Annual Fund

Families come in all different manners. There are those who we call relatives who are tied to us by blood and heritage. We share traditions and customs and strive to live with one another in harmony and love. But blood alone does not define family alone. Deep friendships also foster feelings of kinship and the Bible talks of the family of God. Those of us who share in Christ's redemptive love know of the bond we share in our faith. But what makes a family stronger, closer and unified is our shared common experiences.

 

GSIS is a shared experience that makes every person in our community family. Some in our family have been here since the beginning when we opened our doors in 2006. They are our pioneer families that put their full faith in our school without history or evidence of success. Others have joined us with each passing year, bringing with them fresh spirit and attitude challenging GSIS to evolve and mature as a community.

It is in this spirit of family that I ask you to join us in making a donation to our school's Annual Fund. As our community grows, we have had to make adjustments and changes to our campus to accommodate our expanding family. This past summer, we invested over a 200,000,000 won in improvements around our campus to better serve our students. You may have noticed some of these changes immediately when you arrived on campus last month. Our new Admissions office was carefully designed to give the best first impression of GSIS to prospective families. I am sure you will agree with me that these changes have improved our image more than ever.

Another great addition that was made specifically for our students is the new fourth floor student lounge. This space was created intentionally for our students so they could have a place to gather and share their time and happenings with their student life ministers, teachers and peers, just like a family.

You may have noticed other changes as well, like the creation of our school spirit store, The Knight Shop, spear headed by our own PTA to bring unity and community to our school. We've created a covered walkway between the dorm and main buildings to shield our students from the elements during inclement weather. Some classrooms have been expanded; other classrooms have been created to accommodate a growing GSIS family.

I know all of these changes are a welcome from our parent community and we would like to continue expanding our school each and every year. We would like to one day improve and expand our cafeteria so we can service our students better during meal time. The possibility of a new building on campus is always a welcome idea that requires careful planning and capital. Ideas of a covered walkway and pagoda in and around the property behind our sports complex has been expressed.

All of these ideas cannot come into fruition without a healthy Annual Fund. We want our students to strive for the very best in their education, and we want to support that effort by providing them with a concrete infrastructure that insures their best chance.

I would like to humbly ask you to prayerfully consider making a gift to the GSIS Annual Fund this year. In the past, many parents have joined some of our faculty, staff and Board members to invest in our GSIS family. To those families I encourage you to continue your support of our school by extending your monthly or annual donation for another school year.

Thank you for supporting us with your time, energy and finances and I hope to see you on campus more often this year at our various events and functions. May your Chusok holiday be filled with laughter and fond memories!

Gratefully,

Dr. Thomas J. Penland

Headmaster