Have you ever heard it said, “Attitude is everything”? Did you know you have a unique opportunity to teach your child how to handle stress by modeling it for them? Our job as parents and educators is to encourage children to develop a passion for learning and a desire to push through life’s challenges, both inside and outside of the classroom. This can be achieved by empowering students to take ownership of their attitudes towards learning and performance, seeing failures as learning opportunities through the development of a “growth mindset.”

Executive Functions are a collection of processes or interrelated functions responsible for guiding, directing, managing cognition, emotions, and behavior, particularly in novel problem solving situations¹. The fact that Executive Functions may be improved by means of cognitive training is of particular importance in childhood and adolescence, because Executive Functioning is a strong predictor for various life outcomes, such as academic attainment, socioeconomic status, and physical health². Read on to learn more about these crucial brain skills, how the brain develops, and what parents and teachers can do to help students strengthen their Executive Functioning skills.

When it comes to choosing a school for their child, parents have many options: neighborhood public school, home school, charter school, online academy, independent school, or religious private school. Academic excellence is paramount in the decision. From an eternal perspective, a Christian education is invaluable, yet affording independent options can be challenging. The calling Christian educators have for providing students with an exceptional education within a uniquely Christ-centered environment makes it worth investigating. Nurturing and equipping students to honor God, love others, and walk in Truth is an investment that will last for eternity.

Chris Eppling, Vice President of Student Services at Truett McConnell University, a private, four-year university located in Cleveland, Ga., said, “The real question to investigate is not, ‘What will I get for the money I pay to have a Christian education?’ it is, ‘What will I forfeit if I do not invest in an education from a biblical worldview?’”

When a school takes its mission to heart, pouring into students and families with intention through the years, the results are graduating seniors who continue to live out the school mission years after turning the tassel. To maintain relationships with students who have reached alumni status, many schools build out alumni relations programs that continually keep the mission of the school at the forefront of the minds of the alumni community. But, just how can schools build a robust program that extends beyond the norm? At Mount Paran Christian School, through service opportunities and various partnerships, alumni are invited to keep living as servant-leaders to honor God, love others, and walk in Truth.

Many schools have great arts facilities, programming, performances, and faculty. The quality of arts in the metro Atlanta area is some of the best in the country. How, then, does a school separate itself uniquely from the rest? The answer for Mount Paran Christian School lies in the mission of the school and how it is lived out through the arts program. While most schools focus on students developing their skills to serve their personal performance goals, MPCS goes a step further, infusing the idea that God gives us gifts to be used to glorify Him. Faculty make all the difference in helping students understand that we bring glory to God when we love others as He loves us and to act as servant-leaders through the use of artistic gifts and skills.

Excellence as a measure of quality in education is difficult to quantify. But, one might recognize it when setting foot into Dr. Bonnie Stephens’ high school science classroom at Mount Paran Christian School. Dr. Stephens, who received a B.S. in Applied Biology from Georgia Tech and a Ph.D. in Biology from Georgia State University, is known to enliven content for her classes. Here, she shares how she brings learning to life for her students.

While parents may shed a few tears when their kindergartener heads off to the first day of school, for students, the biggest transition in learning comes much later. Students often find that the move from middle school to high school is especially daunting. These rising freshmen are full of hopes and dreams, as well as fears and freedom. Here are five tips that can help any rising freshman make for a smooth transition into the high school years.

Learning is exceedingly complex. It is both highly personal and highly social. For educators tasked with facilitating and supporting learning, doing it, not just well but with excellence, requires a healthy dose of both art and science. And, while much is understood about the conditions and practices that support learning, facilitating learning that is durable, adaptive, inspiring, and innovative is a daily challenge for educators and schools. Moreover, creating school learning environments where students develop robust knowledge and skills is only the beginning. If students leave school today without the dispositions and skills to support lifelong, self-directed learning, they will not be equipped to tackle the challenges thrust upon them by an ever-changing world. 

So, while learning is complex, let’s take a moment to examine one of the key drivers of school-based learning – the teacher’s ability to create learning cultures of excellence in which students and educators are highly engaged with one another, with rich ideas and robust thinking and creating. Blessed with highly-skilled faculty, examples of high-engagement learning cultures at Mount Paran Christian School abound across all school grade divisions. 

Mount Paran Christian School is a college-preparatory school for students in preschool through grade 12, but our aim is to do more than simply prepare graduates for college admission. Our goal is to find colleges that offer the best possible fit for each graduating senior. We help students cultivate their talents and interests to find their academic and extracurricular strengths and passions, then focus on colleges that will best meet student goals. College selection can be overwhelming for families, but the MPCS college counseling department helps facilitate the process. By answering questions and providing advice, students are guided in their choice of coursework and ultimately towards the college that is just the right fit.

In an hour-plus conversation full of wisdom, laughter, and anecdotes, New York Times best-selling author and clinical psychologist Dr. Wendy Mogel explained the premise of one of her most popular books, The Blessing of a B Minus. To put it plainly, today’s standards imply that the “B” in a B- stands for “bad,” but Dr. Mogel attests that’s simply untrue.

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.

Parents, do you remember applying for college? It was so easy! You likely had a paper application that asked a handful of questions, took the SAT once or twice and sent in your scores, and then your parents signed a check for $25. You may have been accepted to the three schools you applied to and chose the one that was close enough to home, but just far enough that your parents couldn’t surprise you without a phone call first. You may not have paid much attention to the ranking of the school’s degrees, if there was a football team, or the freshman retention rate. You and your parents decided you were going to college, picked one, and went for it. How times have changed! 

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. 

The ivy covered halls of the nation’s most selective academic schools are the dreams of many high school students. What is the key for unlocking the door of admission to these schools? Is it extracurricular activities? The number of AP classes? Glowing teacher recommendation letters? How do GPA and test scores fit into all of this? We have some answers.

The ability to pursue arts degrees and careers after attending MPCS is simple and well-proven. Mount Paran Christian School has a unique, world-class facility and capable staff focused to prepare students for the study of the arts in higher education, be it instrumental or vocal music performance, dance, theatre, technical theatre, commercial music, traditional and digital visual arts, arts education, arts therapy, film-making, or cinematography – you name it. If an MPCS student can dream it, the arts program at MPCS can deliver instruction and provide experiences to help get them ready for arts majors in college. More importantly, we do so through the lens of our mission to fulfill the calling placed on them through their artistic gifts.

Choosing a college that is a best fit academically, socially, and financially is an enormous decision.  Some students go for a school with an easily recognizable reputation, while others choose based on practicality of location and/or finances.  While there are many factors involved, one factor is often overlooked: choosing a college that will support and encourage a student’s faith while challenging him/her to apply faith to their studies.