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Mondays with Mike: Behind the Lens: Your kids’ growth through the eyes of PCA creative genius

June 16, 2025

PCA Families,

We finished up with staff and faculty on Friday–they put in another strong week to review and pray over your kids: their growth, their opportunities, and handed them over to next year’s teachers. I hope our PCA fathers had a blessed day yesterday–thank you, Dads! Today I am on the road in Washington D.C. with my wife, Christy, to celebrate a milestone event for one our adult children and see another. I am grateful to God to be a father.

As summer continues for our community, there is a LOT happening on campus these days: Eagle Camps starts today for our young ones and kids–thanks to all the Upper School student-leaders serving as counselor! Summer maintenance is in full swing, the gyms are about to reopen after getting some work done for summer basketball league, the MPR continues to get renovated, and more.

Today, we are in the second week of a four week series. Last week we discussed your children’s growth.

On this episode of Mondays with Mike, I sit down with Nate Paul—our school’s Chief Storyteller, a devoted girl-dad, and passionate champion of Christian education.

Nate sees your children through a unique lens—literally. From Pre-K to graduation, he’s behind the camera capturing moments that reveal how your children are growing in courage, curiosity, and Christlikeness.

But in this conversation, Nate steps out from behind the lens to reflect on what he’s seen: students discovering passions, parents pressing through hard days, and teachers walking faithfully with every child.

You won’t want to miss what Nate shares.

A man and woman hold hands with a smiling toddler walking between them on a leaf-covered path in a park, with trees in the background.

A man in a black hoodie and shorts kneels on a wooden path outdoors, smiling at the camera while holding a black and brown dog on a leash. Autumn foliage surrounds them.

Key Takeaways

Preschool and PCAP: Nate sees the courage and curiosity forming early, as children step into community and explore learning with wonder. It’s also a place where parents begin to feel truly welcomed into the life of the school.
Lower School: Kids are discovering their passions—whether in music, science, heritage, or art. Events like Immigration Day and SeaPerch reveal how children are learning not just facts, but how to own their story.
Middle School: Questions deepen. Students begin wrestling with identity, faith, and belonging. Nate shares how he’s watched Socratic seminars and deep conversations shape young hearts in real time.
Upper School: Students start stretching into their calling. Nate reflects on the quiet moments of transformation—when teachers affirm not just performance, but character. He highlights students whose effort, kindness, and curiosity were celebrated in ways that shaped who they are becoming.
Parent Perspective: Now a father of two daughters, Nate shares how becoming a parent has changed how he tells stories. He understands the longing to know how your child is really doing—and he works to offer a true, hopeful window into their day-to-day life at PCA.