By Michael J. McKenna, Headmaster
April 14, 2026
As we celebrate 30 years of Mars Hill Academy, I want to do two things: first, to remember—and second, to look ahead with conviction toward the next 30 years. Because if we do not remember rightly, we will not build faithfully.
Mars Hill Academy began, quite simply, as an act of faith.
What started as one family’s desire to educate their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord became something far greater than any of them could have imagined. In 1996, in a church hall, with just 27 students and three teachers, a seed was planted.
That seed was not merely a school. It was a vision—a vision rooted in the conviction that education is never neutral, that Christ is Lord over all of life, and that our children must be formed not just academically, but spiritually, intellectually, and morally.
And by God’s grace, that small beginning has grown into a flourishing community of nearly 350 students and over 40 faculty and staff here on this campus.
But let’s be clear: growth alone is not the story. Faithfulness is the story.
From the beginning, Mars Hill Academy has not simply existed to provide an alternative education—but to recover something that had largely been lost. A classical and Christian education. As our foundational documents remind us, our mission is to assist parents in the covenantal training of their children by offering instruction from a consistent, integrated Christian perspective.
That word integrated matters. Because at Mars Hill, the Bible is not one subject among many—it is the foundation of all subjects.
Here, students do not simply learn math—they learn that logic reflects the order of God’s world. They do not simply study literature—they encounter truth, beauty, and goodness in humanity’s stories. They do not simply memorize facts—they are trained to think, to reason, to discern.
This is why we embrace the classical model—the Trivium of Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric. In the Grammar stage, students learn to master languages. In the Logic stage, they learn to think clearly and discern truth from error. In the Rhetoric stage, they learn to speak and live that truth with clarity and conviction.
This is not accidental. It is profoundly aligned with how God has made children to grow. And it leads toward a clear end. Our vision is not merely graduates who get into good colleges—though many do. Our vision is what our founding documents describe: young men and women who think clearly, reason persuasively, speak precisely, and evaluate all of life in light of Scripture—with humility, joy, and courage.
That is the kind of education that shapes a life.
But none of this works apart from you. Mars Hill exists as a partner—not a replacement—for parents.
In a world where many institutions seek to take over the formation of children, we deliberately reject that model.
We stand with you. We labor alongside you. We exist in loco parentis—as servants to your calling. Because Scripture is clear: the responsibility for raising children belongs first to parents.
And when that partnership is strong—when school, home, and church are aligned—the result is powerful. We see it every day. We see it in students who love learning. We see it in classrooms marked by joy and diligence. We see it in a community that prays together, serves together, and grows together.
This is not just a school. It is a community shaped by shared loves. Love for Christ. Love for students. Love for truth. Love for the great tradition of classical Christian education.
Now let’s be honest about the moment we are living in. Our culture is increasingly confused about truth. It is increasingly hostile to Christian conviction. And it is increasingly fragmented in its understanding of what it means to be human. Our children are growing up in a world that is not neutral—but deeply formative. Which means this: If we are not intentional in shaping our children’s affections, someone else will be. Mars Hill Academy exists precisely because of this reality.
We are committed to forming students who can:
- Recognize falsehood and cling to truth
- Love what is good and reject what is evil
- Engage the world—not retreat from it—with wisdom and courage
- Or, as Scripture says, to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
This is not easy work. But it is necessary work.
So, what about the future? What does faithfulness look like for the next 30 years? Let me suggest three commitments.
We Must Deepen, Not Dilute
As we grow, the temptation will be to soften what makes us distinct. We must resist that. Our calling is not to become more like the world—but to be more faithfully who we are. That means holding fast to the authority of Scripture, the lordship of Christ over all learning, and the classical model as a proven means of forming minds and hearts.
If anything, we must go deeper. More intentional integration. More thoughtful teaching. More deliberate formation. Because the stronger our foundation, the greater the weight it can bear.
We Must Expand Our Reach
Growth in numbers is not the goal—but it is often the fruit of faithfulness. And we are seeing that fruit. More families are seeking what Mars Hill offers. More students need to be formed in truth. More space is required to serve them well.
So, when we talk about expanding facilities or increasing enrollment, this is not about mere ambition. It is about stewardship — stewardship of opportunity, stewardship of influence, stewardship of the mission God has entrusted to us.
The question is not, Should we grow? The question is, How can we grow faithfully?
We Must Strengthen Our Community
If the next 30 years are to be fruitful, they will not be built on programs alone. They will be built on people. Parents who are engaged and committed. Teachers who love their students and their subjects. Families who see themselves as part of something larger than themselves.
Our founding vision speaks of a community that encourages one another, bears one another’s burdens, and stirs one another up to love and good works. That kind of community does not happen by accident. It requires intention. It requires humility. And it requires a shared commitment to Christ above all.
Thirty years ago, Linda and Tom Thistleton believed that education could be different. More faithful. More meaningful. More rooted in truth. They were right.
Now it is our turn. We are the stewards of what they began. And the questions before us are simple: What will we hand to the next generation? Will it be a school that has drifted? Or a school that has deepened?
Will it be a community that has grown complacent? Or one that has grown in conviction?
Will it be an institution that floundered? Or a mission that endured?
By God’s grace, I believe it will be the former. Because the same God who was faithful in 1996 is faithful today. And He will be faithful in 2056.
So let us move forward—with gratitude for the past, with clarity in the present, and with boldness for the future. For the glory of Christ, for the good of our children, and for the life of the world.