We’re super-excited to feature a Q&A with Emily Ingistov, the new head of Westchester Lutheran School! Westchester Lutheran School is a private Christian school serving Preschool-8thGrade located in Westchester, CA. Emily has been a familiar face at the school for years and now she’s earned the top job. Congratulations, Emily! –Christina
Question: After receiving your teaching credential and a Master’s of Arts in elementary education from Loyola Marymount University in 2003, you started teaching at Westchester Lutheran School (WLS). Most recently you taught math for grades 6-8. You also hold an administrative credential and a Master’s of Science. What are some of your most important short and long-term goals now that you’re the head of school?
Answer: My short-term goals include implementing a resource program this school year for gifted-students and students with special learning needs, beautifying our campus with improvements to the playground and yard play space, and developing a campus-wide STEM program. My long-term goal for WLS is to welcome more families to our wonderful school, support ongoing continuing education and professional development for teachers, increase school-wide communication, and continue efforts to integrate technology into the classroom and into the hands of our students.
Question: How would you describe the educational philosophy of WLS? At WLS, our motto is Believing and Achieving. We have been educating students since 1950.
Answer: At WLS, we make it our mission and goal to educate the whole child so that each child is provided opportunities and experiences to discover and develop their unique gifts and talents in a Christian, nurturing and caring atmosphere. We aim for high academic success and achievement through our standards-based, differentiated instruction. We want our students to graduate WLS knowing they have the confidence, knowledge, and skills necessary for succeeding in the world.
Question: What do you think are some of the most innovative trends happening in education right now? Are there any you’d like to incorporate into the curriculum at WLS?
Answer: One innovative trend I am seeing in the field of education is the emphasis of a STEM program so that students are leaders of the world in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. At WLS, we are going to expand and enhance our STEM program and Portals to Science. This is where students will build and learn through hands-on activities about energy and environmental conservation by installing solar panels, creating a battery from a potato, installing rain collection barrels, composting bins, solar ovens, and developing a school-wide recycling program. In addition to this, we will have a STEM quad for our 6th-8thgrade students where Math, Science, and Technology curriculum will be integrated to promote student learning. The integration of technology of across the curriculum is another important educational trend we embrace.
Question: What are qualities you look for in applicant students? What about the parents?
Answer: We are looking for students who are eager to learn, understand new concepts, and grow in a caring, Christian environment where all members are valued and respected for unique differences, weaknesses and strengths. At WLS, we take pride in our strong tradition of academic excellence. We seek students who are eager to be challenged and engaged in their learning experience. We welcome parents who understand and value the notion that it takes a village to raise a child and want to be contributing members of our school community through the many volunteer activities we offer. We see parents as partners in educating our students.
Question: Do families need to belong to the Westchester Lutheran Church to enroll at the school?
Answer: We welcome and value ALL students of diverse ethnic backgrounds and faiths at Westchester Lutheran School. One does not have to be a member of the church to attend our school or be of the Lutheran faith.
Question: Over ninety percent of the school’s eighth graders are accepted by their first choice private high school. Can you talk about how you help prepare kids to apply to private high schools? What are some of the private high schools your students attend?
Answer: Over ninety percent of our students not only are accepted into the high school of their choice, but many of them also receive advanced placement at entrance, including honors programs, and receive academic scholarships for their excellence and achievement. Our students typically attend the following schools after graduation: Loyola H.S., Marymount H.S., St. Monica’s Catholic H.S., Notre Dame Academy, Notre Dame H.S., Pacifica Christian H.S., St. John Bosco, Bishop Montgomery, Harvard Westlake, Windward, and Vista Mar. Our students are highly prepared for the rigors of high school. Students are taught time management through balancing rigorous academics, various athletics, and extra-curricular activities. We provide leadership opportunities, including student clubs such as Math Mentor Club, Girl Up, and Student Government. Students take Spanish in elementary and middle school years at WLS which often places students in advanced placement in high school. Many students place into Honors Geometry, Honors English, and Honors Biology as Freshmen in high school and are very successful in these courses. We are proud of our students and all that they have accomplished while at WLS. They continue to amaze us and make us proud with their continued accomplishments in high school and many prestigious universities. At WLS, we provide students with the foundation and skills needed to achieve their professional aspirations and goals. Believing and Achieving!
A native of Sacramento, Emily Ingistov arrived in Los Angeles in 1997 after graduating from Saint Francis High School to pursue a degree in Political Science from Loyola Marymount University. It was during this time at LMU, that Mrs. Ingistov discovered her professional calling to become a teacher while completing a work-study program at Cowan Avenue School as a Site Coordinator in the government-funded program America Reads. Mrs. Ingistov graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Political Science in 2001. Upon graduation, she entered and completed a teaching credential and Masters of Arts in Elementary Education graduate program at LMU while simultaneously teaching 1st and 3rd grade at Visitation School in Westchester. She was inducted into Kappa Delta Pi, an international honor society in education. In 2003, Mrs. Ingistov joined Westchester Lutheran School to teach 5th grade. During this time, she found a love for teaching math and became the math teacher for grades 6-8 in 2009. Mrs. Ingistov obtained a grant to complete a graduate program to earn her Administrative Credential and Masters of Science in School Administration from National University in 2009. She was inducted into Pi Lambda Theta, an international honor society in education. Mrs. Ingistov is committed to social justice and academic excellence. She is ready to effect change at a higher level as the new Head of School at Westchester Lutheran School which proudly serves preschool-8th grade students of all religious and ethnic backgrounds.
For more information, visit Westchester Lutheran School.
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