CO-WRITTEN BY DR. TIM WIENS

"The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts." — C.S. Lewis

Technology is playing a more significant role in the education of today’s student. More specifically, the teaching and learning taking place within our classrooms, in many regards, is becoming more dependent upon technological innovations that historically have not been necessary to produce well-rounded, holistic students. While technology does not answer education’s great questions, we know that our students’ abilities to thrive in the 21^st century are dependent upon their aptitude to think deeply and logically and to apply modern methods of problem solving that are accessible due in part to greater technological innovation.

On December 14, 2007, Mount Paran Christian School received the keys to a marvelous facility now known as The Murray Arts Center. Only six short weeks later, MPCS high school students took the stage presenting “Beauty and the Beast.” Our small staff utilized every tool at hand — all the lighting, mics, rigging, effects, and even flew two actors. It was not theater magic, but a wonderful act of God answering prayer. 

In the summer of 2001, after my second year of teaching biology and chemistry at a suburban high school in Minnesota, I packed up my SUV and headed to Colorado. I needed some time away to pray and to ask God for his leading in my life. Every day that summer I would hike a new trail and pray that God would give me a husband that would make me a better woman. And just as God has done so often in my life, on the first day back at work in August, in a ballroom with hundreds of other educators, Tim Wiens was assigned a seat next to me. I remember almost every detail of that day (well, maybe not the actual professional development program): his sense of humor, his sharp mind, the way he interacted with everyone at the table and listened to them intently. I will save you the details of the embarrassing crush I developed on that day, but 18 months later, in that same ballroom, Tim Wiens asked me to marry him — and 15 years of marriage later, here we are, ready to begin our ministry at Mount Paran Christian School. 

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. 

Allow me to begin my remarks by expressing my sincere appreciation to all of you who have, in various forms, provided me with affirming comments about my retirement whether on video, your attendance at events, your cards or e-mails expressing your best wishes, or an affirming remark over the past few weeks and months. I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Please know I will be thinking of you as I sit on the deck of a mountain cabin or cruise a river in Europe, or enjoy Scotland's landscape this August. Thanks!

James Kouzes and Barry Posner, two highly respected leadership researchers and authors, make the following observation in their book entitled The Leadership Challenge. “Exemplary leaders know that if they want to gain commitment and achieve the highest standards, they must be models of the behavior they expect of others.” And what an appropriate description of Dr. Tilley’s leadership! When Mount Paran Christian School personnel meet with other educators, both locally and nationally, Dr. Tilley’s name and his profound influence are invariably the first things mentioned in each conversation. Dr. Tilley and Mount Paran Christian School are considered synonymous with one another.  And rightly so! His servant-leadership has garnered great renown. 

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.

"Providing academic excellence in a Christ-centered environment" is the opening phrase of the Mount Paran Christian School mission statement. While we do strive to provide the most academically challenging education in Atlanta, it is our commitment to become a strong, diverse, and inclusive environment that reflects the richness of what a Christ-centered environment is and how that sets us apart. In keeping with this core truth, MPCS has come together to initiate CommUNITY.

Keeping up with the latest teen trends is an exhausting and often impossible task. Just when we parents think we have wrapped our minds around a social media app or trendy phrase, a newer and “cooler” trend is born. Our teens face so many obstacles and pressures — ones that we have never had to face. Before we address a few teen trends, it’s important to understand the profile of a teen in today’s world..

 

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.