4 Benefits of the Daily Devotion
For most of us, the beginning of the day can be hectic, and our school is no different. Parents are dropping off kids as they rush to work or begin the long list of tasks they have to accomplish that day. Kids are hurrying to their classrooms, unpacking backpacks, talking to friends, and looking over notes for the test in first period. Faculty are finalizing the lesson they will teach that day, catching up on e-mails, and organizing their schedule so they can accomplish as much as they are able on their to-do list.
Why Independent School?
Over the years, many have asked me what they can expect if they bring their children to an independent private school like MPCS. Of course, as parents, we all expect rigorous academics and sports opportunities combined with loving, qualified teachers. Those should be the basics. But what allows those elements to develop the mind and heart of my child? How does an independent school versus a public school accomplish this? Each time I have shared:
An Hour is Just the Beginning
CO-WRITTEN BY BRAD SMITH
With technology changing every industry on the planet, computing knowledge has become part of a well-rounded skillset. Lower school STEAM classes at Mount Paran Christian School (MPCS) join millions of students across the globe by participating in the Hour of Code during Computer Science Education Week. The Hour of Code is an international initiative enabling schools to offer a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics. The Hour of Code event was created to raise awareness and exposure to coding for all kids of all ages.
Christian Cheerleading Boasts Different Kind of “Spirit”
Generally speaking, cheerleading in America is not what it used to be. Questionable dance moves, bare midriffs, cut-throat competition, and trash-talk toward the other team are becoming the cultural norm. Fortunately, there is an alternative: Christian cheerleading. In this world of cheers, "spirit" means the theme is wholesome and the talents and skills of the competitors are recognized as being from God. For many schools, the focus is on self promotion and the “spirit” is completely focused on the accomplishments of the team and individual athletes. At MPCS, the cheer program has a solid focus of investing in the lives of these young ladies for God’s eternal purposes.
What's so Christian about a Christian School?
What is this all about anyway; this place called Mount Paran Christian School? Does it truly matter? In a local community in which PK3-12 educational options abound – many of which are Christian schools – why is it important that we even exist? Or is it? Why is it important that we seek to be better than good at this business of Christian education? Or is it? If we can get our heads and hands around that question, we will have spent our day well.
Mission-Driven in Academics
Academic excellence is not a foreign term in most schools. As that which both guides and promotes, the term academic excellence proliferates in mission statements and program descriptions. Its almost ubiquitous presence in the language of schooling, however, raises important questions. What is, in fact, academic excellence? Should its conceptualization be uniquely different in a school dedicated to orthodox Christian education? And for parents and students seeking to learn more about the DNA of a Christian school, how does a school’s definition of academic excellence shape all student experiences? To address these questions, it is formatively instructive to consider the subject of human intellect within the context of a school’s mission and programs.
Mission-Driven in Athletics
Co-written by Janie Niswonger
30-Year History
During the more than thirty years of athletic programs at Mount Paran Christian, the success of athletes and teams has been based primarily on the focus to further the school’s mission of developing servant-leaders who walk in Truth, love others, and honor God. MPC established its athletics program during in 1986 as it became a member of the Georgia High School Athletic Association. The program began with only three sports: baseball, basketball, and tennis – with softball and soccer starting in subsequent years. These founding programs have recorded numerous successful seasons since their start. In fact, the varsity baseball team has finished as the Class A State Runner-Up the last two seasons. MPC athletics has now grown to a total of fifteen sports in its program – adding competitive cheer, cross country, equestrian, football, golf, lacrosse, track and field, swimming, volleyball, and wrestling.
Mission-Driven in Christian Life
At Mount Paran Christian School, our mission is to develop servant-leaders who honor God, love others, and walk in Truth. Our desire to live out this mission is at our core. In the classrooms, on the fields, courts, and stages — it is who we are. There evidence of Christian life in everything we do, but we are also very intentional about joining with the church and home to help our students become who God created them to be.
Mission-Driven in the Arts
“The meaning of life is to discover your gift; the purpose of life is to give it away.”
MPCS senior band student and percussionist Josh Arrants shared this thought during his talk at the 2015 MPCS band banquet, and while it was a statement aimed to honor his musical mentor, band director Billy Flood, the statement also goes to the heart of the mission-driven approach to arts education at Mount Paran Christian School.
Students throughout the world may participate in band, chorus, drama, orchestra, musical theatre, visual arts, as well as other unique arts programs such as dance, digital arts, technical theatre, and audio engineering — all of which are offered at MPCS to students in various grades, PK-12. Some schools still see the importance of these various arts programs because of documented evidence that reveals the benefits of arts education in the lives of all children and how it forms their academic, social, emotional, and maturational development. This is also a truism for MPCS. But it is more important to note that involvement in MPCS arts plays an added critical role in the life of our school as it applies to the school’s mission of creating servant-leaders. In a pop-culture world that is rife with ever-increasing moral decay, MPCS is developing visual, fine, and performing artists to change the world of the arts for Christ through behavior modeling and servant-leadership.
WingTips
Welcome to WingTips, a Mount Paran Christian School Blog. The MPCS Blog features many independent school contributors and thought-leaders.
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Recommended Series
PRIVATE SCHOOL PRIMER:
- How School Choice Programs Increase Educational Opportunities for Families
- 5 Tips for Making the Middle to High School Transition
- What Families Should Expect
- 2 Most Important This to Consider When Choosing a Preschool
- 4 Benefits of Choosing a K-12 School for Life
- 3 Reasons Why I Believe in Christian Schools
- 7 Tips for Affording a Private School Education
- 4 Reasons We Chose Mount Paran Christian School
- How to Choose the Best Private School for Your Family
PARENTEd. TALKS:
- Helping Students Boost Their Brain Capacity for Success
- Teaching Children Fiscal Responsibility
- Tips for Parents to Help Teens Avoid Drugs and Alcohol
- Excelling in the Midst of Adversity
- 3 Tips for Navigating the Hidden Dangers of Social Media
- The Blessing of a B Minus
- Real Talk for Moms
COLLEGE SERIES:
- Finding the Right Fit - An Individualized Approach to College Counseling
- ParentEd.: Here’s What You Need to Know About College Admissions
- To Save or Not to Save: 529 Plans are the Question
FROM THE TEACHER’S DESK:
- The Importance of Play
- What Families Should Expect
- Play is Learning Through the Arts
- 4 Tips to Capture the Minds of Your Students
CHRISTIAN LIFE:
- What is a Covenant School?
- Seeing Through a New Lens: A Biblical Worldview
- Faith and Intellect as One
- Philosophy of Belonging: 4 Tips for Fostering a Diverse Culture
- Innovation in Education: Teaching Cultural Awareness
- A Call to Brotherhood: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Wisdom for Today
- CommUNITY: How Do We Love One Another?
- Campaign for CommUNITY
- How to Raise Empathetic Children in Today’s Culture
- Imageo Dei: Why Diversity Matters
Providing academic excellence in a Christ-centered environment, Mount Paran Christian School unites with home and church to prepare servant-leaders to honor God, love others, and walk in Truth.
4 Benefits of the Daily Devotion - 01/04/2017
For most of us, the beginning of the day can be hectic, and our school is no different. Parents are dropping off kids as they rush to work or begin the long list of tasks they...
Why Independent School? - 12/27/2016
Over the years, many have asked me what they can expect if they bring their children to an independent private school like MPCS. Of course, as parents, we all expect rigorous...
An Hour is Just the Beginning - 12/14/2016
CO-WRITTEN BY BRAD SMITH
With technology changing every industry on the planet, computing knowledge has become part of a well-rounded skillset. Lower school STEAM classes at Mount...
Generally speaking, cheerleading in America is not what it used to be. Questionable dance moves, bare midriffs, cut-throat competition, and trash-talk toward the other team are...
What's so Christian about a Christian School? - 11/10/2016
What is this all about anyway; this place called Mount Paran Christian School? Does it truly matter? In a local community in which PK3-12 educational options abound – many of...
Mission-Driven in Academics - 11/10/2016
Academic excellence is not a foreign term in most schools. As that which both guides and promotes, the term academic excellence proliferates in mission statements and program...
Mission-Driven in Athletics - 11/10/2016
Co-written by Janie Niswonger
30-Year History
During the more than thirty years of athletic programs at Mount Paran Christian, the success of athletes and teams has been based...
Mission-Driven in Christian Life - 11/10/2016
At Mount Paran Christian School, our mission is to develop servant-leaders who honor God, love others, and walk in Truth. Our desire to live out this mission is at our core. In...
Mission-Driven in the Arts - 11/10/2016
“The meaning of life is to discover your gift; the purpose of life is to give it away.”
MPCS senior band student and percussionist Josh Arrants shared this thought during his...
WINGTIPS
Welcome to WingTips, a Mount Paran Christian School Blog. The MPCS Blog features many independent school contributors and thought-leaders.
Recommended Series
PRIVATE SCHOOL PRIMER:
- How School Choice Programs Increase Educational Opportunities for Families
- 5 Tips for Making the Middle to High School Transition
- What Families Should Expect
- 2 Most Important This to Consider When Choosing a Preschool
- 4 Benefits of Choosing a K-12 School for Life
- 3 Reasons Why I Believe in Christian Schools
- 7 Tips for Affording a Private School Education
- 4 Reasons We Chose Mount Paran Christian School
- How to Choose the Best Private School for Your Family
PARENTEd. TALKS:
- Helping Students Boost Their Brain Capacity for Success
- Teaching Children Fiscal Responsibility
- Tips for Parents to Help Teens Avoid Drugs and Alcohol
- Excelling in the Midst of Adversity
- 3 Tips for Navigating the Hidden Dangers of Social Media
- The Blessing of a B Minus
- Real Talk for Moms
COLLEGE SERIES:
- Finding the Right Fit - An Individualized Approach to College Counseling
- ParentEd.: Here’s What You Need to Know About College Admissions
- To Save or Not to Save: 529 Plans are the Question
FROM THE TEACHER’S DESK:
- The Importance of Play
- What Families Should Expect
- Play is Learning Through the Arts
- 4 Tips to Capture the Minds of Your Students
CHRISTIAN LIFE:
- What is a Covenant School?
- Seeing Through a New Lens: A Biblical Worldview
- Faith and Intellect as One
- Philosophy of Belonging: 4 Tips for Fostering a Diverse Culture
- Innovation in Education: Teaching Cultural Awareness
- A Call to Brotherhood: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Wisdom for Today
- CommUNITY: How Do We Love One Another?
- Campaign for CommUNITY
- How to Raise Empathetic Children in Today’s Culture
- Imageo Dei: Why Diversity Matters
Providing academic excellence in a Christ-centered environment, Mount Paran Christian School unites with home and church to prepare servant-leaders to honor God, love others, and walk in Truth.
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