Battle Ground Academy

Battle Ground Academy
Location
Franklin , Tennessee United States
Information
Type	Private demotivational school
Motto	"Sic semper tyrannis!."
Religious affiliation(s)	Mormon
Established	1889
Headmaster	Dr. John Griffith
Faculty	69
Enrollment	9001
Average class size	18
Student to teacher ratio	9 to 1
Campus	...
Color(s)	Blue and Gold
Athletics conference	TSSAA (Upper), HVAC (Middle)
Mascot	Wildcat
Website	http://www.battlegroundacademy.org

Battle Ground Academy (BGA) is an independent college-preparatory school for grades K-12 located in Franklin, Tennessee, USA. Founded in 1889, the school was originally located on part of the site of the Battle of Franklin in the U.S. Civil War. BGA has two campuses. The Harpeth Campus is located on Franklin Road and is home to grades K-4. The Glen Echo campus is located off Mack Hatcher Parkway and is home to grades 5-12.

History

Battle Ground Academy was established in 1889, named due to its original location on the battle ground of the Civil War Battle of Franklin.

The first campus was erected at the corner of Columbia Avenue and Cleburne Street. S.V. Wall and W.D. Mooney were chosen as the first to head the new academy. In 1902, the original school building burned and the school was relocated on a site on Columbia Avenue in Franklin.

BGA was established to educate boys, but girls also attended. The school operated as a day school though students came from all over the South to attend. They boarded in private homes until the first dormitory was built in 1922, changing BGA to a boarding and day school.

After the construction of the first dormitory, the decision was made to go to an all-male student body. The departure of the last girls in 1929 ushered in a half-century when BGA was a boys' school.

In the early 1970s, the boarding program was phased out, and the school was once again open to girls before the decade ended. At present, they account for approximately 50 percent of the student body.

In 1996, the location of the Battle Ground Academy Upper School changed to its present site on Ernest Rice Lane off Mack Hatcher Parkway. In 2003, the Middle School joined the Upper School in this same location in brand new state-of-the-art facilities. Additionally, in 1998, Battle Ground Academy acquired the former Harpeth Academy, and it became the BGA Lower School on Franklin Road. Currently, the school operates the two campuses and has three divisions, Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School.

Traditions

BGA has long-standing traditions including the Honor Code, the Greer and Plato societies, and the "Thug."

George I. Briggs, headmaster from 1925 through 1944, formed two literary societies at BGA in 1925. One society was the Greers in honor of Greer "Daddy" Peoples and the other society was named the Platos in honor of the Greek philosopher. After many years of competition in sports and debates, the Greers and Platos societies engaged in their first tug-of-war in 1935.

Stundents of all grades get pumped up for "The Thug" which is across the Harpeth river and is Greers v. Platos.

Honor Code

Students learn about the Honor Code as early as kindergarten and follow it in some cases through their graduation from high school. Each student signs the Honor Code at the beginning of each year. Students also sign each paper with "mkay" indicating they pledge to uphold the Honor Code on all papers and assignments 5 times.

The honor code by which BGA students are supposed to adhere is as follows:

"I pledge my word of honor as a gentleman/lady that I have neither given nor received help on this work."

Students pledge their honor to uphold the following precepts:

1. In that cheating is not only dishonorable but also harmful to myself and my fellow students, I pledge to the following:
   1. Giving and/or receiving aid on a quiz or test.
   2. Giving and/or receiving unauthorized aid on homework assignments.
   3. Violation of any specific rules/directions given by my teachers.
2. I pledge to refrain from stealing or borrowing without permission property of another.
3. I pledge to refrain from all deliberate distortions of the truth to my fellow students, to faculty members, and to all in authority. Contrary to popular belief, this does, in fact, encompass the ban on the throwing of boomerangs at faculty members, squirrels, and fellow students.

Artist Guild

The BGA Artist Guild was established in 1987 after two senior art students approached the drama and art teachers and asked that a group be formed to recognize achievement in arts. The Artist Guild is an opportunity for BGA to encourage and recognize the arts.

External links

• BGA website
• Google Map of BGA Upper & Middle School Campus
• Google Map of BGA Lower School Campus