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Coordinates: 35°06′52″N 89°51′59″W / 35.1145364°N 89.8663037°W / 35.1145364; -89.8663037
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==History==
==History==
The rich heritage of Briarcrest Christian School lies in an unwavering commitment to Christian principles and academic excellence. Founded in 1973, the school system has provided its educational program to students in west Tennessee, north Mississippi and eastern Arkansas.
The school was opened in 1973 as a [[segregation academy]] in response to the court-ordered busing [[School integration in the United States|racial integration of public schools]]. The chairman of the school board stated that black students were "pressured into staying away, feeling they'd be [[Uncle Tom]]s if they came."<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DdCApZN4xjwC&pg=PA248&lpg=PA248|title=In Search of Another Country: Mississippi and the Conservative Counterrevolution|last=Crespino|first=Joseph|date=2007|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=0691122091|page=248|language=en}}</ref> The headmaster explained that teachers left public schools for jobs at Briarcrest because they wanted to be "back among their own" with "less fear, less culture shock" and more "cultural homogeneity".<ref name=nevinbills>{{cite book|last1=Nevin|first1=David|last2=Bills|first2=Robert|title=The schools that fear built : segregationist academies in the South|date=1976|publisher=Acropolis Books|location=Washington|isbn=0874911796|page=54}}</ref>


The school staffs classrooms with state-certified, highly qualified educators, and strives to attract teachers possessing specialized higher academic degrees. We seek more than academic proficiency. Our teachers function as role models. Their lives exemplify Christ's teachings in the classroom, on the athletic field, on the stage or in other student activities. Our entire faculty and staff are committed to Briarcrest's distinctive mission that combines academic excellence with Christian character development.
Programs for kindergarten through grade 8 began in 1973, as '''Briarcrest Baptist School System''', and a program for grades 9–12 was added in 1974. In its early years, Briarcrest maintained as many as 12 locations in [[Southern Baptist]] churches throughout the Memphis area. In 1989 the school split from the founding church and re-chartered as an [[independent school]], Briarcrest Christian School. Over the next 20 years, Briarcrest Christian School grew to 1,600 students and invested $43 million in building its campus.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/feb/03/enrollment-up-briarcrest-sees-more-growth-02/ |title=Briarcrest sees more growth in future |newspaper =The Commercial Appeal |date= February 3, 2010 |first = Don | last = Wade | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121017235357/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/feb/03/enrollment-up-briarcrest-sees-more-growth-02/ | archive-date = October 17, 2012}}</ref>


Nestled on 115 acres in Eads, Tennessee, this campus features a high school, middle school, and elementary school serving students (2-year-olds - 12th grade). The 124,000-square-foot high school building is a well-appointed structure offering 31 general classrooms including a computer lab, four science labs, a science lecture lab, a STEM lab and library/media center. The high school also features Studio 73, a fully-equipped, high-tech recording studio and spaces designed specifically for art, instrumental music, and technology production with rooms for band sectional practices and a video production studio for technical production instruction.
In 2009, the school's reputation for racial segregation was portrayed in the film ''[[The Blind Side (film)|The Blind Side]]''.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ceFRDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT85&lpg=PT85|title=Football, Culture and Power|last=Leonard|first=David J.|last2=George|first2=Kimberly B.|last3=Davis|first3=Wade|date=2016-10-14|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317410881|page=85|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://memphismagazine.com/features/the-tragedy-of-busing-revisited/|title=Battering Ram|date=2011-03-04|work=Memphis magazine|access-date=2017-11-03|language=en-us}}</ref>

The high school also has a full-scale gymnasium and a multi-purpose room, which also serves as a cafeteria, with a full scale kitchen. The gym has four locker rooms, a wrestling room and a fully-equipped, state-of-the-art weight room. The 35,000 square-foot Sparks Chapel houses the Business Office, auditorium/chapel and informal art gallery. Sparks Chapel has spaces designed for vocal music and theatre with two instructional classrooms, two conservatory rooms, two dressing rooms and a scene workshop.
Outdoor sport venues include a football stadium and track, soccer field, baseball stadium, softball stadium and a six-court tennis complex. A softball stadium and a lighted multi-purpose field for football, lacrosse and soccer are featured on the west side of the complex. A field house, athletic media/film room, indoor baseball practice facility, three concessions buildings, band field and three multi-purpose fields complement the Saints Sportsplex.
The middle and elementary school complex, located adjacent to the high school, has its own gymnasium, cafeteria and library. The building has access to our high school facilities, yet is housed in its own separate structure. The middle school with a total capacity of approximately 400 students in Grades 6-8 has 24 classrooms and three conservatory practice rooms. Six large classrooms are designated for three science labs, a STEM lab, and individual fine arts classrooms for band and art. The elementary and middle school are also home to a spectacular 11,000 square-foot gymnasium that seats approximately 500 people, a 5,000 square-foot full-service cafeteria and a 3,500 square-foot library with a magnificent wall of windows that highlight one of the most scenic views of the campus.
The elementary school serves an average of approximately four classrooms per grade-level and has a capacity of 650 students in PK2-Grade 5. This building has a separate covered portico entry for all of our elementary students to enter separate from the middle school. The elementary school is comprised of 33 classrooms, including designated classrooms for art, music, computer, gifted program, STEM program and an elementary library.

The Houston Levee campus has a staff of three registered nurses each school day. Nurses are available to administer medications and handle students' illnesses, accidents and emergencies.


==Facilities==
==Facilities==

Revision as of 15:27, 30 April 2018

Briarcrest Christian School
File:EnhancedBriarcrestLogo.png
Location
Map
Eads and Memphis
,
Tennessee
Coordinates35°06′52″N 89°51′59″W / 35.1145364°N 89.8663037°W / 35.1145364; -89.8663037
Information
School typePrivate coeducational
MottoWith Men, This Is Impossible; But With God, All Things Are Possible. Matt 19:26
Religious affiliation(s)Non-denominational Christian
Established1973
PrincipalEric Sullivan
GradesPK–12
Enrollment1600
Color(s)Green and gold    
NicknameSaints
Websitewww.briarcrest.com

Briarcrest Christian School is an independent coeducational college preparatory school with two campuses in Shelby County, Tennessee. The school was founded in 1973 as a segregation academy in response to the racial desegregation of Memphis City Schools.[1]

History

The rich heritage of Briarcrest Christian School lies in an unwavering commitment to Christian principles and academic excellence. Founded in 1973, the school system has provided its educational program to students in west Tennessee, north Mississippi and eastern Arkansas.

The school staffs classrooms with state-certified, highly qualified educators, and strives to attract teachers possessing specialized higher academic degrees. We seek more than academic proficiency. Our teachers function as role models. Their lives exemplify Christ's teachings in the classroom, on the athletic field, on the stage or in other student activities. Our entire faculty and staff are committed to Briarcrest's distinctive mission that combines academic excellence with Christian character development.

Nestled on 115 acres in Eads, Tennessee, this campus features a high school, middle school, and elementary school serving students (2-year-olds - 12th grade). The 124,000-square-foot high school building is a well-appointed structure offering 31 general classrooms including a computer lab, four science labs, a science lecture lab, a STEM lab and library/media center. The high school also features Studio 73, a fully-equipped, high-tech recording studio and spaces designed specifically for art, instrumental music, and technology production with rooms for band sectional practices and a video production studio for technical production instruction.

The high school also has a full-scale gymnasium and a multi-purpose room, which also serves as a cafeteria, with a full scale kitchen. The gym has four locker rooms, a wrestling room and a fully-equipped, state-of-the-art weight room. The 35,000 square-foot Sparks Chapel houses the Business Office, auditorium/chapel and informal art gallery. Sparks Chapel has spaces designed for vocal music and theatre with two instructional classrooms, two conservatory rooms, two dressing rooms and a scene workshop.

Outdoor sport venues include a football stadium and track, soccer field, baseball stadium, softball stadium and a six-court tennis complex. A softball stadium and a lighted multi-purpose field for football, lacrosse and soccer are featured on the west side of the complex. A field house, athletic media/film room, indoor baseball practice facility, three concessions buildings, band field and three multi-purpose fields complement the Saints Sportsplex. The middle and elementary school complex, located adjacent to the high school, has its own gymnasium, cafeteria and library. The building has access to our high school facilities, yet is housed in its own separate structure. The middle school with a total capacity of approximately 400 students in Grades 6-8 has 24 classrooms and three conservatory practice rooms. Six large classrooms are designated for three science labs, a STEM lab, and individual fine arts classrooms for band and art. The elementary and middle school are also home to a spectacular 11,000 square-foot gymnasium that seats approximately 500 people, a 5,000 square-foot full-service cafeteria and a 3,500 square-foot library with a magnificent wall of windows that highlight one of the most scenic views of the campus. The elementary school serves an average of approximately four classrooms per grade-level and has a capacity of 650 students in PK2-Grade 5. This building has a separate covered portico entry for all of our elementary students to enter separate from the middle school. The elementary school is comprised of 33 classrooms, including designated classrooms for art, music, computer, gifted program, STEM program and an elementary library.

The Houston Levee campus has a staff of three registered nurses each school day. Nurses are available to administer medications and handle students' illnesses, accidents and emergencies.

Facilities

Main entrance to East Memphis campus

The Memphis campus serves pre-k through grade 5 and the and Eads campus serves pre-k through grade 12.

Program

Briarcrest is a Non-denominational Christian. Christian values and biblical morals are taught and practiced throughout the program. All students attend weekly chapel services, study the Bible and are encouraged to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Briarcrest offers honors, advanced placement and dual enrollment classes. Fine arts programs begin in preschool and continue through grade 12 in visual arts, choral music, instrumental music, general music, and theater arts.

Accreditation and affiliations

The school has dual accreditation from the Southern Association of Independent Schools and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Briarcrest is also a member of the Association of Christian Schools International, Tennessee Association of Independent Schools, Memphis Association of Independent Schools, and the College Board.

Sports

Briarcrest participates in Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) Division II West AA for large schools, competing with both private and public schools in the region. Since 1998, Briarcrest has won nine state championships (six of which, two in football and four in girls' basketball, were coached by former Ole Miss football coach Hugh Freeze). The school offers athletic programs, including marching band, football, baseball, basketball, wrestling, cross country, golf, bowling, swimming, trap shooting, softball, lacrosse, soccer, volleyball, track, tennis, and cheerleading.

Notable people

References

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference nevinbills was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cacciola, Scott (21 October 2014). "Hugh Freeze, Coach at Ole Miss, Follows an Unlikely Blueprint". NY Times. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  3. ^ Greg Hardy. "Greg Hardy, DE for the Carolina Panthers at". Nfl.com. Retrieved 2012-12-26.
  4. ^ "409: Site not active". Suburbancommunitynews.com. Retrieved 2012-12-26.
  5. ^ [1] Archived March 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Borzello, Jeff (November 5, 2012). "Austin Nichols surprisingly chooses Memphis over Tennessee". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  7. ^ Michael Oher (1986-05-28). "Michael Oher, T for the Baltimore Ravens at". Nfl.com. Retrieved 2012-12-26.
  8. ^ Holmes, Linda (2011-02-08). "Beyond 'The Blind Side,' Michael Oher Rewrites His Own Story : Monkey See". NPR. Retrieved 2012-12-26.
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