Introducing Our New Maranatha Staff

In this article, Maranatha High School would like to introduce a few of our new staff. We are delighted to have them partner with us in shaping hearts and minds of our students.

 

Nick Frankowski ‘99 (Dean of Admissions) - Mr. Frankowski is a 1999 graduate of Maranatha High School and he believes that being given the opportunity to serve at his alma mater was truly God intervening in his life and calling him to serve in a new capacity. Mr. Frankowski shared, “I have had the pleasure of working in Christ-centered schools for a decade and a half. My extensive middle school experience on the field/court, in the classroom, and in the administration has given me a unique insight. This insight will serve Maranatha well in identifying potential students and creating opportunities to extend our feeder school community. The opportunity to work with colleagues who share a passion to serve is special. Serving alongside brothers and sisters in Christ creates a team with a unified goal.”

 

Maranatha’s Admissions Department aspires to enroll students who are aligned with the core values of Maranatha, as well as help students and their families navigate the admissions process while modeling a spirit of service. Mr. Frankowski continued, “I want to push myself, our students, and the Maranatha community to intentionally seek growth. I pray that we carve out time to ask for the Lord's wisdom and discernment as we grow.”

 

 

Susan Im (International Student Program Director) - As the International Student Program Director, Mrs. Im’s primary role is to be the liaison for Maranatha’s international students and their families, homestay parents, and the school community. Mrs. Im said, “My primary responsibilities are in recruitment, admissions work, and assisting our students with cultural adaptation and integration to our school life. Our department develops relationships with international students so we can provide support and advice on adjustment to academic rigor, enhance homestay experience, and encourage the involvement of our students in extracurricular activities. We provide ongoing assistance and services to our international families during the student’s entire time at Maranatha.”

 

Mrs. Im has always had a passion for education and to work with students to help them learn and develop their faith and their world view. She said, “My personal and professional aspirations were to work in a school that exemplifies God at work in transforming young people’s lives. This is exactly what Maranatha intentionally strives to do for each student in a Christ-centered environment with dedicated faculty and staff.” 

 

Mrs. Im’s goal for her international students is for them to have a passion for learning and to seek to learn from every experience as they pursue their studies. She continued, “Their education should be enriched by diverse experiences so they can learn and develop both academically and personally as they achieve success and pursue their dreams. My desire is to empower our students to face new challenges, make learning relevant to life, and give them the tools to become successful. As a department, we will work to instill in our students the clear values of integrity and compassion, and to help develop each student’s awareness of self, others, and our world and how they can contribute to society as global citizens.”

 

Shelbi Wilson-Fields (Learning Assistance Program Director): LAP Director Shelbi Wilson-Fields has been diligently teaching Maranatha’s resilient and hard-working students this school year. Ms. Wilson-Fields said, “The LAP’s vision for the new school year is to continue focusing on the whole child, as well as providing support in their organizational skills, writing, and reading development to further their love of education." She is also providing direct instruction of best study practices, self-advocacy support, and other executive function skills, including College Board accommodations for the ACT, SAT, PSAT, and AP tests, learning technology, and STEM tutoring network.”

 

Ms. Wilson-Fields, who was named one of six Best and Brightest National Top Educators by Essence magazine in March 2010 as well as receiving the California Teacher of the Year Award in 2006 (beating out over 300,000 K-12 teachers in the state for this honor), will provide encouragement and support to all LAP students and will help them to achieve great success in improving grades, develop confidence, and believe in their capacity to grow and learn.