PCA Podcasts

Behind the Circles: Upper School Leaders Share How Small Groups Change Lives

In this episode of Mondays with Mike, three Upper‑School small group leaders—Maeve (senior), Jaela (junior), and Donovan (sophomore)—talk about how their groups have built trust, practiced vulnerability, and supported one another. They share specific moments like a deep discussion at Brookwoods, a student chapel message on love, and a creative prayer board project that helped students feel seen and prayed for.
The leaders also describe challenges of guiding conversations after chapel, how mentors and group members step in, and the ways small groups have shifted the school’s culture toward greater care and outreach. Each student closes by offering a short prayer request for their group during the Advent and Christmas season.
This conversation highlights quiet acts of faith, peer discipleship, and the real-life impact of student leadership on community and spiritual growth.

Thanksgiving Pause: Upper School Growth, Leadership & Community

Join Mike and Upper School Principal Jordan Heckelmann as they reflect on a fall semester of growth, leadership, and community just before Thanksgiving break. This episode highlights academic moments like a lively Socratic seminar on The Crucible, an advanced Spanish 5 literature course, inquiry-based chemistry labs, and creative projects in church history.
Jordan shares how teachers model curiosity and adapt new learning into the classroom, and how students are rising to academic challenges with perseverance and critical thinking. He also describes spiritual formation across the school, including development of small group leaders, spiritual renewal days with extended worship and prayer, and new practices like breath prayer.
The conversation celebrates student-led initiatives—a Thanksgiving feast born from student ideas, a student-led night of worship, increased senior leadership, and stronger cultural buy-in across events like homecoming and retreats. These examples show students taking ownership of their faith, community, and learning.
Jordan closes with gratitude for the Lord’s work in the community, thankful parents, faculty, staff, and student leaders, and optimism for continued growth through the rest of the school year.

Gratitude & Growth: Lower School Fall Highlights with Dr. Carrie Abood

In this episode Dr. Carrie Abood, Lower School Principal, shares fall highlights and expresses Thanksgiving gratitude. She reviews how the school has embraced the core value of a compassionate community through chapel, kindness initiatives, and classroom projects.
Dr. Abood describes student leadership growth—especially among fifth graders—with examples like athletic involvement, Operation Christmas Child, and a new lower-school student representative group. She also highlights signature programs such as the speech meet, shepherding and reading buddies, and the responsive classroom approach that supports social-emotional learning.
She praises the teachers’ dedication, collaborative professional development, and commitment to both academic and spiritual formation. Academic progress is tracked with assessments like NEWA and DIBELS, with focused work on writing, reading comprehension, and math groupings.
Preparing students for transitions, particularly fifth graders moving toward middle school, includes executive skills training, increased responsibility, and leadership opportunities. The episode closes with Dr. Aboot giving thanks for the school community and praying for rest and growth for families over Thanksgiving.

Thankful Hearts in Preschool: A Conversation with Ms. Harley

In this episode, PCAP director Harley Tuttle shares highlights from the fall preschool program during Thanksgiving break. She discusses moments of gratitude, new friendships, and children’s excitement about learning.Harley describes how teachers use a Christ-centered foundation—daily prayer, Bible stories, and intentional conversations—to help children notice God in creation and practice caring for one another. She gives examples like a gratitude wheel and a child asking classmates to pray for a sibling.The episode also explores intentional, play-based teaching: learning centers, provocations that provoke curiosity, early literacy and numeracy skills, and rich socio-dramatic play. Harley emphasizes social-emotional growth, problem-solving, and preparing older preschoolers for kindergarten with confidence and practical skills.She closes by expressing thanks for the committed teaching team, preschool families, and joyful students, noting the program’s recent recognition and praying a blessing over the community.

Growing in Grace: PCA Middle School Highlights This Fall

PCA community and middle school community, happy Thanksgiving.Principal Lois Blatchley shares an encouraging update from the middle school during Thanksgiving break. She highlights moments of student care in Bible Homeroom, strong academic growth in writing, math, and science, and meaningful teacher collaboration across grades.The episode describes how chapel and small-group conversations are helping students wrestle with faith questions, how chaplain-led discussions deepen understanding, and how mixed-grade small groups build leadership—especially among boys with the help of staff and parent volunteers.Lois reviews transitions for sixth graders (gaining organization and confidence) and eighth graders (stepping into leadership and preparing for upper school), and expresses gratitude for students, teachers, families, and God’s faithfulness this fall.Listeners are invited to engage with teachers, celebrate student progress, and join in gratitude and prayer for the school community.

PCA Fall Season Recap: State Champs, Breakthroughs, and Team Spirit

Hello, PCA community — this episode captures reflections from upper school athletes as they wrap up an extraordinary fall season the week before Thanksgiving. Students and coaches discuss the highs and lows from women's and men's soccer, varsity and JV volleyball, and boys’ and girls’ cross country.Highlights include the varsity women’s soccer team winning PCA’s first Division IV state championship, the boys’ team rebuilding and fighting through a tough schedule, volleyball’s gritty underdog performances and JV state runner-up finish, and cross country teams achieving program-best results including a girls’ D3 runner-up finish and a boys’ top-three D3 placing with a New England qualifier.Throughout the conversation athletes emphasize leadership, faith, community support, coachability, and perseverance — sharing specific moments of teamwork, injuries overcome, comeback wins, and spiritual encouragement that defined the season.The episode closes with players urging the community to remember the character and teamwork behind the scores, and with excitement for winter sports ahead.

Veterans Day: Reflections on America at 250 with Dr. Ray Gamble

On the eve of Veterans Day 2025, host Mike speaks with Dr. Ray Gamble about America’s 250th anniversary, the Revolutionary War, and the experience of those who served. Dr. Gamble, a retired Army officer and longtime history teacher, shares his perspective on the long struggle from Lexington and Concord through Yorktown, the hardships faced by the Continental Army, and the evolution from militia service to a more professional force.They discuss causes of the Revolution, including post–Seven Years’ War British taxation and colonial responses, the role of leaders like John and Samuel Adams, and why George Washington’s appointment helped unite the colonies. Dr. Gamble also describes the daily realities of 18th-century military life, militia expectations, seasonal campaigning tied to planting and harvest, and the extreme suffering during the winters of the war.Mike and Dr. Gamble highlight Dr. Gamble’s teaching work—World History, World War II, the Cold War, and early American history—plus his community involvement coaching sports and advising clubs. The episode closes with a reminder to honor veterans, attend the campus Veterans Day chapel, and take time to ask veterans about their stories.Simple, thoughtful, and rooted in historical detail, this conversation connects local community life, classroom teaching, and national memory as listeners prepare to observe Veterans Day.

Theatre Week Spotlight: 'A Play With Words' Cast Shares Laughs and Faith

PCA Community welcomes listeners to Theatre Week with an interview featuring the middle school cast of A Play With Words. The episode introduces the play’s premise—a writer named Scribe who personifies characters and plays with language through puns, metaphors, and mixed-up proverbs—and highlights the comedic tone.Cast members Lily, Lydia, and Adam describe their roles, the playful confusion of characters named Me, You, and Judge, and how the show uses wordplay and quick sketches for laughs. They also talk about the close-knit, mixed-grade cast, the director Mrs. Fillion’s supportive leadership, and the learning moments from rehearsals and performances.The conversation ties theatre to personal growth and faith, emphasizing risk-taking, teamwork, and learning from mistakes. The episode closes with invitations to come see the lively, fast-paced comedy and support the students’ hard work.

Live on Mic: PCA Students Reimagine 'It's a Wonderful Life'

This episode spotlights PCA upper school students as they prepare their fall production: It's a Wonderful Life — A Live Radio Show. Cast members and the stage manager explain how the classic story is retold through an old-fashioned radio broadcast performed in front of a live audience.Listeners learn about the play’s two-layer structure: actors play radio performers (like Sally Appelwhite) who then perform the story’s characters (like Mary Hatch), while live sound effects and microphones recreate the vintage radio experience.The cast of about 11–13 students ranges from newcomers to seasoned performers. The team discusses practical production details — 1920s/Depression-era costuming, limited blocking for radio staging, juggling rehearsals with sports, and the stage manager’s role in keeping things organized.The conversation also highlights the play’s Christian themes, the community and spiritual growth that come from theater, and how the production helps students practice empathy, trust, and teamwork. The episode ends with an invitation to come support the students and enjoy the unique retelling of this holiday favorite.

Historic Win: Middle School Cross-Country Claims First Ever State Championship

Ladies and gentlemen, it is Monday, and it is the end of our fall athletic season. Our middle school cross-country team made history this week by winning the state championship — the first state title in middle school cross-country for PCA. Coach Daphne Corso, assistant principal and head coach, joins Mondays with Mike to share how the team’s focus on love of running, encouragement, and teamwork drove their unexpected success. Featuring interviews with runners from fifth to eighth grade, the episode highlights individual stories of growth, training with high school volunteers, race-day strategies, mental toughness, and shout-outs to coaches, parents, and teammates. The girls’ team also had standout performances, including an individual third-place finish. The episode celebrates faith, community, and the grit that led these young athletes to a memorable season.