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Briarcrest Christian School

Coordinates: 35°06′52″N 89°51′59″W / 35.1145364°N 89.8663037°W / 35.1145364; -89.8663037
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Briarcrest Christian School
File:EnhancedBriarcrestLogo.png
Location
Map
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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 school was opened in 1973 as a segregation academy in response to the court-ordered busing 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 Toms if they came."[2] 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".[1]

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.[3]

In 2009, the school's reputation for racial segregation was portrayed in the film The Blind Side.[4][5]

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. ^ a b Nevin, David; Bills, Robert (1976). The schools that fear built : segregationist academies in the South. Washington: Acropolis Books. p. 54. ISBN 0874911796.
  2. ^ Crespino, Joseph (2007). In Search of Another Country: Mississippi and the Conservative Counterrevolution. Princeton University Press. p. 248. ISBN 0691122091.
  3. ^ Wade, Don (February 3, 2010). "Briarcrest sees more growth in future". The Commercial Appeal. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012.
  4. ^ Leonard, David J.; George, Kimberly B.; Davis, Wade (2016-10-14). Football, Culture and Power. Routledge. p. 85. ISBN 9781317410881.
  5. ^ "Battering Ram". Memphis magazine. 2011-03-04. Retrieved 2017-11-03.
  6. ^ Cacciola, Scott (21 October 2014). "Hugh Freeze, Coach at Ole Miss, Follows an Unlikely Blueprint". NY Times. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  7. ^ Greg Hardy. "Greg Hardy, DE for the Carolina Panthers at". Nfl.com. Retrieved 2012-12-26.
  8. ^ "409: Site not active". Suburbancommunitynews.com. Retrieved 2012-12-26.
  9. ^ [1] Archived March 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Borzello, Jeff (November 5, 2012). "Austin Nichols surprisingly chooses Memphis over Tennessee". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  11. ^ Michael Oher (1986-05-28). "Michael Oher, T for the Baltimore Ravens at". Nfl.com. Retrieved 2012-12-26.
  12. ^ Holmes, Linda (2011-02-08). "Beyond 'The Blind Side,' Michael Oher Rewrites His Own Story : Monkey See". NPR. Retrieved 2012-12-26.