PCA Podcasts

Happy Monday, PCA community. In this episode we sit down with three students who took part in the New Hampshire Educational Theater Guild’s 2026 Festival — Viola (senior actor and set designer), Sarah (9th-grade actor and costume assistant), and Richard (10th-grade lighting designer). Over a tight, competitive weekend their ensemble of about a dozen students prepared, performed, and struck a one-a...

Join PCA's read-a-thon recap featuring four enthusiastic students—Xander, Quinn, Timothy, and Sarah—and Mrs. Donna Collins, the lower school librarian. In this episode they celebrate a month-long read-a-thon that engaged students across grades, with hundreds of books read and thousands of minutes logged. Listeners will hear students share favorite series and genres (Dragon Masters, Warriors, Narni...

This episode is a heartfelt address from Mike Runey about the central role teachers play in a Christian school community. There are no external guests — it’s a solo message that reflects on memorable teachers, the daily influence of educators, and why investing in teachers matters for students’ formation. Topics covered include the personal attention teachers give students, the importance of chall...

Hey, PCA families. This is Mike and it's Monday and you and I should all be on vacation by the time you're hearing this. I'm here with Jordan Heckelmann, our upper school principal. In this episode Mike and Jordan close out a deep dive from the State of the School series and focus on what our recent graduates are doing and how PCA is preparing the next 1,000 grads. We review data from the classes...

In this State of the School follow-up episode recorded around President's Day 2026, the host sits down with Dr. Carrie Booth, Lower School Principal, to explain how Providence Christian Academy uses assessment data to inform instruction without letting numbers define students. They frame data as a “flashlight” — a focused tool that illuminates where learners are at a moment in time and guides next...

In this episode host Mike sits down with Lois Blatchley, PCA's middle school principal, to explore the school’s educational vision for grades 6–8 and how whole-child formation shows up in daily life. Lois — who has served as dean of women in the upper school, a board chair, and a long-time leader in Christian education — brings a wide perspective on guiding students through the pivotal middle scho...

Join host Mike and guest Steve Howe, PCA's Chief Operating Officer, for a candid conversation about campus safety during winter months. This episode frames safety as a posture, not a checklist, and focuses on the everyday choices that keep children, staff, and neighbors safe as families arrive, park, and depart. Topics covered include on-campus speed limits (10 MPH on Seabourn Drive, 5 MPH in lots...

Ready to join PCA’s biggest community event on March 21? This Saturday morning gathering brings neighbors, families, and staff together to celebrate, connect, and raise vital support for our variable tuition program. Admission is free; breakfast tickets and tables are available for purchase. The funds raised directly support families with varying financial needs so students can access a Christ-cen...

  In this episode Mike talks with Nate Hasty, PCA’s Director of College & Career Guidance, about how the school helps students discern their next steps—not just where they can get admitted, but where God may be calling them to serve and grow. Nate brings a background in student ministry and higher-education admissions and explains how those experiences shape his approach to guiding students an...

As our nation marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day and looks ahead to America’s 250th year, this episode tells a lesser-known story from the Korean War—one that reveals both the promise and the pain of our national journey. Mike sits down with his father, retired U.S. Army Colonel Dennis Runey, to reflect on the Army’s first full integration in combat. Through the story of a fellow soldier who lived i...

On this episode of Mondays with Mike, Nate and Mike Runey lead a timely mid‑year review as the first semester closes. They explore three central ideas for PCA families—growth, mastery, and excellence—and explain why now is a good time to reflect on a child’s academic trajectory. They define growth as the measurable trajectory a student makes over time, mastery as grade‑level competence (when skill...

Good afternoon, PCA community. In this episode Nate Paul and Head of School Mike Runey discuss returning from winter break and the important academic season ahead. They explain how the winter months—though quieter on the surface—are a powerful period of deep, rooted academic growth and development for students. Mike highlights PCA’s educational vision (the five “lanes” or pentathlon approach) and...

A good Monday, peace, safe families. As we head into Christmas week, this episode meets you where you are and introduces Chaplain David Moore from Portsmouth Christian Academy. David shares his journey to PCA, his role focusing on the middle school, and how he quietly walks the halls—listening, praying, noticing, and being available to students and staff. David describes the real, thoughtful quest...

Happy Monday from PCA: in the week before Christmas break, a group of young PCA musicians share how they discovered music, prepared for All‑State auditions, and balanced lessons, school, and extracurriculars. The students describe the audition process — learning repertoire in advance, sight‑reading on the spot, and for vocalists, memorizing excerpts — and reflect on practice routines, coaching, an...

Steve Leavitt interviews Head of School Mike Runey about the Fall 2025 Parent Survey and the biannual Student Culture Survey (grades 5–8). They review community feedback praising PCA’s relational, Christ-centered culture and exceptional faculty while highlighting key strengths such as students feeling safe and proud to attend the school. The conversation also addresses primary concerns raised by p...

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 an...

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 curiosi...

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 he...

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 f...

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 Christm...

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 championsh...

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 se...

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 c...

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 th...

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 d...