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“An educational system isn’t worth a great deal if it teaches young people how to make a living but doesn’t teach them how to make a life.” – Author Unknown

A 360° education is a comprehensive program of study that develops mind, body and spirit. It supports a young person’s need for independence alongside structure, and for individual achievement alongside team-oriented success.

Missouri Military Academy (MMA) is a military prep school for boys Grade 6 through 12 located in central Missouri, the heart of the great American Midwest. As a school, MMA exemplifies the 360° education ideal, producing well-educated, self-confident young men who are ready to take on the world.

MMA is unique in the fact that 100 percent of its seniors gain acceptance from at least one of their chosen universities, with an impressive amount earning a scholarship to help them on their way.  How does the school achieve this? By making academic performance and college preparation top on the list of priorities.

An MMA school day perfectly incorporates the opposite worlds of art and physics. It lets young men take up private, specialised music tuition and learn all about business in their spare time; it enables them to learn Spanish, French, Chinese or ESL, and practice with like-minded classmates at lunch. It’s a rigorous program that flawlessly blends each aspect of academia, allowing talented boys to follow their best-suited path free from the societal boundaries of stereotype, moulding them into strong leaders among their peers through university and far beyond.

It is ultimately a program that lets boys be boys, but ensures that they leave as men. Perhaps the best recommendation for an MMA education comes from those who have seen the difference for themselves.

“Our son Matt was doing well in a large public school, earning A’s and B’s, but we realized he could benefit from some structure,” says Carla Reindel, who sent her son to school at MMA. “We brought him to tour MMA. He thought about it, thought about his life and what he wanted in his life and decided MMA could be a good thing for him.

“It was the toughest decision we’ve ever made. But it was worth it. At MMA, Matt became more mature, self-assured, confident, sure of himself. He’s like a different kid! It’s amazing what it’s done for him.”

But what exactly did the school do for him?

1. It Encouraged Academic Excellence

MMA is a reputable provider of a world-class education, preparing cadets for entrance to their chosen university and success in later life. The school’s staff personally guides each cadet through the college selection and application process, ensuring they are aware of all available opportunities and setting them on the best-suited path to their future. Studies have shown that small and more inclusive class sizes are intrinsically linked to academic achievement – MMA makes it a priority to ensure every boy has access to the one-to-one attention he deserves.

2. It Inspired the Development of Character

MMA students are thoroughly inspired by the values that uphold the school: adventure, duty, honor, respect, integrity, duty, loyalty and personal courage.

These values are at the core of the military tradition, and feed through every aspect of the MMA experience.  These developments empower young men to reach their full potential, instilling a sound and self-disciplined moral character that lets them strive to reach their goals, and will remain with them for their entire existence.

 

Taps editor Brennan Morand poses with the graphic artwork he created for the 2016 Taps. #definitelynotaninstagramfilter

A photo posted by Missouri Military Academy (@missourimilitaryacademy) on

3. It Introduced Personal Motivation

Positive competition, team work and the establishment of achievable goals are part of what makes MMA cadets aim for excellence, both independently and as part of a team. Students are rewarded for performing obligations to the very best of their ability, and learn that if they don’t they shall have to face the consequences.

Highly qualified staff are always close-at-hand whenever cadets need guidance – but this is when young boys should learn to challenge themselves, to push their boundaries and learn how to pick themselves up should they ever make a mistake.

4. It Enabled Physical Development

The integration of health and physical education, physical training and athletic competition means MMA students can develop firm physical confidence, self-esteem and a general sense of well-being long before they graduate. Adolescent years are known to be the most difficult in the entire human development; it’s where we learn how to tackle challenging situations, socially and morally; we learn how to balance work with leisure and activities we are passionate about; all the while as we learn to confront those unpredictable hormones.

MMA’s focus on physical activity alongside a healthy dose of competition ensures all young men leave with the confidence they need to excel not only through college, but later in life.

5. It Imbued a Sense of Leadership

MMA’s military structure prepares cadets for wider responsibility and provides increasing opportunities for leadership as boys progress through the school. The ability to lead is a powerful one; it exemplifies responsibility and demonstrates a person’s capacity to influence a team of people, which is ultimately a representation of respect. It is one thing to take charge of a group of strangers, but it takes much more to achieve this amongst peers. This is something that will take them far in the competitive world of higher education, and will also prove invaluable under the gaze of future prospective employers.

These five points epitomize the 360° education that makes MMA graduates so strong. Cadets are better prepared not only for college, but for life, as a result on the institution’s rigorous focus on academic, physical, character and social development.

But you don’t have to take our word for it – let the parents speak for themselves:

“It was almost like MMA knew our son better than we did…everything they predicted he’d do has come true,” adds Carla. “He’s focused. He’s motivated. He wants to ‘be somebody’. He has a 4.3 GPA.

“What sets MMA apart from other schools is the military structure. MMA asks a lot out of these boys and they get a lot out of these boys. The structure they have squeezes every hour out of their day.

“These boys couldn’t get an education like this at any other school.”

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The Missouri Military Academy is a preparatory school with a military tradition for boys in grades 6-12. With a firm focus on character, athletics, academics, leadership and adventure, MMA provides a 360° education that produces self-confident, well-educated gentleman who are ready to tackle anything.

Whether your son is in middle or high school, MMA will help him reach his full potential with the help of highly-qualified, dedicated staff in a safe and secure environment. Students come from every corner of the globe in search of the MMA education that helps them build a successful future.

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