One of the most important decisions we make on any given day is how we fuel our bodies. It’s a choice we face three times a day, and its effects are profound. Our food choices affect more than just the family budget and schedule; what we eat affects the body, the brain, and how they perform. For schools, it’s critical that food options for students provide healthy options that fuel growing bodies and developing minds.

Never has the importance of proper athletic training for young people been so important. Increasingly, more and more youth are spending a large portion of their after-school hours engaged in organized sport and free play. According to research cited by Aspen Project Play, approximately 74-percent of young people ages 13-17 spend time participating in a team or individual sport, and children ages 6-18 spend more than 16 hours per week engaged in some form of sport, including practice and competition. These statistics demonstrate a great trend considering the many mental, social, and health benefits of engaging in sports and physical activity.

The President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition Science Board attests that by participating in sports, children have lower rates of anxiety and depression, increased overall quality of life, improved social skills, higher likelihood of college attendance, and a myriad of physiological benefits. By focusing on the individual needs of student-athletes, schools can help students develop at their best to reach peak performance.

“...[I]f education is to succeed in its tasks, curriculum as its core should be restructured or repacked around the four pillars of learning: learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together, and learning to be.”

-Zhou Nanzhao, Ph.D., Director, International Center of Teacher Education, East-China Normal University, and Advisor to the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO

Globalization. A 24/7 news cycle. The growing influence of social media. Ever-changing technological advances. These are but a few of the challenges facing today’s teachers and their students. While the field of education may find it challenging to keep pace with the rapid changes in communication and technology, all is not lost in equipping 21st-Century learners for future success. In addition to providing a strong educational foundation - to include learning important facts, reading, writing, and arithmetic - it is crucial, according to the UNESCO International Commission on Education, that education today needs to teach students to be lifelong learners.

For families who have decided on an independent school education for their children, the private school choices seem endless. Options range from religious to secular, co-ed to single sex, day or boarding. One especially important consideration for families is the school’s organization – the grades/school levels offered. Schools vary from solely primary or secondary offerings to a combination of preschool through high school. For families choosing one school for their children’s entire academic experience, the benefits are many.

While the number of students participating in organized sports may be on a downward trend, no doubt thanks in part to the increase of time spent in front of screens and devices, some high school athletics programs are seeing extremely high participation levels. Those particular teams happen to be led by female student-athletes. What is so significant about this trend? And, how are female-led teams leveling the playing field?

What does it take to create a successful football program? How can smaller high schools and private schools nurture and sustain a culture of winning? Championships are the goal of every program and finding the formula for achieving that goal is the challenge for every high school football program. To help define and reach this goal in a tangible way, 15 Strong was born.

Picture yourself on a Saturday afternoon in September. Where are you? Sanford Stadium? Bobby Dodd Stadium? Your friend's living room with three TV’s hooked up for all the big games? How about the month of March. Are you constantly checking scores on your lunch break to see which team will be “The Cinderella Story” on the way to the big dance? The same could be said for June as we are watching softball and baseball Championship Series being played or in July on an Olympic year. We all have a team that we are rooting for to win for a variety of reasons.

GUEST MPCS STUDENT AUTHOR

Earlier this year, Mount Paran Christian School won “Best Private School” in Cobb County. The school as a whole strives for excellence and commits to do everything as unto the Lord as He calls the Christian community to do. The MPC athletics program is no exception. As part of the MPC Way set of core values, our student-athletes also continue to strive for success on the field and on the court. Each team takes pride in the work they put in the off-season to prepare for competition. In our sports community, there is no greater-established tradition of attaining a higher level of excellence than that of our championship cheer team who embodies our fifth core value- “commitment to excellence.”

GUEST MPCS STUDENT AUTHOR

The MPC Way has been incorporated into the value system of the teams at Mount Paran Christian School. Our athletes are continually learning what it means to live out the five core values. One of the most difficult goals to accomplish as an athlete is putting forth relentless effort. Relentless effort means putting in the hard work and having determination. MPC coaches challenge student-athletes to focus on the goal and to put forth the effort to set themselves up for greatness. Sports involving running test a competitor's stamina like no other. The Mount Paran Christian track and field and cross country teams have showcased relentless effort even when the odds were stacked against them.

GUEST MPCS STUDENT AUTHOR

The MPC Way has proven to be a vital tool to guide athletics at Mount Paran Christian. The five core values challenge Mount Paran Christian’s student-athletes to be followers of Christ and to do everything with an open heart. The boys’ varsity baseball team has been in the spotlight in the past, and with another season approaching, the Eagles are passionate about their sport, believing they will thrive in the upcoming, strenuous schedule.

GUEST MPCS STUDENT AUTHOR

The MPC Way continues to make waves through the Mount Paran Christian sports community. To be able to demonstrate the core value of integrity, one must exhibit strong moral character and honesty when no one is watching. This characteristic should not go unnoticed, for MPC coaches believe it is vital for the athletics program and its athletes. Showcasing integrity often, especially in times of adversity, can prove difficult; however, this is not the case for the dominant MPC Lady Eagles volleyball team!

GUEST MPCS STUDENT AUTHOR

Last year, student-athletes at Mount Paran Christian School came together to build a set of core values for the athletic programs at the school. In essence, these five words and scriptures they represent have become what is now known as the MPC Way. Athletic Director, Coach Jordan, said "The MPC Way is what we believe are foundational characteristics to our success on and off the playing field or court. The MPC Way guides all decisions and actions of our athletic teams." MPC athletics has made a proactive effort to better explain the core values by highlighting a particular sport and a team who exemplifies each value.

Last year, MPC athletics embarked on the inaugural season of the Mount Paran Christian fishing team. Our school ventured into sport fishing due to several students already fishing through local bass clubs. Because MPCS is blessed with having Lake McDonald on campus, it was a natural fit to have our own fishing team. Athletic Director, Mitch Jordan, and Outdoor Education Teacher/Coach, Connie Arnold, gave the green light to proceed with this amazing opportunity for our school.

In the winter of 2017, a committee of head coaches began the process of developing a clear and compelling vision for the Mount Paran Christian athletic program. We posed a series of questions: What is our current athletic program’s culture? Is program success measured in only wins and losses? What does a championship culture look like? Championship teams and programs have a winning way of doing things. Collectively, we want our student-athletes, teams, coaches, parents, fans, and community to share a winning way of conduct on and off the field of play.