Mondays with Mike: Rooted Here, Formed Here, Sent from Here
Good afternoon PCA families,
There are weeks in the life of a school when you can almost see the whole story at once.
This is one of those weeks.
Tonight, our seniors gather for baccalaureate. On Thursday, our eighth graders mark the end of middle school. On Friday, the Class of 2026 walks across the stage at commencement. And last Friday, we hosted our first Academic Showcase.
These may sound like separate events, but I do not think they are.
They are windows into the same story: students rooted here, formed here, challenged here, known here, and by God’s grace, sent from here.
▶ You can listen to this week’s episode here.
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Key Takeaways
- This week shows the whole formation story.
Baccalaureate, the 8th grade milestone, commencement, and Showcase are not separate events. Together, they show students being rooted, formed, challenged, known, and sent. - The Class of 2026 has much to celebrate.
The graduating class includes 45 students with 92 college acceptances, more than $780,000 in merit scholarships to schools they plan to attend, 143 college credits, and nearly 12,000 hours of service. But the deeper story is not the numbers; it is the next faithful step each graduate is preparing to take. - Faithfulness does not come in one shape.
PCA graduates are heading into colleges, universities, trades, work, planned gap years, and many different fields of study. We are not trying to send every graduate to the same destination. We are seeking to help each one grow toward his or her God-given potential and step faithfully where God calls next. - The Class of 2030 is ready for more.
Our eighth graders are completing Middle School with strong academic achievement, strong growth, broad athletic participation, and full engagement in the arts. More importantly, they are growing in responsibility, friendship, courage, independence, and belonging. - Showcase gave us a window into real learning.
Students explained what they had learned, answered questions, demonstrated curiosity, and practiced the public courage of saying: “Here is what I studied. Here is what I found. Here is why it matters.” - In an age of AI, explanation matters more, not less.
Students need to do more than produce answers. They need to explain how they know what they know, defend their work, listen to questions, refine their thinking, and offer their learning to others. - The arts belong at the center of formation.
The Fine Arts prefects and Academic prefects helped bring student voice forward through leadership, reflection, creativity, writing, and the student newspaper. This is not separate from academic formation; it is part of helping students notice, ask better questions, revise their words, and help a community see itself more clearly. - PCA is pressing toward coherent, faithful curriculum.
The Showcase also gave us an opportunity to speak with parents about new and refreshed Upper School courses, AP Seminar, revamped history courses, and continued work in math, science, and curriculum design. The goal is not systems for their own sake, but stronger formation for students.
This week gives us one story.
The Class of 2026 is being sent.
The Class of 2030 is stepping forward.
And Showcase gives us a glimpse of what happens in the middle.
Students are observing, questioning, researching, writing, presenting, creating, leading, and learning how to offer their gifts for the good of others.
This is why PCA exists.
We are not simply trying to help students get through school. By God’s grace, we are seeking to help form young people who know truth, love God and neighbor, develop their gifts, serve faithfully, and step into the world with wisdom, courage, humility, and joy.
Rooted here.
Formed here.
Sent from here.
Once an Eagle, always an Eagle!
See you on campus soon.
Mike Runey
Head of School
Portsmouth Christian Academy
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