Maranatha Christian Academy

2 T wo of our fabulous board members are retiring this year, but we are pleased to learn that they plan to remain active at the school. We are blessed! The first retiring board member is Mr. Blake Welch. Mr. Welch and his wife, Stacey, have been MCA parents for 14 years. Mr. Welch has served faithfully on our school board for seven years—serving as the board president and treasurer for five years and as the vice president for two years. Stacey has served in many roles in our Maranatha Association of Parents organization and is a very popular substitute teacher. Blake and Stacey have two children, Sam '16 and Molly '17, who have graduated from Maranatha. Their daughter, Lucy, is a delightful young lady in the class of 2022. Our second retiring board member is Mr. Jim Marmon. Mr. Marmon and his wife, Jeanne, have been MCA parents for 14 years as well. Mr. Marmon has faithfully served on our school board for six years in roles as treasurer and secretary. Jeanne is an MCA alumna herself and has served in many capacities with our MAP parent group and is always an encourager to everyone! Their daughters, Natalie Grace '16 and Alayna '18, are both MCA alumnae. Mr. Welch and Mr. Marmon's leadership on the board has been significant as they have guided the school through the selection of great new board members and fostered a wonderful board relationship that fully supports the head of school. Mr. Welch's and Mr. Marmon's hard work has resulted in a solid, working budget and financial stability for our school. Their leadership has worked hard to fund tuition assistance so we can bless as many families who need support as possible with attendance at MCA. They have both expressed their pride of the Biblical-worldview education MCA provides and of the school leadership whom stays true to the MCA mission of creating world changers. They are also proud of the 40 days of prayer initiative that took place four years ago in honor of Maranatha's 40th birthday. Finally, it brought them great pleasure to be able to vote yes for an entire week off at Thanksgiving so families can travel and be together. They also set the new vision statement of the school. Well done! A s one of the major pillars of emphasis, Maranatha is committed to academics and providing a disciplined and excellent educational environment. The latest effort toward academic excellence is Project 25, an initiative designed to take ACT college entrance exam achievements to new heights. Nationally, the average ACT score for 2017 seniors was a 21 and the Kansas average ACT composite is 21.7. The Maranatha average composite score was 23.4—a commendable achievement that puts MCA students in the top 7.4 percent in the state. MCA's Project 25 aims to shift the average even higher—up to 25. "We're going to reach new heights with our Project 25 program," Head of School Janet Fogh said. "This is a significant goal. Last year, just four school districts in Kansas scored a composite 25 or higher, and we aim to join those schools." Project 25 carries MCA through May 2022, examining every grade level and element of curriculum. This aligns our scope and sequence vertically to ensure a top-tier ACT score when students reach high school, strengthening the core mastery and helping to prevent gaps in knowledge. We've selected Kansas' College and Career Readiness Standards for our curriculum alignment at MCA. Next, we identified the national assessment to use for benchmark data. The ACT ASPIRE Test has testing components available for grades 2-12, which will provide data on learning progress our students make as they relate to the same standards they'll later be evaluated by. Our plan continues with identifying "power standards" for each grade level, working through a curriculum adoption process and enhancing test preparation strategies. We cannot do this alone; we need the help of the community to make it happen. We invite you to prayerfully consider making a meaningful gift in support of our Project 25 initiative. We need your help to offset the expenses needed to raise the academic bar. Your donations allow us to purchase ASPIRE tests, complete our curriculum scope, equip our teachers with the resources they need to develop lessons based on the new standards, and more. To make a gift in support of Project 25, please contact the main office at (913) 631-0637. T he Dale G. Fogh Memorial Scholarship was initiated this year by Mrs. Janet Fogh, Head of School, and was awarded to three graduating seniors in honor of her late husband who exemplified the motto of God, Family, Country. It was given by the Fogh family and 13 applications were received for the scholarship. Greys Wiley: $2,000 RECIPIENT Greyson wants to be a police officer so he can help make a difference, saying, "I think that we need Godly men in the law enforcement field." He has a strong family emphasis; in fact, he wrote, "My brothers are my best friends and my parents show me daily what a Godly and loving relationship should look like." He is a leader as illustrated by the fact that he picks a few underclassmen each year to mentor. Maggie Friesen: $1,000 RECIPIENT Maggie is a leader at school in a wide variety of areas. She wants to become an ER nurse and a medical missionary. She has gone on several mission trips. Describing a situation in her life where she was seeking the Lord while going through a challenge, she wrote, "I have learned that relying on God's strength in my life is an option. Today, I am choosing to follow God with my college and major selection. I know that God has called me to nursing and to reach broken people around the world." Gabe Pt: $1,000 RECIPIENT Gabe wants to pursue the ministry after college as a worship pastor. He has sought out Biblical accountability for the last four years with his peers and in the program Man Up with Mr. Gordon and Mr. Hoduski, as well as faithfully serving as a worship leader and leading discipleship groups. He's doing work now to prepare himself for the ministry later, a sign of a true servant. He serves within his family as a role model and helps care for his 92-year-old grandmother, showing her honor and love. Fr Gd to Great: Prect 25 at Manatha New Scholarship Honors Priorities of God, Family, and Country HONORING TWO RETIRING BOARD MEMBERS (Continued on page 4)

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