Campuses

East Memphis

The East Memphis campus contains facilities for Preschool-Grade 5. It is located in east Memphis, near the Poplar/I-240 interchange. The facility contains an auditorium, a cafeteria, two libraries, a gymnasium, 4 science labs, 4 computer labs, and 59 regular classrooms. There are also three playgrounds and two practice fields. The building was originally used for high school grades 9-12.

Houston Levee

The Houston Levee campus is located on 84 acres of land in eastern Shelby County. An elementary campus is located at the Houston Levee facility, along with the middle school, high school, and a complete sportsplex. The facilities for students in Preschool-Grade 8 contain a gymatorium, a cafeteria, a playground, and a library. The campus uses a mobile computer lab which has wireless internet access. The elementary and middle school facilities at the Houston Levee campus opened in 2009.

The high school campus contains facilities for Grades 9 to 12. The building contains approximately 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) of instructional and support space for students. The building also contains 27 regular classrooms, 3 computer labs, 5 science labs, a science lecture lab, a library/media center, a cafeteria, a multi-purpose room, and fine arts facilities. The gymnasium contains locker rooms, a fully-furnished weight room, and a wrestling room.

The sportsplex contains a football stadium, track, baseball stadium, softball stadium, soccer field, and a tennis complex containing 6 courts. In addition, the stadium contains a field house and two concessions buildings. The Briarcrest Sportsplex hosted the state Track & Field championships when the TSSAA Spring Fling was held in Memphis from 2003-2005. Additionally, the Briarcrest Sportsplex served as the backdrop of a 2009 Reebok commercial featuring New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and Giants wide receiver Domenik Hixon.

Academics

High School

Briarcrest's college preparatory curriculum includes approximately 100 courses organized around the core subjects of English, mathematics, science, social studies, technology skills, fine arts, foreign languages, Bible, business, and physical education. Advanced Placement courses are available in Biology, Calculus, Chemistry, English Literature, English Language, European History, Latin, Music Theory, Statistics, Studio Art (Drawing, 2D or 3D Design), U.S. Government and Politics, and U.S. History. Additionally, students may take university courses with dual enrollment at Union University in theatre arts and world civilization.

Middle School

The Middle School curriculum at Briarcrest combines challenging academic instruction with the development of critical thinking skills. Students are required to take core subjects in the areas of language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and Bible. Most core subjects are offered at an honors level. Other courses include advanced computer studies, studio art, music, foreign languages (Etymology and Latin), and physical education. Educational activities include grade-level trips to learn about government at the city, state, and national levels.

Upper Elementary School

Upper Elementary students in grades 2 - 5 expand their knowledge in the basic areas of reading, writing, and math, while broadening their horizons in science, social studies, computer skills, and Spanish. Instruction in Bible, art, music, and P.E., plus a weekly chapel program, rounds out the student's educational experience. There are many opportunities for extracurricular activities, including participation in the school's award-winning Saintly Singers choir. A-Team, the elementary's leadership group, gives interested students many occasions to gain confidence in public speaking and leading their peers.

Lower Elementary School

Students in Kindergarten & grade 1 are taught the fundamentals of reading, writing, mathematics, and computer proficiency, along with instruction in Spanish, physical education, art, music, computer, and library/study skills. Bible instruction and Christian values are incorporated into daily teaching, and students worship in their own chapel service every week.

Preschool

The curriculum for students in K2 - K4 includes reading and writing, math, science, social studies, Spanish, and Bible. Students are given opportunities for listening, speaking, writing, drawing and painting, and imaginative play. Class sizes are small, with an assistant teacher in each room.

Athletics

Briarcrest Christian School has fielded varsity sports teams since the mid-1970s. The school's team name is the Saints, and its mascot is a St. Bernard. Briarcrest competes in Division 2, the private school division, in the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association.

Briarcrest offers state-of-the art sports facilities on expansive grounds. The school fields over 30 athletic teams, including football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, track, cross country, wrestling, tennis, swimming, golf and bowling. In 2009, Briarcrest started a boys' and a girls' high school lacrosse program. Briarcrest also has competitive cheerleading and pomm squads.

Competing with both private and public schools in the region, many Briarcrest teams advance to competition and victory at the state level. Since 1998, Briarcrest's state championships include the 2003 State Volleyball Championship, 2002 and 2004 State Football Championship, 2008 Boys Basketball State Championship and 1998, 2001 and 2002 Girls Basketball State Championships.

Briarcrest Fine Arts Department

The mission of the Briarcrest Christian School Fine Arts Department is to provide a Christ-centered curriculum that inspires, equips, and empowers students to discover, develop, and demonstrate their God-given talents while establishing a life-long appreciation for the arts. The Briarcrest Christian School Fine Arts Department provides instruction for students beginning in Preschool and continuing through the twelfth grade in art, drama, and music. The department also provides creative and cultural opportunities for all students at the Briarcrest Christian School and members of the Memphis community. The Fine Arts Department offers instruction in visual arts, choral music, instrumental music, general music, and theater. The Fine Arts department lists accomplishments including: artists placing in various competitions, the honors band talent winner performance, the choir, and the theater's productions.

The Briarcrest Christian School Vocal Music Department offers middle and high school students a medium for musical expression. High school students may audition for the Briarcrest Singers or the Concert Choir. They may also audition for the High School Spring Musical. High School vocal students also participate in events sanctioned by the West Tennessee Vocal Music Educators Association. The Briarcrest Christian High School Singers is the high school premier vocal ensemble. The Briarcrest Singers provide auditioned vocal students a medium for advanced musical expression. Concert Choir members will receive training in musical fundamentals preparing them for placement in the Briarcrest Singers or a life making music. Each year the choir performs for chapels, churches, and local festivals.

The primary goals of the Band Program at Briarcrest are to enhance the individual's potential to understand music as an art form, to encourage the use of music as a form of expression, and to teach the value of music as an aesthetic experience. The Band Program seeks to provide instruction which focuses on a sequential program of skills development, while allowing the student to grow intellectually and socially. In order to accomplish these objectives, the program is divided into four levels: the High School Band and three Middle School bands. The high school band usually consists of ninth through twelfth grade students. These students are taught skills in music theory and music history through the performance medium. These students participate in the high school Marching Band and the high school Concert Band. The marching band usually competes in 6 marching contests during the fall semester. They also have an award-winning colorguard unit. The concert band competes at the state and national level. This group gives a concert at Christmas, as well as performing in up to five different concerts during the spring semester.

The Briarcrest Christian School drama program is designed to allow students who are interested in acting and staging to participate in plays and musicals. The high school curriculum includes an introduction to theatre arts, classes in acting and dance, and a production workshop class. The dramatic production during the fall semester is a classical or modern selection. Some past fall plays include A Midsummer Night's Dream, Father of the Bride, The Taming of the Shrew, The Crucible, Neil Simon's female version of The Odd Couple, The Nerd and The Fantasticks. The high school play in the spring semester is a musical that involves all areas of the fine arts department: drama, visual arts, choir, and the band. Some past musicals include Peter Pan, Annie, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Carousel, She Loves Me and Oklahoma!. The annual middle school musical is presented in the spring semester. Productions have included Schoolhouse Rock, Jr., The Music Man, Jr., Aladdin Jr. and The Wizard of Oz. The 2008 BCMS production will be Seussical: the Musical.

The curriculum of Visual Arts organized at Briarcrest Christian Schools is both vertical and horizontal in approach. Through the implementation of a cross-cultural and cross-curriculum based approach, each instructor intentionally connects art history and art making to math, science, history and writing. The visual arts are taught from a biblical perspective relating art production to art history, criticism and aesthetics.

Notable alumni

Michael Oher - University of Mississippi and Baltimore Ravens football player; First team all-Southeastern Conference football team 2006; subject of book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, by Michael Lewis; and subject of the 2009 movie The Blind Side, written and directed by John Lee Hancock.

Lisa Pickens Quinn - San Francisco-based television host and author "Life's Too Short to Fold Fitted Sheets" (Chronicle Books), Guest Designer: HGTV, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show. National Spokesperson: DuPont, Kenmore Appliances and IKEA, Winner of 2009 Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement -- Program Host.

Todd Adams- Owner, Newby's Restaurant, Memphis

Tim Dulin - Former Baltimore Orioles & Pittsburgh Pirates player; owner of Dulin's Gameday Sports Academy in Cordova, Tennessee.

Jeff Fite- Former University of Memphis punter, named All-American in 1990.

John Hemphill - Actor/ Comedian

Keith Kessenger - Former University of Mississippi All-SEC & All-American baseball player, former Cincinnati Reds player; Current head baseball coach at Arkansas State University.

Jim Mabry - University of Arkansas football player; Associated Press First team All-American 1989.

External links

The Ballad of Big Mike, New York Times Magazine article on Michael Oher 2005

Briarcrest homepage

References

^ http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/jun/30/eli-manning-shoots-reebok-commercials-briarcrest-c/

^ Briarcrest Christian School Program of Studies: Grades 9-12, 2009-2010. http://www.briarcrest.com/Prog of Studies_HS 0910.pdf

^ Briarcrest Christian School Program of Studies: Grades 6-8, 2008-2009. http://www.briarcrest.com/content/POS-MS.08-09.pdf

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College preparatory schools in Tennessee

Battle Ground Academy Baylor School Brentwood Academy Briarcrest Christian School Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences Christian Brothers High School (Memphis) Concord Academy (Memphis) David Lipscomb Campus School Evangelical Christian School Father Ryan High School First Assembly Christian School Franklin Road Academy Girls Preparatory School Harding Academy Harpeth Hall School Hutchison School Immaculate Conception Lausanne Collegiate School McCallie School Memphis University School Middle Tennessee Christian School Montgomery Bell Academy Notre Dame High School (Chattanooga) St. Andrew's-Sewanee School Saint Benedict at Auburndale St. Cecilia Academy (Nashville, Tennessee) St. George's University School of Jackson University School of Nashville Webb School (Bell Buckle, Tennessee) Webb School of Knoxville Westminster Academy

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