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Briarcrest Christian School

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Briarcrest Christian School
Address
Map
76 S Houston Levee Rd

Eads, Tennessee
38028
Coordinates35°7′15″N 89°43′54″W / 35.12083°N 89.73167°W / 35.12083; -89.73167
Information
School typePrivate, coeducational
MottoWith Men, This Is Impossible; But With God, All Things Are Possible. Matthew 19:26
Religious affiliation(s)Non-denominational Christian
Established1973
FounderW. Wayne Allen
PrincipalEric Sullivan
GradesK2–12
Enrollment1700
Color(s) Green  and  Gold 
Fight songWhen the Saints Go Marching In
MascotSt. Bernard dog "BC"
NicknameSaints
RivalsUpper School: Christian Brothers High School (Boys)

Lower School: St. Dominic School (Boys)

Presbyterian Day School (Boys)

Both: Hutchison School (Girls), St. Agnes Academy (Girls), Memphis University School (Boys), St. Mary's Episcopal School (Girls)
Feeder schoolsGrace-St. Luke's Episcopal School, Woodland Presbyterian School
Feeder toItself
Websitewww.briarcrest.com

Briarcrest Christian School (BCS) is a private, coeducational, Christian school in Eads, an unincorporated area of Shelby County, Tennessee. The school was founded as a Christian Academy after prayer was banned in public schools in Memphis, Tennessee. Today, it serves students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The school also offers "early school" for ages 2-4.

History

Establishment

Pastor W. Wayne Allen, founder of Briarcrest Christian School

In 1970, the leaders and members of East Park Baptist Church began to plan a collection of Christian Schools after the supreme court determined the establishment clause applied to prayers in public schools. On March 15, 1973, the church incorporated the Briarcrest Baptist School System.[1]Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). Tuition and fees were $650 per student (about $4,461 today[2]), with $100 discounts for siblings.[3] Few, if any, were black, despite a declared policy of nondiscrimination — a requirement for the school's tax-exempt status — and reported efforts by Briarcrest officials to attract African-American students. A 1976 book published by Christian Literature Crusade said those efforts included asking 10 African-American pastors in Memphis for recruiting help and advertising in the Tri-State Defender, a local minority newspaper.[4]: 42–43 [5] W. Wayne Allen, the pastor of East Park Baptist Church and head of the school system, said the black community pressured its families not to attend Briarcrest schools. "A black pastor friend of mine told me, 'Brother Allen, if I had one of your satellite schools in my church I'd be ostracized as an Uncle Tom'", Mr. Allen told the New York Times in August 1973. "I told him, 'It's too bad you folks are so segregationist.'"[3]

1970s

In the fall of 1974, Briarcrest narrowly won an auction for a plot of land in East Memphis, beating out a Jewish group that sought to build a synagogue. School officials, who wanted the land for their high school campus, described the victory as a divine intervention in favor of Christianity over Judaism.[6]: 35 [4]: 30–31 

Grades 9–12 were added in 1975.

In its early years, the Briarcrest system continued to hold elementary-grade classes in various churches, paying minimal rent so it could concentrate capital spending on its high school campus.[6]: 36  Since the Briarcrest system was affiliated with a large church, it continued to attract students after other Memphis-area private schools shut down.[7]

In 1979, six years after Briarcrest began operation, about 2,000 students attended classes in the churches, and another 1,800 students attended the high school.[1] Allen, by now the chairman of the school board, proclaimed it "the largest private school in the world."[1][8] Tuition in the lower grades was still $650; for high schoolers it was $1,100.[1] A recent capital fundraising drive had netted about $400,000 to build a football stadium, and the school had recently created a development office to routinize solicitations for more funds.[1]

None of its 3,800 students were black; indeed, only two black students had ever enrolled in Briarcrest's regular classes, and just 46 more in its summer programs, Allen said.[1][9] Memphis NAACP chair Maxine Smith described the school as a "bastion of white segregation in a city with a 40% black population".[10] Allen said the school's attempts at outreach were foiled by the black community, whose children were "pressured into staying away, feeling they'd be Uncle Toms if they came."[11]

In February 1979, Allen was summoned to Washington, D.C., to testify at a hearing of the oversight subcommittee of the House Committee on Ways and Means. Rep. Harold Ford Sr., D-Tennessee, questioned Allen about why no black students attended Briarcrest. Allen said that "every possible effort has been made to encourage and enroll black students ... Some of the black leadership in our city says, 'Stay away; it is a racial school.' And it is not." Ford, the first black person to represent Tennessee in Congress, responded that he had never heard black leaders say that.[1]

1980s

In 1984, a group of black parents sued Allen in his official capacity, alleging that the school practiced discriminatory policies that require the revocation of its federal tax-exempt status. The case, Allen v. Wright, was ultimately decided by the Supreme Court, which held that the parents did not have standing to challenge the IRS ruling on the school's tax status.[12] Afterward, Allen said he was glad the tax code could not be "used as a weapon" by those who disagreed with the school's "policies or politics".[13]

By 1988, the school's enrollment had dwindled to 1,473 students and the school was in a precarious financial situation. School leaders feared the school would not have funds to reopen after the 1988–89 Christmas break, but a combination of teacher layoffs, staff pay cuts, and emergency fundraising allowed the school to continue classes.[14] In 1989, the school split from the founding church and re-chartered as an independent school under the name Briarcrest Christian School.

2000s

The East Memphis campus was sold in 2012

The school and its history of racial segregation were portrayed in the 2009 film The Blind Side, though it was called "Wingate Christian School".[15][16] Briarcrest officials said they did not permit the use of the school's real name because they felt that the script took excessive artistic license.[17]

By 2010, the school had grown to 1,600 students and spent $43 million to build its campus.[18]

In 2012, the school sold its Memphis campus to a church that had been a tenant there, though it continued to "lease space in the building for 200 students ranging from 2-year-olds to fifth graders", the Memphis Business Journal reported.[19]

In 2021, the school attracted controversy by inviting parents to a seminar on how to "respond biblically" to "the craziness" of children coming out or embracing an alternative gender identity.[20] Shelby County commissioner Tami Sawyer said the school's anti-LGBT rhetoric ("hateful drivel") should be viewed in light of the school's history of racial segregation.[21][22] Several alumni said that the school's homophobic teachings led them to consider suicide during their attendance.[23][24]

Program and facilities

Briarcrest is a non-denominational Christian school. All students attend weekly chapel services, study the Bible, and are encouraged to have what evangelical Christians describe as "a personal relationship with Jesus Christ". The school professes to teach Christian values and biblical morals; citing biblical verses, it forbids students to make statements in support of abortion, sexual promiscuity, homosexuality, same-sex attraction, and alternate gender identity.[25]

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 offers athletic programs including football, baseball, basketball, wrestling, cross country, golf, bowling, swimming, trap shooting, softball, lacrosse, soccer, volleyball, track, tennis, and cheerleading. The school 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. Two of the football titles and four in girls' basketball were won by teams coached by Hugh Freeze, who left in 2004 and went on to become head football coach at the University of Mississippi.

In 2017, Freeze resigned abruptly from Ole Miss after he was found to have made more than a dozen calls to escort services on a university cellphone.[26][27] Soon thereafter, some female former Briarcrest students alleged that Freeze had engaged in inappropriate conduct with them at the school.[26][28] A Briarcrest spokeswoman said, "We are totally unaware of any allegations against Coach Freeze regarding any kind of inappropriate personal conduct while he was here at Briarcrest.”[29]

Notable people

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g United States (1979). Tax-exempt status of private schools: hearings before the Subcommittee on Oversight of the Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives, Ninety-sixth Congress, first session ... Washington: U.S. Govt. Print. Off. : For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., Congressional Sales Office.
  2. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Grub, Norman P. (1976). Nothing is Impossible. Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade. ISBN 978-0-87508-207-3.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference kravitiz was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference nevinbills was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Kiel, Daniel (Summer 2008). "Exploded Dream: Desegregation in the Memphis City Schools". Law and Inequality: A Journal of Theory and Practice. 26 (2): 298.
  8. ^ Newman, Mark (2001). Getting right with God: Southern Baptists and desegregation, 1945-1995. University of Alabama Press. p. 192. ISBN 978-0817310608.
  9. ^ Peshkin, Alen (1993). "Fundamentalist Christian schools: Should they be regulated?". In Francis, Leslie J; Lankshear, David W. (eds.). Christian perspectives on church schools: a reader. Leominster: Gracewing. p. 286. ISBN 978-0852442357. OCLC 29518787.
  10. ^ "Baptist School Groups Denies Racial Bias". Jet. No. 4. Johnson Publishing Company. January 4, 1979. p. 7.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference crespino was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Allen v. Wright, 468 US 737
  13. ^ "Parent calls decision 'Wrong' in tax exemption challenge". The Tennessean. UPI. July 5, 1984. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Durando, Stuart (February 9, 1989). "Briarcrest looks toward future". Germantown News. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Sexton, Jared (2017). "Origins and Beginnings: On the Blind Side". Black Masculinity and the Cinema of Policing. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. pp. 89–120. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-66170-4_4. ISBN 9783319661698.
  16. ^ Leonard, David J.; George, Kimberly B.; Davis, Wade (2016). Football, Culture and Power. Routledge research in sport, culture and society. Routledge. p. 85. ISBN 9781317410881.
  17. ^ Wade, Don (November 24, 2009). "Briarcrest opted out of feature role in 'The Blind Side'". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  18. ^ Wade, Don (February 3, 2010). "Briarcrest sees more growth in future". The Commercial Appeal. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012.
  19. ^ "Highpoint Church purchases Briarcrest's East Memphis campus". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  20. ^ "Training sessions on sexuality, gender identity happening today at Briarcrest Christian School". Action 5 News. November 9, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  21. ^ @tamisawyer (November 8, 2021). "There has to be a reckoning with these institutions on the oppression they uphold and the gates they keep. @BriarcrestHs once educated their students that segregation was God's will and is now spreading this hateful drivel against LGBTQ children. Just be better" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  22. ^ "County commissioner blasts school's training sessions for parents on 'gospel response' to sexuality and gender identity". Action News 5. November 8, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  23. ^ Testino, Laura; Butkovich, Gina. "Gay Briarcrest alum said private school's LGBTQ stance nearly cost him his life". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  24. ^ Testino, Laura; Butkovich, Gina (November 10, 2021). "Gay Briarcrest alum said private school's LGBTQ stance nearly cost him his life". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  25. ^ "Briarcrest Christian School | Biblical Principles Policy". June 12, 2018. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  26. ^ a b Peter, Josh (July 29, 2017). "Who is Hugh Freeze? Conflicting views of former Ole Miss coach emerge". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018.
  27. ^ "Review shows 12 Freeze calls to escort numbers". ESPN.com. August 22, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  28. ^ Heim, Mark (July 31, 2017). "Hugh Freeze stories emerge from former female students at Briarcrest Christian". AL.com.
  29. ^ Giannotto, Mark (July 24, 2017). "At Briarcrest Christian School, Hugh Freeze's legacy is everywhere". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  30. ^ Cacciola, Scott (October 21, 2014). "Hugh Freeze, Coach at Ole Miss, Follows an Unlikely Blueprint". The New York Times. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  31. ^ Greg Hardy. "Greg Hardy, DE for the Carolina Panthers at". Nfl.com. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  32. ^ Krehbiel, Randy (December 27, 1989). "Mabry, Just Maybe, Is Arkansas' Best 'Sleeper'". Tulsa World. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  33. ^ [1] Archived March 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  34. ^ Borzello, Jeff (November 5, 2012). "Austin Nichols surprisingly chooses Memphis over Tennessee". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  35. ^ "Michael Oher, T for the Baltimore Ravens at". Nfl.com. May 28, 1986. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  36. ^ Varlas, John (June 25, 2018). "Briarcrest 2020 standout Jabari Small picks up Volunteer offer". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  37. ^ Romanowski, William (May 21, 2019). Cinematic faith: a Christian perspective on movies and meaning. Grand Rapids, Michigan. p. 182. ISBN 978-0-8010-9865-9. OCLC 1056484419.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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