What a pleasure it is to be a part of the Mount Paran Christian School community. As Katie, Eliot, and I have settled into our home and have been getting to know much more about the school and the many families that make up our community, I am more excited today about being at MPCS than ever before! Thank you for welcoming us so warmly and inviting us to be a part of your school family.

Since our arrival in March, it has been my privilege to sit down over meals, in your homes, by your pools, and in my office and to get to know so many of you. I look forward to much more of that in the future. I have also been blessed to hear so many of you express your love and gratitude for MPCS and for your children. Again, I look forward to hearing more about what makes Mount Paran Christian School such a special place. 

Susie was awarded $70,000 in scholarship funds. Joey received more than $200,000! Have you ever wondered how these students are earning such large amounts of money to fund their secondary education? Mount Paran Christian School college counselors have the answers.

You’ve made some big decisions. You’ve narrowed down your list of desired colleges and you think you’ll be a great fit. You’ve worked hard in high school to get good grades, be involved in clubs or teams, and demonstrate your leadership abilities. As senior year approaches, deadlines for college applications will be looming. So how do you make sure you get noticed on your college application?

Many parents and high school students feel overwhelmed and uninformed when it comes to planning for college. Some may feel that college is too far away to worry about, but the college application process is not as simple as it once was. Long gone are the days of simply filling out the application and paying the deposit. With colleges and universities increasing their entry requirements and costs annually, it is important to begin planning now. It is never too early to begin investigating what is needed to be accepted into your top college choices and research scholarship opportunities.  

Do you feel overwhelmed when it comes to making decisions about college? How do you know which school is the right fit? Is a big or small university environment best? And do you have enough credentials to get accepted? Based on an honest assessment of your strengths, special talents, and what you desire in a college, you should begin evaluating what schools you may have an interest in attending early in your high school career. Though applications aren’t required until senior year, planning ahead will help formulate these important choices.

We know what you’re thinking. College? In middle school? Your child isn’t even a teenager yet. The middle school years are a formative time to begin thinking about what possibilities may be available for your child. After all, he or she will be on his or her own in just a few short years.

Saving is never easy, but it is perhaps one of the most important things parents can do to protect the future for themselves and for their child(ren). With no way of knowing what the future holds, we are nevertheless bound to be ready for it… or not ready for it, as the case may be. Employment changes, health changes, family needs change. All we can do is decide what is likely, what we hope to do, and what is a predictably possible, then do our best to prepare.

I teach physics and engineering and I coach high school robotics. While I teach very different kinds of courses at MPCS, they all have one thing in common. I am always trying to teach students how to solve problems. So, my interest was piqued when I ran across a quote this weekend, made by the esteemed twentieth-century mathematician Howard Eves:

"An expert problem-solver must be endowed with two incompatible qualities: a restless imagination and a patient pertinacity."

What is the core purpose of a Christian school education? In other words, what is a Christian school’s Why? Not peripherally, but at its core. First, because human beings enter the world with brains, not minds, it is imperative that Christian schools inspire their students to view their brains as magnificent gifts from God and, furthermore, view the development of God-honoring minds as one of life’s most important priorities. In addition, if a Christian education is to be excellent in service to both God and people, it must facilitate students’ acquisition of critical knowledge and skills through a biblical lens, equipping learners to thrive in the present and the educational and vocational arenas of the future.

CO-WRITTEN BY SHAUNDA BROOKS

Inside the quaint and cozy Sewell Cottage at Mount Paran Christian School, groups of preschoolers are clustered around a SMART Table. They’re learning about habitats- dragging virtual animals on the touch-screen to the correct environments and clicking to make the animals howl or cluck. The children’s giggles indicate they’re having a ball, and they don’t even realize how much they’re learning, or that they’re mastering cutting-edge technology at the age of three.

GUEST STUDENT AUTHOR

“Wisdom is not a product of schooling but rather of the lifelong attempt to acquire it,” said Albert Einstein. How has your education contributed to who you are today?

Imagine that friend who has been there from the start. The one who is your rock in hard times and your happiness in good times. The one who teaches you how to look at life differently. The one who pushes you outside your comfort zone but comforts you when you feel nervous. Education has been that friend for me. It has come in many forms and from many directions, but it has always been there.

Mount Paran Christian School invited Brenda Fitzgerald, Ed.S/Curriculum Specialist, to help bring understanding about dyslexia to our parent community. The evening offered parents and educators a time to learn from Mrs. Fitzgerald, who specializes in reading and reading disabilities. It is not only our goal to set up our students for success, but also to be a resource for our parents and the local community in encouraging children who may need additional academic support, such as those who have dyslexia.

Mount Paran Christian School teenagers are using the power of the written word to influence and encourage others in their faith. For over a decade, students in select English and Creative Writing courses at MPCS have embraced the challenge to write devotional articles for a Christian teen magazine. Upper Room Ministries’ Devozine, written by teens for teens, has an online and print readership of almost 200,000 this twentieth year of publication. Whether for group Bible studies or private meditation, students can access daily devotionals on their website at www.devozine.org.

While the beginning of a new year causes me to look forward with excited anticipation of what God has planned for MPCS, it also allows me to reflect on the people who have brought us to this moment in time. A school is best defined by the people who commit long-term to the mission of a place; those who share in both the growing pains and struggles that naturally come with the educational adventure, as well as the joys and rewards of seeing a mission advanced and student lives transformed.