History

International Community School Udon Thani (ICS UD) opened in 2020 with 130 students and the goal of bringing quality Christian education to a strategic metropolitan center in northeastern Thailand. Currently in its sixth school year, ICS UD has a student population of 300, with room to grow, having recently completed the construction of a new academic building.  

Highlights

My family visited Udon Thani for two reasons, to visit our close friends, the Shockey family, and to experience ICS UD. Taylor Shockey and I started at ICS Bangkok on the same day in July 2016. We were both teachers early in our career, but with different origin stories. Taylor was a missionary kid who went to high school in Chiang Mai, Thailand, then attended Baylor University. Until moving to Thailand, I had spent my whole life in New Brunswick, Canada. We became fast friends, connecting through our shared passion for sport, physical education (PE), and calling to serve in Bangkok. Taylor served in Bangkok for 6 years then moved to Udon in 2022. He’s now the Athletic Director and secondary PE teacher. 

During my visit it was a lot of fun watching Taylor teach his classes. He’s a gifted PE teacher who connects with his students, makes learning meaningful, and maximizes physical activity time. Taylor is also a visionary Athletic Director who established ICS UD athletics in only the school’s 4th year of operation. He has created numerous tournaments for his athletes to compete in to accommodate for the limited international school competition in Udon Thani. At the moment Taylor’s getting ICS UD ready to host their first ACSC Division 2 tournament next month and I think they just might win it! 

Another highlight of my visit was learning from Principal Tim Michalek. Tim is a positive, empathetic, and organized leader who knows his team well and is intentional about building them up. Tim reminded me of the importance of humility, shared leadership, and the joy of seeing your team members succeed. I’m always thankful to spend time with leaders, like Tim, who care so deeply for their school’s mission and community. I’m excited to see how ICS UD continues to thrive under Tim’s leadership. 

ICS UD has an awesome faculty full of dynamic and multitalented educators. It was a joy to share with them at morning devotions and connect with some of the secondary team at lunch. It always speaks volumes when staff are excited to share the stories of how God brought them to the school. Not only is this team dynamic, they’re committed to the mission. This year ICS UD has a 97% teacher retention rate, a clear indication of strong school culture.

While serving at ICS Bangkok from 2016-2019 I heard plenty of exciting updates from the leadership team about the construction of ICS UD, but I didn’t take the opportunity to visit. It was a blessing to finally see ICS UD in person, connect with the faculty, take in the awesome facilities, and see meaningful learning taking place.

3 Key Takeaways

• Lead With Humility: School leaders are only as good as their teams. Be brave enough to give the shine to your team, highlight their accomplishments, and take great care of them. 
• Hire For Missional Fit: Mission mission mission, be clear about mission, clearly communicate it during the hiring process, and hire professionals who align with it. Bringing in new faculty who are already connected to the school’s mission is a powerful foundation for school culture improvement. 
• Build Boldly: Plan and build new facilities with the vision of adding significant value to your school both now and in the future. If you build it, they just might come. 

Build culture, unlock potential. Visit my Connect Page or send a message on LinkedIn. 

Stay tuned for more international school visits!

Peace & Blessings, 

– Josiah