The month of May marks the end of the school year and the beginning of summer. It is a time of self-reflection for students, especially seniors. And, it is a nationally-recognized time to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage. High school counselor Viola Lussier explains the significance of this recognition, shares her personal insights as a person of Korean heritage, and offers advice for students to explore other cultures and their family’s heritage.

The purpose of the MPCS ParentEd. P.E.P. Talks series is to provide helpful information to parents as they navigate different stages of their children’s lives. Three unique sessions were developed and presented for each school division, from lower school through high school. The final part of this blog series focuses on the middle school years and its associated challenges and opportunities. 

Families in Cobb County and the northwest metro-Atlanta area have many options when it comes to choosing the best school for their children, from great neighborhood public schools to several private school alternatives. For those who feel certain about the value of an independent school education for their child, how should families make the decision on which school is the best for their family?

Writing and/or speaking about diversity is never easy. In some ways, I feel as though I will never satisfy everyone who reads or hears what I have to say. However, to remain silent about such issues, especially as the head of school at a good-sized Christian independent school would be wrong. It would be cowardly. Now, I know I do not have all the answers. I may not even have a lot of the answers, but I am always seeking them. Likewise, I am hopeful that you will come to this blog desiring to learn, to understand others’ perspectives, and to better exemplify the kindness of God here on earth.

 

The purpose of the MPCS ParentEd. P.E.P. Talks series is to provide helpful information to parents as they navigate different stages of their children’s lives. Three unique sessions were developed and presented for each school division, from lower school through high school. The second part of this blog series focuses on the lower/elementary school years and its associated challenges and opportunities. 

During Veteran’s Day chapel this past November, MPCS Coach Connie Arnold described this special school-wide gathering as his “favorite day of the year.” Coach Arnold then introduced guest speaker Mel Pender Jr., an 82-year old, spry veteran who had just celebrated his birthday the week before. Dr. Pender shared an especially moving and unifying message for the school community of students, staff, parents, grandparents, and friends in attendance. 

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Hope. A four-letter word that changes everything.

Hope in our future. Hope that God will bring beauty from our past. Hope in God’s protection. Hope in relationships. Hope in our circumstances. Hope in God’s will for our lives, our children’s lives, our grandchildren’s lives.

Under the umbrella of its ParentEd. program, Mount Paran Christian School created a new parent education series this academic year entitled P.E.P. Talks - Parents Engaging Purposefully. These P.E.P. Talks were intentionally designed to strengthen the school's partnership with the home, in alignment with the school's mission:

“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.”

The purpose of the P.E.P. Talks series was to provide helpful information to parents as they navigate different stages of their children’s lives. Three unique sessions were developed and presented for each school division, from lower school through high school. This first part of this blog series focuses on managing the challenges of the high school years. 

Strategic planning is a process that independent schools, non-profit organizations, and for-profit businesses and industries typically undertake on a regular basis to ensure they are meeting their mission, acting upon their core values, and appropriately setting goals around those strategic initiatives. As such, over the course of the 2019-2020 school year, MPCS is engaging in the strategic-planning process. This process is meant to be comprehensive and allow every stakeholder (students, alumni, parents, grandparents, board, faculty, and staff) to provide input into the direction of the school over the next five years. By engaging our people, our goal is to inspire and unite our community through the process, allowing us all to be a part of something bigger, so that our students may flourish.

 

Over the past sixteen months, the Mount Paran Christian School Board of Trustees and Executive Council have spent extensive time discussing the mission of the school, the culture of our community, and the direction we are going in the future. As we head into the winter and spring quarters of this school year, we will engage the entire community in the strategic planning process (my next blog post will explore this process).  However, before we get there, we knew we would need to first examine the school’s mission as it was written years ago and determine the core values that will help us consider and make decisions about every area of the school for the coming years.

 

Barbeque. Hurricane. Canoe. Though you may not realize it, these commonly used English words—among many others—originated from the language of the Taino people, indigenous to Puerto Rico and several other Caribbean islands. Beyond language, the Spanish culture has deeply influenced our society today. Chips and salsa have become so popular they are now one of the highest-selling snacks in the U.S., according to Interexchange.org. The rise of soccer as a popular sport in America can be partially attributed to its popularity within the Spanish culture. Famous Latin names are easily recognized, such as musician Jennifer Lopez, film star Antonio Banderas, actress Sofia Vergara, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and sports star Cristiano Ronaldo. And, so, for these—and many more—important contributions to America’s story, each year the U.S. government recognizes Hispanic Heritage Month.

With its official beginnings in 1987, Women’s History Month is celebrated in March to honor the contribution of women to American History.  Jimmy Carter, who issued our nation’s first Presidential proclamation of National Women’s History Week in 1980 explained, “From the first settlers who came to our shores, from the first American Indian families who befriended them, men and women have worked together to build this nation. Too often the women were unsung and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built America was as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well.”

In observance of African-American History Month, we celebrate the impact made on our country by the men and women of our African-American community. But how often do we reflect on and celebrate the children who have impacted the course of history?

This past year, MPCS continued its innovation-grant curriculum for project-based collaboration among different grade-levels. High school Honors Government students had the unique opportunity to explore the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement alongside fifth grade and kindergarten students. Seniors were charged with the task of mentoring the fifth graders as they collaborated on a children’s storybook focusing on civil rights and citizenship. The books were specially crafted with original artwork, computer-generated designs, and a great deal of creative thought in the storylines.