High School - 2/19

Dear High School Families,

As the semester is now fully underway, we are settling into the steady rhythm of learning, activities, and everyday school life. This is a great time to log into Schoology, review grades, and have intentional conversations with your student about staying on top of assignments and managing their time well. This time of year can feel especially challenging — the days are cold, schedules are full, and motivation can dip — but it’s also an important season to build perseverance and healthy habits. Thank you for partnering with us to encourage consistency, responsibility, and balance as we continue moving forward together.

Sarah Rothstein, Ed.D.

High School Principal

This week in chapel, we focused on the importance of having friends who keep us accountable and point us back to Jesus Christ. We heard from students who testified about the influence of a Christian friend who helped them during a challenging season of life. We were also blessed to have our very own alum, Marina Mascarenas, preach from 1 Samuel. Her sermon demonstrated the power of the friendship between Jonathan and David. Her passion and experience on the subject touched the hearts of many of our students. Ultimately, our prayer is that your child's best friend would be Jesus Christ and that their relationship with Him would be authentic, genuine, and contagious. Praying that your child would know that God made them on purpose, with purpose, and for a purpose.

For His Glory,

Mr. Agrimson

As I mentioned in a parent communication sent on 1/27, on Monday, February 23 (9:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.), students in grades 10–12 will participate in Not Me!, a nationally recognized, age-appropriate personal safety and self-defense training. This program focuses on prevention, awareness, wise decision-making, and empowerment, not fear, and is used by many schools as part of their commitment to student safety.

At Maranatha, this training will be presented from a Christian worldview, intentionally grounding practical safety skills in students’ identity in Christ and the call to live with wisdom, discernment, and care for others. Students will be separated by gender for developmentally appropriate sessions that address topics such as situational awareness, digital safety, substance-related risks, consent and character, responding to unsafe situations, and where to seek help if needed.

Families may opt their student out by contacting Ms. Faust or I in advance. For families who would like additional Christian resources on discussing safety, boundaries, digital wisdom, and healthy decision-making at home, the organizations below may be helpful.

We are grateful that this training is made possible through the generous sponsorship of M2 Financial Group, allowing us to offer this important experience at no cost to families. Thank you for your continued partnership as we work together to equip students for safety, confidence, and life beyond high school.

As I mentioned in a parent communication sent on 1/31, Maranatha will be transitioning its PSEO and Associate of Arts (AA) program partnership from Bethel University to the University of Northwestern – St. Paul beginning next school year. This change reflects our ongoing evaluation of programming and our desire to best support students as they prepare for college and beyond. Importantly, all college credits already earned through Bethel University will transfer seamlessly into the AA program through Northwestern, and we are working closely with Northwestern to ensure continuity for students currently taking or planning to take PSEO courses.

To provide additional clarity and answer questions, we invite junior students and parents to attend a Junior Parent Meeting on Thursday, February 26 at 6:30 PM in the Cafeteria. This meeting will focus on upcoming coursework requirement changes for the AA program, next steps, and planning for the 2026–27 school year. A representative from Northwestern will be present to help address questions and provide additional insight.

More details will be shared at the meeting, and we look forward to partnering with families as we walk through this transition together.

Dear Sophomore Families,

We were grateful to connect with many of you at Sophomore Parent Night. If you were unable to attend, we wanted to share a brief overview of the key information that was discussed.

Attached you will find a copy of the presentation from the evening and PSEO Course offerings. If you would like the online recording, please let me know and I'll be happy to send it to you. During the meeting, we outlined how the College & Career Center partners with students and families throughout high school: supporting course planning, graduation credit checks, college and career exploration, testing, and preparation for postsecondary options. We also reviewed opportunities for students to earn college credit while still in high school through Advanced Placement (AP), Project Lead the Way (PLTW), and Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO).

One important update shared was our new PSEO partnership beginning in the 2026–2027 school year with the University of Northwestern – St. Paul. Through this partnership, eligible students will be able to take college courses on Maranatha’s campus and online while remaining fully engaged in high school life. This pathway offers a Christ-centered college experience, exposure to college-level coursework, and the opportunity to earn college credit at no cost to families.

The PSEO application window is currently open and will close on March 6. Students who are interested should:

• Stop by the College & Career Center to pick up the required PSEO application, and
  
• Complete the online Northwestern PSEO application at:
  https://www.unwsp.edu/admissions/apply/pseo-application/
  

Students interested in pursuing an Associate’s degree will complete an additional application after their general application has been approved. We will follow up directly with those students to guide them through the next steps.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, we are happy to help.

Blessings,

Andrea Shoup

Upper School Counselor

ACT Prep will begin during WIN Time on Wednesday, February 11. This prep course will be taught by Elizabeth Brandstrom, one of our MCA science teachers and an experienced ACT prep instructor.

Students will meet each Wednesday during WIN Time leading up to the on-campus ACT test date on April 21. These sessions will focus on building test familiarity, strengthening key skills, and increasing confidence going into the exam.

Interested in signing up? Students can register in Flex.

Cost: Completely free! (however, an ACT Prep book may be recommended)

This guide explains how parents can navigate Schoology, Maranatha’s Learning Management System for grades 5–12. It outlines how to view assignments, grades, and teacher feedback, adjust notification settings, and stay informed about your child’s academic progress throughout the semester.

The 2026–2027 course registration process will take place during the second week of March and will be built into WIN Time through what we are calling registration conferences. This approach allows us to be intentional in supporting students as they plan ahead.

During these registration conferences, teachers will walk students through the process to ensure they clearly understand graduation requirements, elective options, and what credits they still need in order to graduate. Our goal is to help students make thoughtful, informed decisions about their course selections.

UPDATED time frame:

• Monday, March 9: Students will review their transcript and receive a grade-level-specific registration sheet for the year they are registering for. They will select their desired courses and take the form home to review with a parent/guardian.
• By Friday, March 13: Please enter student course selections into FACTS at home. A step-by-step process will be sent home in the coming weeks.

We appreciate your partnership as we work together to plan well for the upcoming school year.

Bethel University is offering a variety of engaging summer camps for students to explore academic interests, career pathways, and skill development. Camps running June 16–18 include Business Camp, Scrubs Camp, Forensic Science Camp, Video Production Camp, and the BUILDing Independent Skills Summer Program. In addition, the Summer Piano Academy will take place July 6–13. These camps provide hands-on learning experiences led by Bethel faculty and staff. Families can learn more about each camp and register online.

See the flyer below for more information.

Please see the ACT website below for information on ACT testing dates. All Juniors and Seniors will be invited to take the ACT at Maranatha on April 21st, 2026. We strongly encourage all juniors to take this opportunity to take the ACT this coming April on campus. More information will be coming out in the coming months.

Planning for the 2026 Senior Party is underway and we are excited about the fun night in store

for the students. It will be a memorable way to celebrate and wrap up their senior year.

Senior Party: May 16-17, 2026

Please see the attachment below for more information and to sign-up!

*Please note that this is NOT an MCA-run event. Please see the flyer for contact info.

• Complete college applications with the help of your college counselor
• Work with your college counselor, as needed, to finalize your application essay(s) and supplemental resources
• Check early action application deadlines for your college(s) of choice

The Common App is live for students to begin submitting their college applications. Students can stop by the CCC if they need help navigating the common application website. Feel free to email Mrs. Shoup (andrea.shoup@mcamustangs.org) with any questions or to make an appointment.

• February 19: Celebration of Black History (2PM)
• February 23: "Not Me!" Training (Grades 10-12)
• February 25: HS Mustang Rally
• March 4: College Wear Wednesday
• March 5-6: No School, Parent-Teacher Conferences