiller, born and raised in Lethbridge, graduated from Immanuel Christian Secondary School in 2018.  After a two-year break from schooling, Brandon began the Criminal Justice Program at the Lethbridge College (now Lethbridge Polytechnic) in January 2020.  In 2021, he earned his security license and began working for the Commissionaires in July of that year and is currently still employed there.  Brandon graduated with his Criminal Justice diploma in May 2024.

Something that formed Brandon as a teenager was his 3 years in the army cadets - “Cadets helped me grow up, be more confident, and helped me in other ways.”  He remembers fondly teachers at ICSS encouraging him about his work with the army cadets.  That experience with the army cadets propelled Brandon towards a career in the armed forces, which is where he feels God is calling him to.

Brandon was accepted to the Canadian Armed Forces earlier this month and is now officially Private Guthmiller.  Currently serving as a reservist, Brandon is a Gunner (Artillery), stationed at the 20^th Independent Field Battery located near the airport.

Next steps for Brandon will be completing his Basic Military Qualification BMQ) in the summer, as well as ongoing classes with his unit, learning specifics about the military and the occupation he has chosen.  “I am looking forward to the challenges that will who up in my military journey.  I would also encourage others who want to help serve Canada, looking for adventure and challenges.” 

Melanie Van Seters attended Immanuel Christian High School from grade 10-12 and graduated in 2001. Her positive experience there would shape her desire to help those less fortunate with a focus on wanting to help high risk teens.

After graduation Melanie worked for a couple years before deciding to attend Lethbridge Community College in their Child and Youth Care program.  After graduating in 2005 Melanie began her career at Rehoboth Christian Ministries. She worked there for several years, then in 2008 started at the Lethbridge Youth Treatment Centre as an addictions counselor for youth struggling with addiction and mental health concerns.  Melanie has continued this career for the last 16 years and is currently working at the Child, Youth & Family, Addiction and Mental Health clinic as an Addiction’s Counselor.

Melanie is married to her husband Mike, who is a police officer for the Lethbridge Police Service. They have 2 teenage boys, Daniel (16) and James (12). They love to camp and spend their time at their vacation property in Moyie, British Columbia. Melanie loves to hike and spend time outdoors…. but only in the summertime! Melanie’s son James loves hockey and plays forthe U13 tier 3 Hurricanes, and her son Daniel is a robotics whiz and is part of the robotics club in his high school where they travel for competitions.

Recently Melanie has taken her love for entertaining, bringing people together, and sharing food and laughter into a new business venture. In the summer of 2024 Melanie began developing her dream of building mobile charcuterie and beverage carts. The idea was to have compact, easy to transport carts people could rent for events, parties, and special occasions. Melanie wanted to channel her passion of creating moments and memories into something unique and so GRAZE & SIP was born. She currently has one mobile charcuterie cart and one mobile beverage cart. Melanie launched her business in Jan 2025, and has already booked several events including a large wedding in the summer. “I pour my heart into every detail-sourcing fresh, high-quality ingredient, and ensure every cart is detailed to perfection. I am not just delivering food and drinks; I’m helping craft an atmosphere where people can connect, celebrate and cherish the moments of their celebrations”.

You can find her new business on Instagram @grazeandsip_yql. Website is coming soon.

Josh Oldenburger was born and raised in Lethbridge and graduated from Immanuel Christian School in 2005. His positive experience there would shape the course of his future. 

He is married to Heidi, who is a nurse at the cancer centre here in Lethbridge. They have 3 beautiful kids. Mikayla went to be with Jesus in 2012. Hailee is 11, and Jaxen is 9. They both attend Immanuel Christian Schools.

Josh began his working career in Law Enforcement. He spent 18 years, both as a Correctional Officer and 911 dispatcher. 

Josh currently works as a personal trainer and social media influencer. He has over 3 million followers across platforms. He is the Pastor of the Stronger Together Family ministry, and also runs the online ministry for the Lethbridge Christian Tabernacle.  You can find him online at www.josholdenburger.com or on Instagram at josh.oldenburger.

Trevor Sturwold graduated from Immanuel Christian High School in 2013, attending ICS from K-12. After graduation, he attended the Lethbridge College where he graduated from the Licensed Practical Nurse program. In 2015 he moved to Claresholm Alberta and started working at the Claresholm Center for Mental Health and Addictions. 2016 he started working at the Willow Creek Continuing Center and finally in 2018 he found his home in nursing and started working at the Claresholm General Hospital, where he currently works.

Even though Trevor found his niche at the Claresholm General Hospital he wanted to do more in the medical field. In 2019 he completed Advanced Foot Care Training through Devon Foot Care, learning how to assess and treat ailments of the foot and how to properly care for high-risk clients, ex. diabetics. Once completing this course he started his own foot care business, “Sturwold Foot Care.”

Starting his business in November of 2019 challenges arose of how to build cliental and really get the business started. “I didn’t really know anything about how to get a business off the ground. I started with getting my name in the Claresholm Local Press newspaper, creating a Facebook page and handing out business cards to local businesses.” Slowly but surely his business continued to grow. “One thing that I have learned in the business part of things is that word of mouth is the best way to grow a business, especially in a small town.”

“A lot of my clients ask me, what made me get into foot care? I tell them that I used to think feet were gross but what really changed my mind was I saw a huge opportunity to address the need of foot care in my community and for my passion to help people feel their best.”

In 2024 his business consists of over 60 clients and that number continues to grow week by week. “Life has been very busy with balancing work at the hospital and my rapidly growing foot care business, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. To make a long story short, I wanted to make a real difference in my community – one step at a time!”

Rachelle Wall (nee Van Dyk) has lived her entire life in Southern Alberta.  She began attending Immanuel Christian school in 2000 and graduated in 2008.  Rachelle enjoyed her art classes at ICS, where she was able to express her creativity and build confidence in her abilities.

After high school, Rachelle went on to the Lethbridge College (now Lethbridge Polytechnic) and graduated in 2011 with a diploma in Interior Design and Marketing.

After college, Rachelle began her career at Greer Home Builders as their draftsman and estimator.  While working for Greer, she also taught Photoshop and digital rendering courses at Lethbridge College.  After working for Greer Home Builders, Rachelle worked at The Kitchen Centre, designing custom cabinetry.

In 2016, Rachelle founded Wall to Wall Design.  Working with her many clients, Rachelle takes her client’s initial concepts and from there, designs both new builds and renovated spaces that function well and fit the client’s personality.  Since opening Wall to Wall Design, Rachelle has worked on over 200 unique projects, including her recent work at the newly opened Cattleman’s Chophouse in Taber.

Rachelle and her husband Devon (class of 2009) live in Taber and have two children.  They attend Parallel Church, where Rachelle is actively involved in the worship team.  You can learn more about Rachelle and her career in interior design on her website, walltowalldesign.ca or follow her on Instagram.

Rosalie, the youngest of seven children, grew up on a farm near Nobleford. From her youth she knew Jesus as her Lord and Saviour and God as her heavenly Father, with the Holy Spirit ever present in her life.

Rosalie attended Immanuel Christian School for Grades seven to nine, as there wasn't a high school at Immanuel yet. The summer after graduating Grade twelve from Noble Central School, she was part of a Summer Workshop in Mission team in Regina for the summer.

A month later she headed to Michigan to attend Calvin College where she acquired a Bachelor of Science degree with a math major. Computer science was just taking off in the 70s and caught her interest. At that time it was mainly programming and being a people-person she changed to an education path. During college, she participated in a program spending time with troubled teenage girls.

Rose’s first teaching position was at Red Deer Christian School in a combined Grades Three and Four classroom. While living in central Alberta, she became involved in Citizens for Public Justice, serving for a few years on the local and provincial boards. She joined a “CPJ” group that did weekly visits at a prison and also invested time in helping raise funds for a Christian counselling organization. As a member of First Red Deer Christian Reformed Church, Rose served on their first outreach committee and was a founding member of their daughter church, New Life Fellowship CRC.

In 1990, Rose took a one year leave of absence to teach with the Christian-sending organization, English Language Institute China. She fell in love with the Chinese people. This led to teaching English on teams in ShangDong, Beijing, GuangZhou and Tibet over the next decade plus. She especially enjoyed three summers training Tibetan teachers and a three-month intensive teaching program with a group of vice ministers in Beijing prior to the summer Olympic games there.

Throughout the 1990s, Rosalie was back in Alberta at times during which she taught Grades Nine and Five for two years at Immanuel Christian School and subbed in classrooms when on home leave for a semester. She also had a three year term teaching at Ponoka Christian School helping start the Kindergarten program that was combined with Grade One.

When she returned from China the summer of 2003, Gertie Heinen's cancer had returned and ICS asked her to teach Grade Six (just days before the school year started). That led to ten more years of teaching at ICES. Rosalie retired in 2013 but still spent a few years substitute teaching until Immanuel became a charter school.

Over the course of her career, Rosalie taught as a homeroom teacher Kindergarten through Grade Six and Grade Nine, along with a few Junior High subjects and one High School subject. While in China, she taught university courses, post-graduate, and teacher training classes and later led teams in private Kindergarten through Grade Twelve schools.

The variety of locations, age levels, students and colleagues Rosalie engaged with through the years has led to many sustained friendships, and Rosalie is quick to say that she is oh-so blessed.

Kimberlee Vroom graduated from Immanuel Christian High School in 2017, attending ICS from K-12. After graduation, she moved to Pennsylvania for a year of school at Geneva College. In 2018, she returned to Southern Alberta and attended SAIT to become a Medical Lab Assistant. She began working at Chinook Regional Hospital as an MLA shortly after until now. She then began the University of Lethbridge's NESA program, recently graduating from the program in May of this year. 

Kimberlee has always enjoyed sports and athletics, playing primarily volleyball during her time at ICS. Her love for competition led her to find powerlifting during the pandemic when team sports weren't able to be played. Powerlifting consists of three main lifts with three attempts each: Squat, Bench, and Deadlift. The best of each lift is then added together as a Total. She competed at her first powerlifting meet in 2022, and has since competed 4 times over the past two years.

Kimberlee's most recent competition was Alberta Provincials, where she placed 2nd in her weight/age class, and has qualified to compete at Canadian National Championships in PEI this September. She is looking forward to competing with the best powerlifters in Canada.

When she is not at the gym, work, or studying, Kimberlee enjoys spending time with her two dogs, Monte and Ruby, playing pick-up volleyball or spike ball, reading, or volunteering at her church.

Monique Lieuwen, the oldest of 4 girls, attend and graduated from Immanuel Christian High School in 2006.  After graduation, Monique headed south to attended Dordt University.  Leaning on her gifts in science and math, Monique entered the engineering program.  “I’m a really practical person, so I wanted to study something useful, something in which I could get a degree in four years and get a good job that I enjoyed,” Monique commented.

As part of her studies at Dordt, Monique participated in a number of short-term mission opportunities which laid the groundwork for her future career in humanitarian work.  Upon graduating from Dordt University, Monique began working in the environmental engineering department for the City of Abbotsford in British Columbia where she obtained her Professional Engineering License.

While working for the City of Abbotsford, Monique was introduced to the work of GAiN (Global Aid Network), a Christian humanitarian organization that coordinates projects such as microfinancing, water well projects and working with refugees.  “I had always wanted to do something humanitarian with my engineering degree,” Monique said.  “But I didn’t know what it would look like.  I did know that I wanted to work for a Christian company.  What’s the point of doing it unless you’re doing it to share the love of God?”

In 2016, Monique joined the team at GAiN as a project manager, overseeing projects across the world.  She is using many of the skills she learned in her time working for the City of Abbotsford, including managing projects, working with contractors and making budgets, with all of these projects happening alongside ministry programs and partnering with churches, demonstrating the love of God in word and deed.

You can learn more about the work of GAiN on their website, as well as supporting the work of Monique here on her giving page.

Scott Van’t Land attended Immanuel Christian School from K – 12, graduated from ICHS in 1993.  After high school, Scott went to the University of Alberta, earning a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.  After completing his degree, Scott returned to Southern Alberta, beginning his career on the family farm in Coalhurst.

In 1999, Scott married Angela, another ICS alumni and together they now have 4 children, 3 of whom have already graduated from ICSS, with their youngest daughter set to graduate from ICSS in 2025.

In addition to a keen mathematical brain, Scott is also very creative.  He expresses this through music, as he is currently a member and treasurer of the Vox Musica Choral Society.  Scott is also a talented landscape photographer, with his work hanging in many local homes and organizations, including the Society office at ICSS.

Along with his work and creativity, Scott is also committed to giving back to the community.  One area he has invested in deeply is the Society Board of Immanuel Christian Schools.  This month marks the end of Scott’s second six-year term on the Society board, having served many of those years as either treasurer or chairperson.  Scott was an instrumental part of building the agreement between Lethbridge School District 51 and the Society, as well as being involved in the hiring of both current ICS principals.  ICS is very grateful for Scott’s hard work on its behalf and thank him for his many years of service.

Abigayle Sinke grew up in Southern Alberta and graduated from Immanuel Christian Secondary School in 2022, the third of four from her family.  During her time at ICSS, Abigayle could often be found in the LIFE wing, involved in both choir and the art program.  Her love for creativity and the arts was enjoyed by many and is still on display in the form of a large painting in the hallway by the music room. 

After graduation, Abigayle graduated from Bella Elite Beauty Academy in 2023, extending her creativity into a career as a hairstylist, currently developing a home salon.  Abigayle also continues to pursue her art as a published illustrator.  Her most recent project was illustrating a children’s book titled, “Anna’s Big Adventure – a 1950s Canada Immigration Story.”  This was a fun and unique project for Abigayle to be involved in, working alongside her mom Julia who authored the book.

You can follow Abigayle’s artwork on Instagram at abigayles_art_ and her growing career as a hairstylist at hairby_abigayle.

Jeremy Wind grew up in Southern Alberta, graduating first from Taber Christian School in 1996 and then from Immanuel Christian High School in 1999.  After high school, he went on to complete his diploma in Heavy Equipment at Olds College.  Before joining the family potato farm, Jeremy spent a season custom combining in the southern United States, and Australia.

After many years of farming alongside his parents and brother, Jeremy and his wife Erin started Windview Farms in 2021, continuing the family tradition of growing potatoes, as well as branching out into sweet potatoes.  He has been quick to embrace technological advances in farming, as well as partnering with Advanced Ag, a local biological technology company, in the development of ACF-SR, a highly concentrated biological that performs important plant growth promoting functions within the soil.

Jeremy has combined his passion for farming and concern for those less fortunate in his involvement with the Canadian Food Grains Bank, serving the past 5 years as the chairperson for the Taber Foodgrains Project.  Each year, local farmers join together to plant, grow and harvest a crop with all proceeds being donated to the Canadian Food Grains Bank, joining hundreds of other growing projects across the country. Over the past 27 years, the Taber Growing Project has donated $2.4M to alleviate world hunger.

Jeremy and his wife Erin live in Purple Springs with their five children.  You can follow Windview Farms online to learn more, as well as the Taber Growing Project.

Kathy MacFarlane, nee Van Gaalen, (Class of 1984) has a Master of Arts in Leadership, is a certified Spiritual Intelligence (SQ) coach, a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), an accredited Resilience at Work user and a Myers Briggs Personality (MBTI) practitioner.

She had a successful 30+ year career as a leader and senior fundraiser for various public sector organizations, such as the Boys' and Girls' Club, Chinook Regional Hospital, Lethbridge College, University of Lethbridge and the Kings' University.

Kathy began her consulting business in 2019 with a passion to promote healthy leadership principals so people can thrive at work, at home, and in the world.

She specializes in Spiritual Intelligence as a unique and distinctive layer in her leadership coaching and training.  Spiritual Intelligence is defined as the ability to behave with wisdom and compassion while maintaining inner and outer peace, regardless of the situation.  She uses an assessment tool where people can rate themselves on 21 skills that support SQ.  She then works with individuals or teams on exploring areas to help them thrive.

"People are familiar with emotional intelligence (EQ) and cognitive intelligence (IQ) but that only gets us so far.  Spiritual intelligence is said to amplify our EQ and IQ.  Evidence shows that people and businesses with higher SQ are more profitable, have more employee satisfaction and loyalty, greater workplace wellness, a commitment to a higher cause and more customer loyalty among many other benefits.  For decades society has conditioned people to leave their soul in the glovebox before they walk into work.  If we are people of faith, we might intuitively know that was never helpful.  Now research shows that employers are missing out on creativity and innovation and a multitude of other benefits if people cannot be safe to bring their whole selves to work."

In this confusing chaotic world where it seems like the divides between people are widening, humans are craving significance, meaning and impact. Kathy believes that cultivating Spiritual Intelligence is the best path to a thriving workplace where everyone is seen, can use their gifts fully, and make a difference as well as a living.

"I work with leaders who know there is "something more" and want to go deeper and higher leading self and team.  I help leaders explore their higher self, higher purpose and higher power so they can be wise and effective change agents is business and life.  SQ leaders are a calm and healing presence, even in chaos, make better decisions and move from just influencing to inspiring others.  SQ leaders create an environment of trust and respect, essential ingredients for successful teams."

Kathy enjoys riding her electric tricycle and travelling with her husband in their RV with their rambunctious dog Sage who insists on many miles of walks.

She currently volunteers on the Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta's Marketing and Public Relations Committee.

To learn more, please visit Kathy's website and her blog:  https://kathymacfarlane.com/

Shelly Pfeffel (nee Slomp) grew up in Southern Alberta and graduated from Immanuel in 2003.  Unsure of what she wanted to do, Shelly worked in the banking industry for a number of years before finding her passion working with people at the YMCA of Lethbridge where she managed the membership team, bookkeeping and payroll. 

After her maternity leave, it was time for a change.  She started working at Kasko Cattle Company in 2019, initially as the accounting technician, but when an opportunity arose, she was approached to become the Human Resources Manager for the company.  Attending online classes at the University of Calgary to continue her knowledge, Shelly is deeply passionate about what she does because she believes in the pivotal role that people play in the success and sustainability of agriculture.

Working in HR in this industry allows Shelly to create a positive and supportive work environment for the hardworking individuals who dedicate their lives to cultivating the land and raising our food.  She is able to foster a culture of collaboration and well-being amongst the farming community.  Shelly is proud to help people find their passion, emphasizing the importance of a fulfilling workplace by promoting a work/life balance to ensure that each member of the team can thrive both professionally and personally.

Ian Veenendaal attended Immanuel Christian High School from grades 7-12 and graduated in 2009.  After graduating, he completed a Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD in Physics at the University of Lethbridge.  Ian worked under the supervision of Prof. David Naylor, developing new concepts for scientific instruments used on space telescopes for studying the universe at far-infrared and microwave wavelengths. 

“These wavelengths are used to study cold, dark areas of the universe, containing clouds of dust and gas which may collapse under their own gravity to form new stars, allowing us to understand the physics behind the star formation process,” Ian explained. “Also, long wavelengths allow us to peer past all stellar objects in the foreground to study the background glow of the universe known as the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) which marks remnants of the formation of the very first atoms.”

Ian has worked at SRON, a space research institute in the Netherlands in the cities of Groningen and Leiden, and currently, Ian & his wife Alexis live in Cardiff, Wales, where Ian works as a research fellow at Cardiff University.  His main work involves optical design and AIV (assembly, integration, and verification) for various far-infrared and microwave telescopes.  Ian has previously worked on the Herschel & SPICA space telescopes, and now works on the Simons Observatory, a ground-based CMB telescope located in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, and LiteBIRD, a space-based CMB telescope led by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency.

1. Where do you work? What is your job there? I am working at Dutchie Dirt Moving Ltd. At Dutchie Dirt Moving I clean the shop, clean the equipment, drive the skid steer, and I am learning how to weld with Art Brouwer. On Fridays I go to the Ability Resource Center and volunteer at the Humane Society working with the cats.

2. Who are you living with? I used to live with my cousin Briana but now I live with my cousin Ian.

3. What is your favorite thing to do in your free time? I like to sing, listen to my music, watch wrestling, go bowling, go to dance and hang out with my friends and family.

4. What is your favorite memory from Immanuel Christian School? I have a lot of good memories! At the elementary school I like to see my friends and the teachers as well as my teacher Mrs. Fennema. I like to play on the playground and play trumpet with Mr. Robb. At the high school I like to see my friends. I loved the Christmas banquets and being in the play Cheaper by the Dozen. I liked to cook in Home Ec class and I remember I burnt my grilled cheese sandwich. I learned that God is always with us. Immanuel Christian School is an awesome school.

Annette Lievaart grew up in Southern Alberta, graduating first from Taber Christian School in 2002 and then from Immanuel Christian High School in 2005. From there, Annette went on to NAIT, where she received her diploma in Respiratory Therapy in 2008.

After beginning her career in Edmonton, felt called to do something different. This started with a short-term trip to Tenwek Hospital in Bomet, Kenya, in 2010 and then a move as a long-term missionary there in 2013. Tenwek is a 330-bed hospital that provides care to patients in rural Kenya. As the only Respiratory Therapist (RT), Annette works with patients in the ICU, as well as providing training and education throughout the hospital and the region.

“I came to Tenwek as I was looking for a place that I could share the love of God with my patients, as well as fill a needed role. Tenwek was that fit.” The motto of Tenwek Hospital is “We Treat, Jesus Heals”, so in addition to her role as an RT, Annette is also a part of Bible studies and discipleship for the Kenyans in the training programs at Tenwek.

For more information about the work that Annette is doing in Kenya, or to support her ministry work there, please visit her site HERE.

You can also find her missionary page with Into All The World HERE.

Melissa Hildebrand (Wever) graduated Immanuel in 2004. She went on to attend Kings University College for 1 year and then enrolled at the Lethbridge Community College for the Early Childhood Education program, graduating from the two-year program with honours.

From there, Melissa worked in a summer program, a day care, bought a house and in July 2007, opened a day home.  During that time, she also married her husband, Mike.  Mike and Melissa have been blessed with two daughters - Janessa (grade 6) and Claire (grade 2), who are now attending Immanuel Christian Schools. Melissa shared how at the time they were born, it was such a blessing to be able to have the day home and stay home with their daughters.

Melissa always loved working with children and it had been a lifelong dream to work in a preschool. In the spring of 2021, a friend mentioned to her that there was a notice in the church bulletin that Discovery Nursery School was for sale. After prayerful consideration, Melissa and her husband decided to purchase the preschool. Just a few weeks later, their youngest daughter, who was 4 at the time, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

“God truly works in mysterious ways. The diagnosis was life-changing for our entire family. I often think that I never would have bought the pre-school if I had known about the upcoming diagnosis.  But God knew and He has been very faithful as we navigated a new diagnosis and a new business (through COVID).”

Discovery Nursery School runs a preschool program on the west side of Lethbridge. Melissa opened her first preschool classes in September 2021 and was able to run 2 morning classes.  Melissa shared, “God has blessed the preschool with growth over the last two years. This September, I have been able to expand to offer additional afternoon classes. To God be the glory.”

Les Vonkeman has spent most of his life in Southern Alberta. Being born into a Cree family in the 1960’s, Les was a part of the 60’s scoop, which resulted in the government removing him from his birth family and Les being adopted into the Vonkeman family in Iron Springs. He attended Immanuel, graduating in 1987.

In 2000, Les applied to the Lethbridge College for the Criminal Justice Program and then entered the Lethbridge Police Service in January 2001. He spent the first ten years of his career on the streets as a patrol officer and then moved into the position of Diversity Liaison Officer in 2011.

As Diversity Officer, Les was given the opportunity to learn about his Indigenous culture. This began a journey for him which has included reconnecting birth family. Les has also created programs to bring Indigenous and non-Indigenous together, which benefits the Southern Alberta community. For this work, Les has received the Community Builders Award and the Queens Jubilee Award.

Les’ most recent initiative has been as a founding member of the Honouring Traditions and Reconciliation Society, a grassroots action-based organization working in Lethbridge to help spread Indigenous awareness and education in an effort to bridge the reconciliation gap.

Les remains a part of the Lethbridge Police Service, working once again as a patrol officer. He and his wife Jeanette (class of ‘89) have remained involved with the Immanuel community, with both of their daughters attending ICS, as well as many of their foster children. You can learn more about Les’ work with the Honouring Traditions and Reconciliation Society at their website, www.htrsociety.org.

Karen Van Seters (nee Vant Land) attended Immanuel Christian School from K-12. In conversation with Karen, she shared that she always loved drawing and “was encouraged by my art teacher, Mrs. Horner. In high school, my science teacher, Mr. Visscher, predicted that I would become a scientific illustrator. That prediction came true as I am now a Certified Forensic Artist, providing scientific forensic drawings for law enforcement.”  

After graduating in 1999, Karen received her certificate in Office Administration from Lethbridge College and then was hired as a Records Clerk for the Lethbridge Police Service. Three years later, she became a 911 dispatcher where she was trained to help people in very stressful situations. This, along with her close working relationship with the Lethbridge Police Service, led Karen to utilize her artistic skills to further help people through Forensic Art. 

In 2009, Karen took her first course in composite drawing from Stuart Parks Forensic Associates, a husband-and-wife team from Idaho who travels around North America teaching various Forensic and Fine Arts. She mentioned that “during my very first class with them, we realized we had our Christian faith in common when they mentioned their close friend, Frank Peretti, and my head popped up like a fan girl! They have become like family to me now, and we remain close in our faith and love of art and books.” (Carrie Stuart Parks is a published author and I highly recommend her Christian fiction crime novels.) 

Today, Karen is still a 911 dispatcher and continues her ongoing training in composite drawing, skull reconstruction, identification of unknown remains, age progression, and more. She provides these services primarily to Lethbridge Police; when they release a drawing to the public, you’ll see her trademark KVS signature in the corner. 

“My time at Immanuel Christian School reinforced my Christian faith and taught me the importance of service and caring for our neighbors and community. The school also introduced me to my husband, Randy, and is where our children, Jakob and Luka, each attend. With this family and community supporting me, God used my career in Emergency Services to lead me to serve others through Forensic Art. I could never have predicted this would be my path, but I can’t imagine it turning out any other way.” 

Karen’s art is on Instagram @kvstheartist, Facebook @kvstheartistyql, and her website https://karenlynne.wixsite.com/kvstheartist. You can find Carrie Stuart Parks’ books at Chapters and on Amazon, and more information on her website http://www.carriestuartparks.com. 

Ken Boessenkool graduated from ICHS in 1987 and has spent his career invested in Canadian politics and policies.  After high school, he completed an undergraduate degree in business with majors in Finance and Philosophy from the University of Lethbridge.  Ken also completed a graduate degree in economics from the University of Toronto in 1998. 

Ken’s career has been long and varied.  He began as a personal banker and has also been a senior regulatory economist with two different electricity firms.  He has played senior strategic and policy roles in four national election campaigns for the Conservative Party of Canada under the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He has been Chief of Staff to former Premier of British Columbia Christy Clark and a senior policy advisor to three national Conservative leaders, two Alberta Finance Ministers, and an Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader, as well as holding senior roles in numerous national and provincial leadership campaigns. 

Ken is currently the J.W. McConnell Professor of Practice at the Max Bell school of Public Policy at McGill University, Research Fellow at the CD Howe Institute, and Founding Partner at Meredith Boessenkool Policy Advisors. 

Above all of these accomplishments and titles, however, the name Ken wears most proudly is that of Opa.  Ken lives in Southern Alberta, has four daughters, two of whom graduated from ICSS, and two grandchildren. 

Jordan Schellenberg graduated from Immanuel Christian High School in 2002 and from the Criminal Justice program at Lethbridge College in 2009. He then went on to join the Boys and Girls Club in Lethbridge in 2012 as the Director of Youth Programs.

As Jordan continued to work with youth within Lethbridge, he became increasingly aware of one of the major obstacles facing youth – a lack of affordable, quality driven, mentorship-based programs supporting youth after school. Seeking to responding this problem in Lethbridge, Jordan and three friends founded Youth One, a grassroots organization dedicated to giving youth a central community of support which would be completely funded by the community. Since launching in 2014, Youth One has supported thousands of individual youth through their middle school and high school years. This has been done through after-school drop-in programs, support groups, leadership training, food services, life skill development & more.

Jordan began as the Director of Services in 2014 and today serves as the President and CEO. He and his wife Jodi have three children, two of whom will be students at ICES in the fall of 2023, much to the joy of their grandmother Terri, who is the ICES admin assistant. 

You can learn more about Youth One and support Jordan and the work he’s doing there at www.youthone.ca.

Tim Selles was born in British Columbia, moved to Lethbridge when he was in elementary and graduated from Immanuel Christian High School in 2005. After graduation, Tim moved to Hamilton, Ontario to attend university and has remained there to this day. He lives there now with his wife and young daughter and teaches English & Music at Smithville Christian High School.

In addition to his “day job” of being a high school teacher, Tim is also an accomplished singer/songwriter with three albums under the name Timid, the Brave. Tim remembers one of his earlier musical experiences as being in the ICHS choir, singing bass.

Studying English in at Redeemer University gave Tim increased skills needed to write his own lyrics and he began performing his own songs at the coffee house at Redeemer. After spending a month walking the Camino de Santiago across Spain, Tim returned to Hamilton and began writing and producing more music.

You can find Tim’s music and follow his band Timid, the Brave, here: https://timidthebrave.bandcamp.com/album/vuja-de

Erin Elgersma grew up in Southern Alberta and graduated from Immanuel Christian Secondary School in 2015, the first of three from her family. After high school, Erin was based in New Zealand for two years with YWAM (Youth With a Mission) before moving on to Trinity Western University (TWU), where she earned a BA in International Studies.

Erin is currently living in Ottawa, where she is a legislative assistant for Chris Lewis, Conservative MP for Essex. She assists Mr. Lewis during committee meetings and corresponds with people of his riding. Erin began considering a career in politics through her time at YWAM, as well as her first political science classes at TWU. Erin didn’t ever plan for a career in politics, but looking back credits high school Social Studies teacher Maureen Milne for seeing her passion for politics and international affairs before she even did. Erin said, “I think regularly, ‘If only Miss Milne could see me now’, and ‘How did Miss Milne know this is something I’d enjoy even before I did?’”

Cindy Bouwers, nee Stronks, is an artist and a designer whose love for art began in Junior High at Immanuel Christian School under Mr. Stelpstra. After graduating from Immanuel in 1980, Cindy went to the U of A and obtained her BFA in Visual Communication Design. She spent many years as an accomplished graphic designer, as well as teaching design courses at the Alberta College of Art and Design.

After a strong career in graphic design, Cindy decided to explore a long-buried desire to paint and pursue her own artwork. This has resulted in a rich body of work, informed by her design background. Cindy has been juried into a number of group shows in Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto and in 2019 won the Duggan Landscape Award presented by the Society of Canadian Artists for her landscape painting titled Gust and Flurry.

Cindy now has a studio in Airdrie, Alberta, and you can view and purchase her work at cindybouwers.com or follow her socials on Facebook www.facebook.com/CindyBouwersArtStudio/ or Instagram @cindybouwersart

Marten DeVlieger grew up in Taber, graduating from grade 9 at Taber Christian School in 1997 and then from grade 12 at Immanuel Christian High School in 2000.  Both Marten and his sister Karen were born with Cystic Fybrosis (CF), a fatal genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system.  Their mom had to manually perform chest physiotherapy on them daily to help clear their airways.  

After high school, Marten had big dreams, including becoming a helicopter pilot, and wasn’t going to let CF stand in his way.  Marten designed a chest device that would mimic the physiotherapy that his mom had been doing for his entire life.  Starting with random parts in the shop on his dad’s farm, Marten’s invention is now known and sold as the Monarch Airway Clearance System.  This invention has changed his life, as well as many others living with CF. 

Marten did get his helicopter license and flew in northern Alberta for the oil industry until his health made it too difficult and he had to give up his pilot’s license. 

Today, Marten and his wife Janine live in the Crowsnest Pass with their kids. Follow Marten on his socials, Facebook and Instagram, to watch his adventures in mountain biking, snowmobiling and more. 

UPDATE:  Marten fought many health challenges throughout his life and on December 24, 2024, God took him home.  We grieve with his wife Janine and their children, as well his parents Henk & Janny and other family members.

Kalyn Swihart, a group fitness instructor, founder of Ballet Beats, and ICHS alumni, has been recognized as one of Canada’s Top Fitness Instructors for 2023 for the second time – congratulations, Kalyn! 

“As a child, Kalyn Swihart was an entrepreneurial dance teacher. She offered her services as a ballet teacher to athletes in sports like gymnastics, figure skating, synchronized swimming and martial arts, who might benefit from ballet. This inspired her to combine fitness with dance and her Ballet Beats program was born. “I love teaching movement more than words can express,” she says. 

“I am passionate about creating a teaching environment that is for all bodies. One that starts with acceptance and self love and focuses on the movement, being our strongest selves and rebelling against the idea of an ‘ideal body,’” she says. “I think the world needs more of that to get all people moving and benefiting from exercise.” (taken from impactmagaine.ca) 

Kalyn attended Immanuel Christian Schools from kindergarten to grade 12, graduating in 2002.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts in dance with a major in ballet from the University of Calgary and Alberta Ballet.  Her education emphasized both dance and kinesiology which has supported the marriage of Classical Ballet technique and fitness to create a unique experience for her students.  Kalyn created Ballet Beats ®, a full-body workout experience, to break down the ballet barrier – making ballet accessible to all. For more information, please visit her website at balletbeats.com or follow her socials on Facebook or Instagram.