6 minute read
ON CAMPUS
In January 2022, MPCS officially dedicated the Murray Innovation Center (MIC) to the Lord. The building, named after a generous lead gift from the Stuart and Eulene Murray Foundation, is a 23,000-plus square foot addition to the current Dozier Hall high school, originally built to house just 250 students. With its booming enrollment, MPCS — Cobb county’s largest private Christian school — is thrilled to offer innovative new learning spaces for its 450 high school students. The dedication came less than one year after the construction I BY JENNIFER NEW, CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER project’s breaking-ground ceremony on February 5, 2021. Despite the challenges of a pandemic, including shipping delays and materials shortages, MPCS OPENED THE BUILDING ON-TIME AND
DEBT-FREE. The building’s completion is the culmination of a multiyear capital campaign, whose generous 276 donors contributed $12.9 million to pay for the new building in full, including the inception of the school’s first-ever endowment fund.
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The ribbon-cutting ceremony included a spark of student innovation: one of the high school Eagle Robotics robots was programmed with special coding by MPCS senior Steven Baker ‘22 to officially deliver the ceremonial scissors to Joe McDonald and Kelly Rowland, Murray Foundation, for the event. The two-time State-championship winning Eagle Robotics program has consistently been involved with the Murray Innovation Center project. During the launch of the public phase of the capital campaign, a student-directed robot participated in the unveiling of the building’s design plans. Now, the MIC offers a dedicated robotics field within the new maker space room.
The MIC opened for students to begin classes in January. The new spaces include a digital design lab and a fabrication lab, a collegiatestyle technology-enhanced classroom, two new science labs, high school administrative offices, and additional classroom and gathering spaces, such as the Graham Commons, made possible by a gift from the Graham Family Foundation. Notably, the MIC now offers a permanent storefront for Roost Coffee Co., a café run entirely by the MPCS high school entrepreneurship classes. The class and café is a result of student fireside chat “dreaming” sessions during the MIC building’s planning phase.
dedicating THE MIC
MOUNT PARAN CHRISTIAN SCHOOL IS THANKFUL TO ALL WHO HAVE SUPPORTED THE MURRAY INNOVATION CENTER
through the generous sharing of ideas, gifts, and prayers. It is our hope and prayer that the new space will be used to glorify Christ in the decades to come. W
BY JULIE RAY, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Good Stewards
“COMMIT TO THE LORD WHATEVER YOU DO, AND HE WILL ESTABLISH YOUR PLANS.” — PROVERBS 16:3
Twenty years ago, leaders of Mount Paran Christian School had a vision to build on a new campus, having been hosted onsite at the Mount Paran Church of God since 1976. The Lord led administrators to Mrs. Eulene Murray, who had a dream for a Christian school on her family property at 1275 Stanley Road. Under the leadership of Board Chair Mr. Ron Mulkey and then Headmaster Mrs. Susan King, the school secured $20 million in tax-exempt bond financing. With careful planning, this debt was paid off this school year in December 2021. To build the present-day campus was a true step of faith, growing enrollment from 600 students to more than 1,200, the highest the school has ever welcomed. This faith journey was nothing short of miraculous and attributable to the faithful hand of God. W
BY KATIE HARTSOCK, HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER
STAFF PROFILE:
DR. BONNIE STEPHENS
BY KATIE HARTSOCK
hile excellence as a measure of quality in education is dif-
Wficult to quantify, one might certainly recognize it when setting foot into Dr. Bonnie Stephens’s high school science classroom. As a teacher, Dr. Stephens sees firsthand the efforts her peers invest in making their classrooms fun, creative, and challenging learning environments. As an MPCS parent herself, she sees the outcome of that hard work: “I see some of the amazing things my colleagues are doing in their classrooms, how it’s impacting my children. I’m challenged to be a better teacher as well. It’s like iron sharpening iron around here.”
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. Collaboration with fellow teachers
fosters outside-the-box teaching ideas. And, hands-on experience abounds, such as with the Honors Biology class who was tasked with building a model representing DNA replication with a box of art supplies.
It’s little wonder, then, that Dr. Stephens, who earned her status as a Georgia Independent School Master Teacher in 2019, has been selected twice as STAR teacher during her eleven-year tenure at MPCS. “I know that students aren’t going to remember all the details about photosynthesis and the cell cycle when they leave my classroom,” says Dr. Stephens. “However, I hope that they leave as better thinkers than when they entered. That is my ultimate goal with teaching — teach students to become critical thinkers.” W
Serving WITH EXCELLENCE
SSOME PEOPLE COME INTO YOUR LIFE, AND YOU IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZE THE IMPACT AND INFLUENCE THEY HAVE ON OTHERS. SUCH IS THE CASE WITH THREE DEDICATED MEMBERS OF THE MPCS FACULTY AND STAFF WHO ARE RETIRING AFTER YEARS OF EXCELLENT SERVICE TO THE STUDENTS AND SCHOOL.
BY AMBER IRIZARRY, COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
MRS. TERESA BURTON
Mrs. Teresa Burton, who was a high school Bible teacher at MPCS for many years, is retiring from her current role as substitute coordinator and teacher. Known for being moved by the Holy Spirit within her class, “Mama B’s” sweet demeanor and smiling presence on campus will be greatly missed. She has served hundreds of students in her 19 years of service to the school. She made an especially meaningful impact as club sponsor for promRED, a student organization whose mission is to bring awareness to and support the end of human trafficking.
MRS. JANICE DEBNAM
For 26 years, Lower School Directed Studies Teacher Mrs. Janice Debnam has helped hundreds of students, serving not only as a teacher, but also as an advocate and cheerleader. Likewise, to her colleagues, she’s been a confidante, encourager, and true friend. Parents and peers have a better understanding of how to support student learning because of their relationship with Mrs. Debnam. Through her godly way of guiding and directing, she offers the right words to encourage and challenge. A life-long learner, she spent countless hours planning and preparing for class, doing whatever it took to support her students. God has used Mrs. Debnam to love and encourage so many, and we are all the better because of her example.
MRS. PAM COPELAND
Beloved MPCS Executive Assistant Mrs. Pam Copeland is retiring after 21 years of service. She began her career with the school as a fifth-grade teacher and also worked for Mount Paran Church for a time before returning to the school as executive assistant to then Head of School Susan King. She has since worked alongside Dr. David Tilley and present Head of School Dr. Tim Wiens. The resident MPCS “historian,” Mrs. Copeland has kept fastidious records for the school and affected countless lives during her tenure. W
