Eli Valder is a high school social studies teacher at Maranatha.
Before MCA, Mr. Valder was a student at North Central University and taught for a year at a small Catholic school in Little Canada. "I was the middle school social studies teacher. It was a small school. It was K-8, and I was the elementary gym teacher and the part-time athletic director." Eli did this for a year before he got a call from our then middle school social studies teacher, Josh Agrimson, now assistant principal, about an opening in the social studies department that he should check out (Josh and Eli went to North Central together). Eli applied for the job, got it, and has been here ever since. When asked what Christian education means, Eli said,
I think there is tremendous value in having Christian thought throughout school, because sometimes growing up, I thought of schooling and faith as separate things, and [...] being here [at Maranatha], students get to see that faith informs everything—it informs your thinking, it informs your worldview, and it impacts how you interact with others and with society around you.
Beyond teaching social studies, Mr. Valder coaches baseball and mentors students through the MCA community. He's the kind of teacher students come back to visit after they've graduated because he genuinely cares about their growth—not just academically, but spiritually and personally.
"Mr. Valder leads by example," said Dr. Gary Hitz, Head of School. "He's consistent in his faith and his commitment to our students. He's a tremendous asset to our community."
