Welcome to a new year!

It is my sincerest pleasure to welcome all our families at MAK to another year in our wonderful, vibrant learning community. As a teacher at MAK for the past five years and as an MAK parent for the last two, I can state with conviction that Morrison is a place where teachers and administrators care deeply about both the minds and the hearts of their students. We hope that your child’s experience here is one that is characterized by academic growth and character growth.

This year our school theme is First Things First, focusing on priorities. Many times our decisions, whether big or small, are clouded by mixed priorities. We say we honor and respect our parents, but when they ask us to do something hard, we opt for another path. We say we want to do well in school, but we end up chatting with friends late into the night. Worse, our decisions can be hindered by wrong priorities. Often, for example, we put our selfish interests before others or the pressure of peers before what God says is best for us. In the first century, Jesus told his followers to “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” before the other concerns of life (Matthew 6:33). This year our hope is that as we put God first in our priorities, we will understand how to live rightly and to have the correct perspective.

In light of this, at MAK we try to look at education with the correct priorities. Please join us by:

Prioritizing character growth and moral values. What does it mean to be educated? Is it better to cheat or to get a high grade? Answers to questions like these are foundational to a holistic education; please join us by also discussing values and personal character with your children at home.

Prioritizing learning over grades. Often we as parents tend to focus on grades rather than growth. Sometimes students can get an A without learning much or end up with a B when they have grown tremendously. Let’s continually ask: What did you learn from this?

Prioritizing questions of faith. Does God exist? What do you think happens after death? How do we know what is right and wrong? These questions are discussed regularly at school; modeling spiritual discernment from home is also important!

Prioritizing risk-taking and creativity. Many of our students try to play it safe in school, not wanting to ask a question for fear of being wrong or not wanting to take a risk for fear of getting a lower grade. At MAK we celebrate risks, questioning, and creative approaches to learning. Please join us in doing so!

Prioritizing mentorship and community. MAK teachers are profoundly committed to student growth in many areas from volunteer coaching to leading youth groups to going on extra trips with students. Please join us by cheering on our sports teams, attending our concerts, and volunteering for our events!

Throughout the year, please keep in touch through our weekly Messenger and our many social media outlets and, if you haven’t already, please take the time in introduce yourself personally to your child’s teachers and to me as well. I look forward to a wonderful year together.