Faith Integration

“Minnehaha Academy is first and foremost a Christian school. This is the definite purpose for which it was founded. We make no apology for emphasizing that this is its distinctive feature. On the contrary, it would be necessary to apologize if this were not so. Minnehaha Academy believes that true education consists of more than the acquisition of knowledge. It stands for the training of the heart as well as the head and the hand.” 

- T.W. Anderson (First President of Minnehaha Academy)

We understand the work of faith formation to be the ongoing process, through the gift and work of the Holy Spirit within a caring community of faculty, staff, students and families, of inviting people to know God’s love, encouraging hearts and minds to trust and follow Jesus, and inspiring lives of servant leadership as we discover our unique potential in sharing our God-given gifts with the world.

The relational work of integrating faith and learning is seen in creating the conditions and conversations that we live in as a caring community of whole and holy people who walk with Jesus. This is accomplished through instructional strategies like Teaching for Transformation (where teachers develop their deep hope, students develop their identities as learners, and both work to meet real needs by solving real problems in the world), through common worship in chapel, through deeper learning in Core Formation Experiences, through the Minnehaha Leadership Institute, and through pursuing the work of racial righteousness and reconciliation. 

A true education promotes whole human flourishing in genuine relationships. Just as God takes us by the hand in this journey through grace, at Minnehaha Academy we seek to care for our students as we live out our Mission.

Lower School students lead chapel

Chapel

In chapel, students and faculty encounter God through worship in a caring community. Chapel is where we tell the story of what God has done, hear what Christ is doing, and encourage one another to join the work of the Holy Spirit in the renewal of all things. As an important part of our life together at Minnehaha Academy, each school has corporate worship once each week. Chapel typically consists of music and a message. 

Students’ spiritual development extends far beyond our scheduled chapel times into all areas of student life including classroom instruction, athletics, daily interaction with faculty and staff, and classroom practices such as devotions, time in prayer, and Bible teachings. We understand faith formation to be the ongoing process, through the gift and work of the Holy Spirit within a caring community of faculty, staff, students and families, of inviting people to know God’s love, encouraging hearts and minds to trust and follow Jesus, and inspiring lives of servant leadership as we discover our unique potential in sharing our God-given gifts with the world.

Faith & Learning

Two boys at the Middle School retreat

At Minnehaha Academy, our desire is that students become active participants in God’s story, engaging their whole selves: head, heart, and hands. Using the paradigm of Teaching for Transformation the following practices are how we provide a high quality education integrating Christian faith and learning so that students grow in wisdom and stature and favor with God and others. 

  • Deep Hope: Each faculty member has worked on a ‘North Star’ vision for students & their learning in God’s story. A deep hope creates focus, direction, & serves as an invitation to a way of being together in the classroom, and asks teachers to think about what they want students to remember from their class 60 years from now. 
  • Storylines: Stories help us make sense of the world around us. In each classroom learning is oriented around a storyline that serves to offer context, deepen understanding, and connect us to God’s story in a Distinctively Christian way. Storylines are one way teachers express their deep hope for students. 
  • Throughlines: these are ways we walk out our faith in Jesus. Throughlines help us realize who we are created to be and the work we are appointed to do, leading to deepened character through a clarified sense of identity, purpose, and vocation. Derived from our philosophy and mission statement, they are: Justice Seeker, Image Bearer, Community Builder, Beauty Creator, Creation Keeper, Servant Leader, Order Discoverer, Truth Discerner, and Mosaic Encourager.
  • Deeper Learning: Exceptional Academics begins with the development of meaningful skills and knowledge. Students Cultivate Potential through Core Formation experiences and projects that use their knowledge and skills to produce beautiful work that addresses real needs and real problems in the real world.