Finding the Gold Standard

The Karja Family’s story of finding Maranatha Christian Academy

So, you’re telling me that you live a stone’s throw from the closest elementary school and within walking distance of the middle and high schools, but you drive 25 miles one way to take your kids to school? Wait – you make that drive twice each day, every weekday? WHY?

This is the question we get asked often from friends, neighbors, and acquaintances. We have been residents of Elk River for 12 years, and as you know, it’s a beautiful, thriving community with great schools. It’s known for its safe neighborhoods and fantastic sports programs for kids. We get the small-town feel while still being close enough to the city. Ultimately, we chose Maranatha Christian Academy seven years ago, and we continue to choose MCA today because the school has earned our trust when it comes to the quality and the entirety of our children’s education and spiritual growth. We appreciate our FREEDOM of choice when it comes to these things that, as parents, are so important to us!

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“We choose MCA because the school has earned our trust when it comes to the quality and the entirety of our children’s education and spiritual growth” – Jeremy and Katherine Karja

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Eight years ago, when we began the search for our oldest son to attend preschool, we put in a lot of prayer and thought. More importantly, we had conversations around what God would want him to learn in order for him to fulfill God’s calling on his life. What things would we need to be cultivating? What are the foundational pieces that he will need to build his life on? When we had him home with us all day, we felt we had the answers to those things. But when we thought about him in the care of someone else, we really had to lean on God. We wondered if a school existed out there that would align with us and partner with us both academically and spiritually.

We made time to attend an open house at Maranatha. Going into it, we wanted to learn whether the preschool program would be academically challenging enough for him. He’s very smart and curious and loves to learn. Will he be bored? Would it feel more like “school” and less like child care? After the open house, we were so encouraged but still had so many questions. After exercising so much patience with us, the staff gave us solid answers and affirmations. We knew the answer was YES to attend MCA. We had our partner!

Fast forward – seven years later, we are pleased to say that based on our experience at Maranatha, the answer to these questions is still YES! We have five children, four of which attend MCA. Our youngest will join them in the fall of 2022. Landon is currently in 6th grade and is enjoying his first year of upper school. He plays hockey and golf and is excited to start Lacrosse this next spring. Gavin is in 4th grade and loves all things baseball. He is taking a breather from hockey this year to pursue mixed martial arts over the winter months. Eliana is in 3rd grade, and enjoys playing softball, golf, and hockey. Isla is a Kindergartener this year and loves swimming, ice skating, and gymnastics. Kellen is four and is enjoying spending time with our new puppy, playing baseball, and learning to skate.

MCA has always been the gold standard for us in so many ways, and we have yet to find a place where we feel more at home and at peace. The virtues, values we discuss and teach in our home, the things we model at home, the most important aspects of the environment we create at home are echoed at Maranatha. Our school creates an environment where our kids are completely immersed in the Word of God. They learn about the world through a Christian worldview that points them back to Jesus every time. This integration is a priority at MCA and is evident in how we see our kids connect with friends and classmates through conversations we have with them and their daily projects. We trust MCA is a place that will remain in this mindset despite so many rapid changes happening in the world and schools around us.

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“The virtues, values we discuss and teach in our home, the things we model at home, the most important aspects of the environment we create at home are echoed at Maranatha” – Jeremy and Katherine Karja

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Maranatha nurtures our children through their foundational years into intensive preparation for college and entrepreneurial endeavors. MCA operates in the continual pursuit of academic excellence. We can share first-hand experiences of moments when one child of ours or another was struggling with a specific concept. Their teachers have communicated that with us early on and always have an action plan in place to get them moving forward with success. MCA achieves tremendous success with their tried and true academic systems in place while still marching on with more innovative ways to give our children the tools they need to do and become their very best.

Each year brings new excitement to see how each of our kids will experience the same class projects or events that one of their siblings had already experienced. They remember everything from class camping trips, packing meals for families in need, field trips to science museums, plays, orchestras, and apple orchards. Helping take care of the school garden and harvest in the fall, weekly worship, and chapel. The mini economy events where the kids earn play money and learn about how to manage finances. Teachers sending hand-written cards in the mail reminding them that they are prayed for and loved. The freedom and confidence our kids have in praying and sharing Jesus with their friends.

As the years go on, they have so much to look forward to experiencing. Each child with their own interest will gravitate toward the various sports MCA offered along with things like robotics, art, theater, music, debate, and entrepreneurship. The fact is that there are endless opportunities for kids with many different gifts, talents, interests, and goals to become passionate about and succeed. Not every school of this size has this much to offer in so many ways. These opportunities bring so many lessons and means for these kids to gain confidence for the next thing they want to pursue. There is something for everyone here!

One day when our kids are grown, we are confident and so grateful our children grew up with less of the noise of the world and learned how to hear God’s voice while being exceedingly equipped to tackle anything they want to accomplish in life!

Are you searching for a school that you can say – I found my partner? Schedule a visit with Maranatha Christian Academy.